Evening star., 1934-02-28
PARLEY IS CALLED
ON PAY DILEMMA
House Democrats to Map
Policy Tonight After Sen-
ate Amends Bill.

House Democrats will hold a con-
ference at 7:3O tonight to consider
what to do on the independent Offices
appropriation bill, carrying the Gov
ernment pay restoration program and
giving back a substantial part of war
veterans allowances. The bill passed
the Senate late yesterday with Senate
Democratic leaders predicting the
measure is heading toward a veto in
its present form
President Roosevelt. at his press
conference today, however. declined
to comment publicly on the bill
After several weeks of deliberation
in committee and on the floor, the
Senate reached final vote after a
hectic afternoon, in the course OF
which soldiers bonus payment plan
was showed under, but another
amendment was adopted complicating
the pay restoration plan by continuing
the IS per cent cut on all salaries,
except judges, in excess of $4,000.
Rainey Warns of Veto.
Speaker Rainey today issued a
warning that the sweeping restoration
of veterans benefits would probably
bring a presidential veto.
He emphasized that the bill in its
present form would entirely unbalance
the budget and neceSsitate new taxes
The Speaker was not ready to pre-
dict what action the House would
take on the bill as revised, but ex-
pressed the belief it would be i'm
possible for the President to ap-
prove it.
The House Democratic conference
for tonight was called by Majority
Leader Byrns to let all Democratic
members have voice in the party
policy and to avoid the charge or
complaint that "a small group are
running things"
Record Vote Is Question.
The principal issue before the House
Democrats tonight will be whether a
rule will be sought to send the bill to
conference on all amendments or
whether to have record vote first
on the pay restoration question. No
poll has been or will be made in ad-
vance of the party conference. There
is quite general opinion that q
special rule to avoid a record vote
could not be adopted.
The group advocating the special
rule is headed by Chairman Buchanan
of the Appropriations Committee, who
led the drive when the bill was re-
ported which held the pay restoration
provision to per cent. The much
larger group, which demands a record
vote on full restoration of the basic
salaries and resents being restrained
by another gag" rule, are without
definite leadership, but has the sup
port of Byrns, Chairman Woodrum of
the subcommittee in charge OF the
bill and sectional leaders from all
parts of the country. However, Repre-
sentative Byrns, as he has frequently
stated, "is a good soldier" and will
carry out the party policy as deter
mined by the conference just as he
carried out the wishes of the admins
tration, contrary to his own convic-
tions, when the question was first
before the House, when, as he said,
II had to eat plenty of crow"
Change Forecast.
The opinion was widely expressed
today that the Borah amendment
prohibiting the payment of any
restoration Of salary cut on salaries
of $4,000 and over will be rejected by
the House both by a direct vote and
by conference action.
The Republican membership will
vote solidly against special rule and
will insistently demand through their
best parliamentarians that q record
vote be taken on the pay restoration
before the bill is sent to conference
The Republican vote will go solidly
for the full restoration of basic SAL
aries and without any limitation
against salaries in excess of $4,000.
While the majority sentiment still
is strong for record vote on pay
or Doro . On1,,~a-