Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-09
Elimination Of Simmons Amendment Is
Asked by Labor Editor.


Immediate enactment of the police
and fire pay bill and elimination of the
so-called Simmons amendments, was
urged in a statement issued today by
John B. Colpoys, editor OF the Trades
Unionist, official publication of or
ganized labor in the District of
Columbia.
The American Federation Of Labor
is opposed to the Simmons amend
ments, Colpoys said. Organized labor
takes vital interest in the passage of
the bill, he declared, because of its
! desire that living American wage be
established for the members of the
police and fire forces.
ColpoyS statement read as follows:
THE ranks Of the American Fedora
ton of Labor and American citizenry
in general are exhibiting a real interest
in the fate of the police and fire pay
bill, now tied up in Congress by the
wilful opposition of a single Repre-
sentative. Organized labor takes vital
interest in its passage because it would
| establish living American wage scale
for the policemen and firemen of Wash
ington and the people generally share
this interest, because the fight over
this bill represents battle for Amer
lean principles and self-government.
when this bill was before the Dis
trict House committee, William Roberts,
the personal representative of President
William Green, of the American Fedora
ton of Labor, appeared to urge its pas
sage. He stated the only objection
organized labor had against the bill
was that the suggested scales of pay
for privateS were not high enough. He
otherwise Endorsed the bill and urged
its enactment without amendment
Certainly, the American Federation of
Labor is opposed to the amendments
suggested in the House.
Labor Protest Is Cited.
1--WE hope Congress will never accept
these amendments. They violate the
very spirit of pension legislation and
would restore system, eliminated
from all the first class cities of the
Nation by popular vote of the people.
They are opposed by the tax-paying
public of Washington. Indeed, the
Central Trades Union, representing
more taxpayers than any one other
organization in the National Capital,
voiced indignant protest against their
adoption.
Our organization naturally shares in
the Nations pride in its beautiful Capt.
tai. 1t should never be said that Con-
gress failed to provide the best possible
administration for its Government. And
the best possible police and fire admin
istration of the National Capital can be
obtained only by passing the bill, which
has met, the overwhelming and almost
unanimous Endorsement of the Senate.
I'VE believe that public servants
should be adequately compensated for
their service, When one considers the
daily danger to their lives and health
that firemen and policemen encounter
in their service to the public 1t Is be-
yond comprehension to think any
legislator on Capitol Hill would stand
in the way of according these public
protectors the justice that is embodied
in the Senate bill. l most certainly
hope the House of Representatives may
be given an opportunity to vote on this
bill without further parliamentary OBJ
Struction.
Majority Rule Held at Stake.
"There is a great fundamental Amer
lean principle involved in consideration
of this bill. 1t is the great principle of
ma jority rule, on which Our Nation is
founded. The American people, great
believers in common justice and in the
rule of the majority, have come to love
their National Capital and to exercise
keen interest in its development. They
will watch carefully the outcome of this
struggle.
TT is admitted by everybody that
the House would enact this bill with
out amendment if permitted to vote
upon it. We have, therefore, the spec
tacle of one Congressman seeking to
impose his autocratic will upon the
District of Columbia over the protests
of its taxpaying citizenry and against
the overwhelming judgment of Con-
gress. 1t is even said this Congressman
himself confesses the House would re-
pudiate his amendments and that, for
this reason. he will not allow a vote.
Nothing quite like this tntolerant tnjus-