Evening star., 1955-02-24
By Cecil HoIlond

One Of the happier differences
between the Senate and House
today was headed for settlement
in a conference committee after
Senators voted themselves and
their House colleagues a so
per cent pay raise-from $4,000
to $22, 500 a year.
The pay legislation, also carry
ing substantial raises for the
Federal judiciary. swept through
the Senate yesterday afternoon
after supporters swamped all ef-
forts to modify the bill. The
final vote on the measure was So
to "a. In line with the margin
the pay-boosting Senators had
predicted all along.
No Time Wasted.
The Senate wasted no time
in appointing its representatives
to a Senate-House conference
committee to work out differ
ences on a similar measure ap-
proved by the House last week
No great difficulties were anti
cipated by the Senators In work.
ing out a compromise with the
House members on the more lib
eral bill the House approved.
The Senate bill would give
members Of Congress compensa-
ton for five round trips home a
year instead Of one as at pres
ent in addition to the $500 a
year boost in pay which averages
out to more than $l44 a week.
The House bill. on the other
hand, would give the members
a salary of $22.500 a year, plus
$2,500 for expenses, but would
provide for only one round-trip
a year home.
Raise for Judges.
The Senate-passed bill would
cost an additional $3,982, 500 a
year in increased pay for men,
bers of Congress alone; the
House bill, $5,310.000.
The bill carries pay raises for
Federal judges ranging from |
$500 to $4,000 a year similar
to the House-approved measure. |
Senators spent but little time
on that unquestioned feature of |
the bill and concentrated their
oratory on what the legislation |
would do for members Of Con-
gress in giving them their first |
salary boost since 1916.
Senate Democratic and Re-
publicans joined in supporting
the pay increase with 30 Demo-
Gratis and 80 Republicans voting
for 1t on final passage.
Thirteen Democrats and II
Republicans voted against the
OF the 80 Senators who will
be up for reelection next year,
81 voted for the bill, Z opposed it
and 4 were absent.
Senator Morse of Oregon, who
recently abandoned his inde-
pedent status to take on the
mantle Of the Democratic Party.
waged a spirited fight to elimi-
nate the salary boost but give
members of Congress a 10 per
cent increase In allowances for
clerical help. telephone and tele-
graph tolls and stamps.
Change Of Heart.
This brought Senator Dirksen,
Republican, ofs1llinois into what
little debate there was and
charging, with the backing of
the Congressional Record and q
little on-the-spot arithmetic,
that my oracular friend from
Oregon" has suffered an in
teresting change of heart"
Back in September, 1851,
Senator Dirksen said, the
Oregon Senator spoke out for
increasing the pay of members
Of Congress. MY friend from
Oregon. intoned the mellifiuous-
voiced Senator Dirksen, blows
not and cold" and he wondered
Just where does he stand?"
Quoting from the Morse speech,
Senator Dirksen said the Oregon
Senator confessed in 1851 that
ne needed $3.50 more a month
han his senatorial pay to make
ends meet and got it by lecturing.
With a little quick arithmetic
Senator Dirksen figured that out
10 $4,000 a year. Since $4,000
added to $4,000 in Senate SAL
Try amounted to $24,500, Senator
0irksen suggested the $22,500
'ay proposed for Senators wasn't
ar out of line with Senator
Aorse'S earlier thinking.
POpDino I'm tn rep1v Cepoto,