Evening star., 1943-06-25
Senate House Fight
Over Discharge Of ;
Halls Workers Pay
Both D. c. and Federal
Salaries Included in
Baked Deficiency Bill
By J. A. OLEARY.

Salaries of thousands of Dis
trict employees and overtime pay
for many Federal workers were
tied up tighter than ever today
in the urgent deficiency bill as
a result of the Senate uprising
late yesterday against the House
attempt to get three men out of
Government service by cutting
off their pay.
Amid charges from both Demo-
Gratis and Republicans that the
House proposal would be blow at
American principles and justice, the
Senate voted, 50 to II, to reject
the action of its conferees in yield
ing to the House The amendment
in question would prohibit use of
any appropriation to pay the sal
aries of Robert Morss Lovett. Gov
ernment secretary for the Virgin
Islands, William E. Dodd, jr, and
Goodwin Watson, both employees of
the Federal Communications Com
mission.
The next move is up to the House,
which previously had adopted the
conference report banning the three
officials from the Government pay
roll. The House adopted the ban on
the recommendation of the special
Kerr subcommittee, which accused
the trio of associating with subver-
sive movements, but several Sen
ators attacked the proceeding yes
terday on the ground that the Kerr
investigation was a star chamber
proceeding. and that no evidence
was laid before the Senate on which
to base a vote taking the three off,
cials of the payroll.
innocent Bystanders" Suffer.
Meanwhile, as Senator McKellar,
Democrat. of Tennessee expressed
it. the District and Federal employees
whose current salary money also is
in the $l43,000,000 deficiency mea-
sure, are innocent byStanders" who
must go without current salaries, at
least for an indefinite number of
days.
The $500 local school teachers
we're due to be paid today. More than
1900 other municipal employees al
ready have gone payless, and if the
deadlock continues until the end of
the month the policemen and fire.
men also may feel the pinch. These
additional funds for police, fire and
teacher payrolls were made neces-
sary by the recent wartime in
creaSes. In the case of Federal en-
ployes the deficiency money is need
ed for overtime.
Senator McKellar chairman of
the ConfereeS, said majority of his
colleagues did not believe salary
ban in an appropriation bill was the
right way to get individuals off the
payroll. but that House conferees
had refused to agree to any defic-
iency bill without the rider aimed at
Mr.. Lovett, Mr. Dodd and Mr. Wat
son.
Leading the fight against the rider
were Senators Clark, Democrat, of
Missouri; La Toilette, Progressive, of
Wisconsin; Downey. Democrat, of
California: Millikin, Republican. of
Colorado; Tobey, Republican, of New
Hampshire; Bone, Democrat, of
Washington and Overton, Democrat,
of Louisiana.
They argued that, even if not tech
nically a bill of attainder the amend
ment contained the harmful effects
of such an unconstitutional move.
Senator Millikin declared:
1T smells of the ancient tombs in
which liberty was buried"
Senator Bone argued that the
amendment would establish new
way of impeaching individuals by
indirect methods and declared the
Senate was asked to sit as jury
without having heard the evidence"
Senator Connally, Democrat, OF
Texas supported the action OF the
conferees in accepting the ban. de-
Tending the right Of Congress to
saw how and for what purpose ap-
propriations shall not be spent.
Senator McKellar had expressed
the hope that if the rider was suS-
tanned. the Government would keep
the three men at work for while
to give them an opportunity to sue
for their pay. and thereby give the
courts a chance to say whether
Congress has the power TO remove
employees in this way,
Senator George, Democrat, of
Georgia, said he did not believe they
would have much chance of winning
a court case on the issue Of legality