Evening star., 1954-01-16
The PolitieoIMin
Pay Roise for Congress
Is d TickIish Question
Increase Would Have Better
Chunce in Non-Election Yeur
By Gould Lincoln


Chunce in Non Election Year
BY Gould Lincoln
Members Of Congress are now face
to face with ticklish decision:
Whether to vote an increase in their
salaries. It is all the more ticklish
because congressional election is Just
around the corner. The average men,
ber does not relish the idea Of going
into race for reelection with q
charge Of salary grab" raised against
him.
However, members Of Congress and
Of the Federal judiciary are entitled
to substantial increases in pay. Neither
have had any raises In their basic
salaries since 1946, and the increase
then was modest. For q dozen years
the cost of living and taxes have been
going up and up. Now a commission.
appointed under authority of Congress
by the President, the Vice President,
the Speaker Of the House and the Chief
Justice, has recommended increases in
pay after intensive study. It Is now
up to Congress and the fate Of the
judicial salaries as well as Congress
own is in its hands. Some Of the Con-
gressmen are fearful. They believe that
a vote for increased pay would be used
against them. first in a contest for
denomination and. second, In the gen.
eral election next November.
There is also the question whether,
under an administration pledged to
governmental economy, the Republicans
can afford to vote for salaries for
congressman nearly double what they
now receive. Also, whether such large
increases would be inflationary and lead
to demands for pay increases in in
dustry as well as in other governmental
positions.
$12,5OO Increase.
The commission has recommended
that members of Congress be paid $27.-
500 a year. an increase Of $12,500 over
the present basic salary, plus $4,000 ex-
pense money they now receive. It has
also proposed that the salaries Of the
Vice President and the Speaker of the
House be raised to $4,000 a year, to-
gether with expense accounts properly
attributable to their Offices, on
voucher basis. The salaries Of the
Speaker and Vice President were raised
from $4,000 to $50 900 In 1949. Each
gets, also, a $4,000 taxable annual ex-
penSe account.
Each member Of Congress is allowed
a $4,000 income tax deduction for living
expenses.
The increases in pay for the Federal
judiciary do not hold the political
dynamite for members of Congress
;o1a
may hold. The salary Of the Chief
Justice would be $4,000, an increase Of
$14,500 over his present compensation:
for Associate Justices Of the Supreme
Court, $39, 500: for judges of the U. s.
Courts of Appeals, Court of Customs
and Patent Appeals. and the Court of
Claims, $30500. and for judges of the
United States District Courts, $27,500.
These figures represent increases for
the judges of the Courts of Appeals Of
$4,000, and for judges of the District
Courts Of $12,5o0.
History Recalled.
Take look at the history of con-
greSsional salaries. Research by Con-
gressional Quarterly shows that from
1889 to 1856 members of Congress we're
paid per diem, while Congress was in
session, except for the years 1815-1817
when the salaries were $500 per an
mum. The per diem pay was Sc. which
was later increased to So. In 1856. the
salary of members of Congress, which
includes Senators, was fixed at $4,000
a year. In 1866 the salary was in
creased to $4,000: in 1873, it was raised
to $7,500-but in 1874 it was reduced
to $4,000. 1t was not until 1907 that
salaries were raised to $500 again.
Congressional pay remained at that
figure until 1925 when it was boosted
to $4,000 a year. In 1888, when the
big depression was on and cuts were
made all down the line, congressional
salaries were reduced to $500. In
1886 Congress voted to restore the $10.-
900 salaries. Ten years later an in
crease to $12,500 was authorized, and
at the same time a tax-free expense
allowance of $2,500. Congress in 1851
voted to make the allowance taxable
too. Since it is taxable. the allowance
has been referred to as "salary"-mak-
ing a $4,000 salary.
Members of Congress are hesitant to
say whether they will vote for an in
crease at this session, although Re-
publican Senate Leader Knowland said
frankly when questioned recently on
television that he, himself, would sup
port an increase which he thought was
justified It is believed, however. that
the great majority of Congressman
consider an increase not only justified
but also long overdue. An argument
which any member who is coming up
for election this year could readily
make goes as follows: "The proposed
salary increase is not effective until
after the election, and if my con-
Stituents do not want me at the in
creased salary, they have full oppor-
tunity to elect some one else; but
intend to seek reelection, and whoever
is sent to Congress will receive the in
creased salary"
Particularly, it is argued. are salary
increases needed for members of the
House. many of whom are young men
and all of whom must run for election
every two years. Senators in many
cases have outside financial resources.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, in
reporting a bill for increased salaries
at the last session. estimated that the
purchasing power of Congressman's
1858 salary, in terms of 1889 dollars
(their purchasing power) was $2,947
less than the salary received in 1889.
The computation was made latter
taxes" The salary in 1889 was $4,000
and in 1853, $4,000.