Evening star., 1942-02-13
Pensions
Continued From First Page.)

bureaus are multiplying and agen.
cies are being expanded which are
remote from the conduct Of the wal
effort.
when this war is over, If it evel
Is over" said the Maryland Senator
there is likely to be a national deb
of 5000, ,000, 600, 900. or $4,000 for every
family in America, rich and poor
high and low. black and white, ano
we shall be lucky if it stops there.
Then we are going to bring back
from that war 10000, 900 men in our
Army and we shall have to readjust
them once more to our peacetime
economy. In addition to that we
nave 100000 or 100000 men
formerly engaged in war industries
who must be intergrated back into
peacetime economy That is going
to take years and many billions of
dollars
Byrd Asks BulOw to Act.
Senator Byrd leading the fight for
repeal of the congressional pensions
bill, pointed out the repeal bill was
introduced 10 days ago. He called
on Chairman Bulow ob the Civil
Service Committee to hold a meet
ing Monday morning and report it
30 the Senate.
Before Senator Bulow, Democrat,
of South Dakota could get the floor
TO reply, Senator Barkley resumed
che. debate. explaining he understood
The committee had referred the re-
peal bill as a routine matter to the
Civil Service Commission for report.
so far as I am concerned, 1 do
not need the views of the Civil
Service Commission to determine
how I will vote on the question, :"
said the majority leader.
Senator Lucas, Democrat, Of
Illinois who opposed the pension
originally. joined in the demand for
repeal. He told the Senate that the
sale of defense stamps by newspaper
carrier boys had been fiourishing
IN the Central West until the con-
sressional pension measure passed.
Suddenly, he said, sales fell of
sharply.
Roosevelt, Wallace Affected.
Senator Byrd said he wanted to
remind Senators that his bill repeals
the pension option which the origi-
nal measure gave to the President
and Vice President. as we'll as to
members of Congress.
Senator Barkley said he thought it
should go even further and exclude
cabinet members from the civil
service retirement plan.
Senator O'Mahoney, Democrat, of
Wyoming said he was glad the ma
jority leader had brought up the
issue, adding his own view that it is
no longer a question Of whether the
bill is explainable. but a question
of its effect on public morale.
Senator Lucas said that during his
service in Congress he had never re-
ceived such bitter letters as on this
subject.
Chairman Bulow defended his
action in referring the repeal meas
ure to the commission for a recon-
mendation and said he would wait
for a report. unless It was delayed
unreasonably.
At one point Senator OMahoney
charged that Senator Byrd was try
ing to smear members of Congress. 4"
Senator OMahoney, who was not
recorded as voting when the bill
passed the Senate, January 10, urged
repeal of the congressional pro-
visions, but told the Senate that the
country had been told, wrongly,
that all members of Congress could
receive pensions under the legisla-
tion.
Senator Byrd broke in to say that
all members who had served five
years and had reached the age Of
SIS could obtain a pension by paying
$1.39 on the last day OF this year,
retiring on January l. He said he
did not contend that they would re-
ceive the maximum pension Of ap-
proximately $4l00.
Obviously angered. Senator OMa-
honey shouted that Senator Byrd