Evening star., 1923-02-21
Senators Sterling and Smoot
Want Rival Plans Adopted
by Congress.
DEFEAT WOULD MEAN
RETURN TO THE BONUS
Dispute to Be Aired at Second
White House Conference,
Set for Tonight.

Reclassifcation legislation has
struck snag. A week ago it was re-
pof'eo that reclassification legisla-
lion was surely going through at the
present session." 1t may still go
through but much will depend upon a
meeting which Senator Sterling
CHAIRMAN of the civil service commit
tee and Senator smoot, chairman OF
Tue appropriations subcommittee now
considering the bill, will have at 3
CLOCK tonight with the President.
The principal difficulty lies In tho
iact that Senator Sterling is INSISTING
upon the adoption of the principles
eon'aineo In the Sterling-Lehlbach
reconstruction bill-meaning the ar
rahgement of schedules-and Senator
smoot is insisting upon the adoptjon
or the method Of reclassification used
ny the bureau of efficiency in working
OUT reclassification under the ex-
ecutlVe order of October "a, 1921.
Taken to President.
The controversy was taken TO the
President this morning, with both SEN
ators present at the White House. Sen
ator Sterling and Senator Smoot stated
'helr positions. The President, it is
UNDERSTOOD, listened to the senators
without committing himself one way or
the other and the suggestion was made
mat they return to discuss the matter
more fully at a conference AZ Tho JVbit.
House tonight.
Senator Sterling has said that he was
,'.m ,M.nhhs 10 accept an amendment to the
pir providing that the work OF the
t bureau or efficiency for reclassification
tive order Of October, 1921. NAV he mad
use OF as far as it conforms to the
principles OF the proposed new law,
IL now appears that Senator Smoot
rs demnanding zen that the entire plan as
worked out by the bureau of efficiency
pc put into effect. This. Senator Ster.
ing Will not agree to. To do so n w.s
pointed out today. would be -tantamount
20 accepting the Wood reclassi-
hcation bill, which was overwhelminpI,,
defeated in the House when tbe T.a6iy
pa, nach M Dill was put through the House
Question Of Jurisdfction.
The contention of Senator Sterling
right along has been that the an
propriations committee had iurisdic.
tion over the salary schedule alone
and not over the method of reclassf-
flying. He has contended that this Is a
matter which belongs to his commit.
tee on civil service. He has been
willing to modify the bill to meat
some criticisms made on II and has
presented revised bill, which il was
believed would be adopted with few
changes. But the stand now taken
by Senator Smoot may prevent re-
classification legislation entirely az
said. '' ~ 10
If no rec1assification bill is enacted
into law within the next week or ten
days, Congress will again have to pro-
vide the $240 horizontal bonus for
government employees during the NEXT
fiscal year, or else the government
employees will be in the position Of
having their salaries lowered al
though the cost of living still is very
high. ''
ST no agreement is reached at the
tonight it appears prob
able that demand will be made
that the appropriations subcommit-
tee meet and take some action on the
reclassification bill, so that 1t NAV he
reported to the Senate without fur
ther delay, and the Senate itself NAV
have an opportunity of acting upon
the measure.