Evening star., 1942-02-24
House Votes
Pension Repeal,
389 10 I
Acts to Reject
Congressional
Annuities
By GOULD LINCOLN.


Pensions for members of Con-
gress, for the President and Vice
President and members of the
cabinet, provided in a recently
enacted law extending the re-
tirement system to a couple of
hundred thousand employees of
various Government agencies, to-
day were effectively tossed out
OF the window by the House.
BY vote Of 389 to 7 that body,
after brief debate. agreed to the
Byrd amendment to q naval pay
bill repeating the pensions for cleo
tive officers of the Government and
heads of the executive departments.
Among the seven were Majority
Leader Mccormack and Repre-
sentative Boland, Democrat, Of
Pennsylvania, the Democratic whip.
Others opposed included Repre-
sentatives Casey, Democrat. of Mas
sachusetts; Flaherty, Democrat, Of
Massachusetts,; Moser. Democrat, of
Pennsylvania; Mitchell, Democrat,
of Illinois, and Rogers, Democrat,
of Oklahoma.
The vote came on q proposal of
Chairman Vinson of the Naval At
fairs Committee that the pay bill
be sent to conference and the con-
ferees Of the House be instructed to
agree to the Byrd amendment. The
action taken by the House insures
the retention of the repeater in the
bill, which is expected eventually
to 60 to the President for his ap-
proval.
Forced in Senate.
The public criticism of the PEN
sions- for Congress" set. which be-
gan Immediately attn the passage
of the law. became 10 great that
demands were made in both the
senate and House that the members
be given another opportunity to
pass on the matter. The repeater
was forced in the Senate last week,
with only five members of the Sen
ate voting against repeal.
The pension bill originally passed
the House without debate and with
out a roll call. In the Senate it was
debated and passed by a vote Of a
to "A. Later it was signed by the
President and became law.
During the House debate. the
principle Of retirement pay for elec-
tive officers was defended by Chair
man Ramspeck of the Civil Service
Committee and opposed by Repre-
sentative Rogers.
Eager to Get 1t Over With.
Other members who spoke briefly
against the pension system included
Representative Rees of Kansas, who
led a successful fight against similar
legislation in 1899.
Representative Reed, Republican,
of New York told the House that
"for % years I have been a mem
Der Of this House and IN that time
I have never deceived my constitu-
ents on any subject. I was not at
the telephone or away from the
House when the vote on the bill was
taken"
There was no record vote at that
time. Mr.. Reed said he believed In
the bill and supported it. Instead
of the huge sums which it has been
said its operation would cost for
members Of Congress, he said 1t
would cost the taxpayers one-tenth
of / cent each.
Two members Of the House who
were already in the retirement sys-
tenn because of service as secretaries
in earlier years, Representative Can
field, Republican, of New Jersey and
Representative Bonner, Democrat,
of North Carolina both voted for
repeal
There was little drama in the
debate, only an urgent desire to vote
the repeal of pensions and get the
matter over with. It was noticeable,
however, that when Mr.. Ramspeck,
a sponsor of the pension proposal,
arose to address the House there
was loud applause. It is a fact
that many of the members who to-
day voted for repeal believe in the
retirement system, but because of
the public clamor against Congress
for voting pensions to itself at this
time, decided to support repeal.
Chairman Vinson earlier today
sought unanimous consent to take
up the Navy pay bill and send
it to conference, announcing that
he would offer a privileged motion
instructing the House conferees to
agree to the Senate amendment
eliminating elective offices and cabi-
net officers from the retirement
(See PENSIONS, Page 2-X0