Life, 1911-01-19 · page 27 of 44
Life — January 19, 1911 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page critiques Congressional salary-setting practices. Congressman Macon from Arkansas opposed all salary increases in an appropriations bill, illustrating an absurd problem: judges and federal officials in expensive cities like New York and Chicago have their pay determined by congressmen from lower-cost-of-living states like Arkansas. The article argues this is fundamentally unfair—a judge in New York earning what seems adequate to an Arkansan congressman actually cannot afford to live decently. The satire highlights how regional economic differences made centralized federal salary scales inequitable, forcing officials to either accept inadequate compensation or struggle financially. The accompanying cartoon (bottom right) uses customs inspection humor to reinforce the theme of officials lacking proper resources.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Under the spreading chestnut tree the village smithy stands.” bunker room and sooner or later must come ashore for coal; and Mr. Connolly has here landed in various ports and taken on fuel of varying grades. His original supply was his keen esthetic and emotional response to the sea, and his ability to ¢ written words convey to us something of the exhilaration struggle and achievement in men’s bare-handed grips with the elements. His new supply is a somewhat free and easy sense of drama exploited in character work that is roughly efficient, but by no means finished or discriminative. J. B. Kerroor. Why Federal Judges Are Underpaid CONGRESSMAN named Macon, from Arkansas, slowed up business in the House one day late in the December session by making a point of order against every increase of salary, no matter how small, provided for in the legislative, executive and judicial (appropriation) bill. Think of being a judge or other government official and living in New York, say, or Chicago, and having your salary adjusted to your needs by a man who lives in Arkansas! That happens a great deal. The standard and the cost of living vary greatly in different States, and salaries look big or small to Congressmen according to the standard they are used to at home, “MAVEN’T YOU ANY WEARING APPAREL TO DECLARE? '? comicbooks.com