The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-02-15
SALARY And
CHARITY FUND Bills
START BITTER TALKS
Legislators Agree They Are
Worth More Than IS q Day;
People Don't Think So
PAY MEASURE IS DEFEATED
Action on Bill to Appropriate
$4,000 for Fargo House
Of Mercy ls Held Over

Two brisk fights enlivened the ses-
Iion Of the North Dakota senate
Thursday.
The first came on bill appropri-
lting 9.440 to pay legislators ~ .
lay for their work on committees.
The constitution provides that they
shall receive IS . day for their Serv-
Ices and the people have defeated
} change twice In the last eight years.
The measure was defeated.
The second came when an attempt
was made to amend the bill appropri.
Rting 10000 for the North Dakota
House Of Mercy at Fargo to include
an appropriation Of $4,000 for ot.
Johns orphanage. also ct Fargo. The
debate, which was nonfactional, was
the bitterest heard in the senate at
this session. The bill was held over
for final action tod2y. on motion Of
Senator Hyland, who had offered tho
but who later Withdrew It.
Six other bills passed without seri-
Gus difficulty.
Agree They're Worth It
In the debate on the proposal to
r Use legislative salaries, the only
point on which everyone agreed was
T. It the legislators are worth moro
than tn. IS day which the state Is
paying them.
Opening the attack, w. E. Matthaei
Wells county. admitted that legis-
lative salaries should be higher, but
pointed to the constitutional pro-
vision saying that e.ch member shall
receive IS q dcy for his services ct
each session. He pointed cut that
the matter had twice been submitted
to the people and twice voted down.
Part Of the legislators duties are
to serve on committees, he said, and
to attempt to draw extra pay for such
work Is merely q subterfuge and m
attempt to circumvent the constitu-
ton. He demanded to know what
could be expected Of the people IL tho
legislature attempted to evade the
constitution and the law. In ad-
dition he asserted that the proposal
was unconstitutional.
Dell Patterson, Renville county, OBJ
served that 1t might be unconsitu-
tional technically but was coustitu-
tional financially, and J. E. Eastgate.
Grand Forks county, took up the
battle against the bill. contending
that it would not be right to approve
the measure after the people had oo-
posed the idea.
Ettestad Opposes It
Ole EtteStad, McHenry county, con-
tended thc no legislator has right
under the constitution to vote on .
bill IN which he is financially in
terested, and that all certainly were
interested.
D. H. Hamilton, McHenry county,
led the fight for the measure. He
demanded to know II senators op-
posing the bill also would oppose the
bills to increase the pay Of judges
and state officers. now pending. 6o
interpreted the constitution as say
ing the members should receive Is .
day but a. not prohibiting them from
receiving more than that. $40
A. w. Fowler. Cas- county. said ho
expected to vote for the other salary
increases, but that the only question =
whether committee work = part of
q legislators services. He contended
that 1t Is. Recounting the history of
. resolution with Z similar INTENT
proposed two years ago, he said thAS
George shafer. then attorney general
and now governor, had held 1t uncon-
stitutional ct that time. He said dif>
ferent parts Of the constitution Apply
to the salaries Of legislators than to
the salaries Of state officers and
judges; that the legislators could
raise the pay Of other state employees
but not their own.
People Don't Realize Il
| Like all Of the others, he said th6
lawmakers services are worth u1ores
but commented that tho people do
not seem to realize 1t.
Hamilton said the South Dakota
and Arkansas Legislatures had rai1o1
their pay In the same way and thas
North Dakota solons could DO tia
same thing.
Ettestad said the legislators. II they
do not IKE their pay, can % on
strike and quit running for tho -
sembly; that there q no law IorcinG
them to run.
1 p. o. 6athre, Steele county. said tn
legislature had circumveuted the c0n-
stitution by voting to grant judo
appropriations for expenses In Nh
Of q salary. increase.
J. q. Forbes, Richland county
talked on the duty Of the legialata1Ft
| to. observe the constitution ana IT,
law, and ended his yeg1ax0 hy Gay1no
anyone foolish enough 70 run 1oe Z
job which pays only q : dov moQ1l
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