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Show Most Congressmen Lose Money And Leave the Capitol in Debt By RODNEY DUTCHER NBA Service Writer WASHINGTON, Eeb. IS The good old ever-more-popular policy of "blsms it on congress!" has bean e for the good of the country and congress con-gress shouldn't set a f urthsr bad example. ex-ample. Congressmsn lstely hsve been put to sdditional personsl expense, such given an especially arduous workout over the land since the house defested a proposal to cut congressional salaries sal-aries to 17500 a year and another proposal pro-posal to cut them to $4000 a year. Perhaps it would be difficult to find 434 employed persons among whom ss Isrgs a proportion would vote to reduce their own incomes as did in the bouse, but when other citizens start thinking up reasons why con-gressionsl con-gressionsl salaries should be cut and congressmen start thinking up reason rea-son why they shouldn't, th American Amer-ican mind seems to be revealed at high peak of fertile activity. I propose pro-pose to summsrize the arguments pro and cos for whatever they may be worth: as clerical nire, oy unprecedented demands de-mands from constituents. Ths next congress will hsve 163 new members, elected for the present salary, who should hsve voice If the sslsry is to be chsnged. The congressmsn who doesn't think he is worthy of his hire should quit or return the excess to the tressury. Business men and lawyers must sacrifice their own interests to come to congress and ususlly hsve to finance fi-nance their own campaigns. Th additional living costs and the necessary standsrds of living in Washington Wash-ington make it easier to live on $4000 at home than $10,000 in Washington. Most congressmen must maintain homes both in thsir districts and in Waihinston. Mnvlnf families hark and forth is expensive snd so is the cost of keeping children in school regardless re-gardless of session dates. Congress slready has reduced ita salaries, mileage, clerk snd stationery allowance and multiplied income tax on ita sslsrias four or fiv times, be- e 9 FOR Last year's reduction from $10,000 to $8000 wasn't deep enough, being neither In line with the general drop in salaries and wages or with ths Democrstie promise to reduce federsl fed-ersl expenses 14 per cent. The country is going through s period pe-riod of unrest snd Its people need "s tonic of self-sscrificing example" If congress cuts its own salaries it wont be ao hesitant about cutting other federal expenses. It avoids other economies because it doesn't went to hurt itself. The last increase of congressional sslsrias. In 1837, wa $3400, ao why not $3400 cut now, since $7400 goes as far as 110.000 did In 192 r I aider passing tha lame duck amendment, amend-ment, which means two months' leas pay. Lunches, tickets, dinners, automobiles automo-biles snd other courtesies to visiting constituents are a tremendous expense, ex-pense, along with subscriptions snd donations in response to constant de-mends de-mends from back home. Most members lose money while In congress snd depart in debt Actual aavings if sslsrias war reduced re-duced to $7400 would be about $800,-000 $800,-000 a year, but might lead to other federal sslsry cuts aggregating as much aa $00,000,000. Living expenses In Wsshington would be lowered If salaries were lowered, thereby eliminating tha ar- Sument about th expense of living ere. e e e AGAINST Either proposed cut would mske congress a "rich man's club," its members mem-bers subject to domination of and reward re-ward by special interests. A cut to $7400 would reduce federsl fed-ersl expensee only on ten-thousandth of 1 per cent. Salaries bar been cut toe much - |