European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 2, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday August 2, 1991 the stars and stripes Sarah Booth Conroy Page 13 commentary Senate pay raise move has historical roots sen. Robert c. Byrd d-w.va., you la remember is the stealth senator who sneaked through the Senate pay raise at 9 50 p.m., on july 18. _ this writer a dedicated Byrd watcher recently read with great fascination the second volume of his monumental work a the Senate 1789-1989, addresses on the history of the United states Senate $56 from the government printing office. Chapter 15, a congressional salaries a gives a hint that Byrd May have Learned from history about the timing of  votes a in 1925, the Senate attached a rider to the legislative appropriation Bill providing that the pay of members would be increased to $10,000. There was not a word of debate on the amendment and the vote was taken unexpectedly at an evening session when several senators who opposed the proposal were  the problem of politicians pay has been around since the1 summer of 1787, the hottest anyone could then remember much like this one. Tempers were even hotter As the members of the cons Titu a tonal convention worried about what Byrd Calls a the Wrath of so Many americans on the Issue of congressional pay. A several delegates questioned whether members of the a second Branch a the Senate a should be compensated at All. This after All was to be the Branch of Congress dominated by the elite of the nation. That proposal was quickly abandoned a Byrd writes. James Madison suggested that congressional salaries be tied to the Price of wheat or some other commodity. Col. George Mason opposed leaving the salary matter to the states because a the parsimony of the states would he thought limit delegates not to the a most fit out the a most  finally after a summer of sweat the convention provided in article 1, Section 6, of the Constitution that members of Congress should be paid out of the Federal Treasury an amount to be set by Law. From 1789 to 1856, the salaries Only went up from $6 per diem to $8. But in 1873, when congressional yearly this is a 73 a or Kudo r   As or. Treason Aff thu lift js2l. Amd<o1ugnu1 . Voted itself a $23300 Phy raise salaries were $5,000, the House proposed not Only raising them to $7,500 a but also doing so for two years retroactively. Byrd writes a the Public juror. Has not been equated before or  among those speaking up for the raise were millionaire Nevada sen. William Stewart a who allegedly spent More than $5,000 on a single Washington  the most eloquent Appeal was made by sen. Matthew Carpenter a wealthy Wisconsin lawyer who asked How the people of his state would wish their representative to live a in the target of a five Story building on crackers and cheese to dress in Goat skins and sleep in the wilderness a the pay raise legislation was passed but the a ferocity of the outcry forced Congress to repeal the salary increase at the next session. In the next years election the supporters of the a Aback pay steal were largely repealed themselves. It took Congress 33 More years to get up the courage to vote a raise again a $2,500 in 1906. While sidestepping a question about whether his recent Victory was the result of his research Byrd said a a it a too bad that the Constitution requires us to determine our own  he went on to note that Congress has raised its salary Only 17 times in its 202-year history. It would be a a Good thing a he said if the states ratified a constitutional amendment proposed in 1789 on pay raises. The suggested amendment was actually the second of 12 sent to the states to be ratified. The other 10 became the Bill of rights. Because no time limit was set for ratification Over the years 32 states beginning with Maryland Nave approved it a 19 within the past five years. So now Only six More states Are needed. It states a no Law varying the compensation for the services of the senators and representatives shall take effect until an election of representatives shall have  5 a the notion is simple a Byrd writes. A keep members from pocketing a salary increase until after they face voters in the next  c the Washington pos James j. Kilpatrick  s about time to disconnect vexing Auto dealers let this be said of Robert Bulmash of Naperville iii., As it has been said of other angry men the fellow has an even temper he stays mad. Until a couple of years ago Bulmash suffered in silence through the same irritations that irk most of us a tailgaters boomboxes and people who leave chewing gum on the sidewalks. It was not until he began to get repeated Telephone sales pitches from Citibank that his thermometer climbed to the boiling Point. As Bulmash told the Story last week to a Senate subcommittee his residential Telephone number somehow got on a list used by Citibank to promote its credit card. The calling machine would ring up his phone at every inconvenient hour and there was nothing Bulmash could do about it. He complained to the Bank asking that his number be removed but someone at the Bank said the Bank was not responsible. The Auto calling company was responsible. He managed to track Down the Auto calling company but it said it could not purge his name and number unless the Bank ordered it to do so. This went on for six months. Meanwhile a a world class resort was bugging him with two minute recordings urging him to visit its pools and Tennis courts. Nothing could be gained by Yelling at the recorded message for the indifferent tape could not be insulted. Neither could anything be accomplished by hanging up for the tape like old Man River just kept rolling along. It was All too much. Bulmash quit his Job making robotic machines took a part time position in a lawyers office and founded private citizen inc. To devote his energies toward combating a this monstrous invasion of our privacy who Are As now he has 600 dues paying members As he is about junk Calls. The modest be phone pests. Last week he came to Washington to Tes angry income permits him to go after the most persistent Tele til the tiny in support of sen. Fritz Hollingsw automated Telephone consumer Call Protection act of 1991. He made an effective witness. Hollings d-s.c., had anecdotes of his own. A woman in Sumter s.c., complained to him that within an hour after she came Home from outpatient surgery still groggy and aching the Telephone rang it was a recorded sales pitch for aluminium siding. As her recovery continued her rest was interrupted by a a really unbeatable new Bank card and by a Jovial cry of a congratulations a this was at 10 30 at night. She had won a prize in a contest she never had entered. Other testimony came from Thomas a. Stroup president of a Trade association whose 650 members provide paging and cellular telecommunications services. He too was fed  after time he said a  reach into paging systems. About 11 million customers buy paging equipment. More than 6 million persons subscribe to cellular telephones. False pages from Auto dealers produce a enormous confusion and tie up cellular equipment a at the subscribers expense. It is pleasant to report that the Auto dealing Industry itself agrees that things have gotten out of hand. The subcommittee heard from Richard a. Barton a grand fatherly fellow who serves As a senior vice president for the direct marketing association. Telephone solicitation whether by recorded message or by live solicitors is a Small part of direct marketing but a Large business nonetheless. Roughly 180,000 unsolicited solicitations go by Telephone to 7 million telephones every Day. Stroup was agreeable to an outright ban on sequential Auto dealing. He would prohibit Calls to pagers and cellular phones. One of the most infuriating features of some Auto dealing systems is that a Call does not disconnect until the tape runs its full course. Barton objected to the Bill a requirement of a five second disconnect As beyond today a technology but he recognized the need for some limitation. Sen. Dale bumpers d-ark., presiding Over the hearings asked witnesses if they would ban Telephone solicitations by the United Way red Cross and other nonprofit charities. Most of them said no these serve a Good Public purpose. But Bulmash staying in character said he would prohibit Charity Calls As Well. Let Mem Send out letters instead. My own thought is to say Hooray for Hollings three cheers and a Tiger for Bulmash the world gets Ruder cruder and More insolent All the time. Manners have fled to the winds. Barbarians press upon the Gates. The most precious of All rights said Justice Louis bran Deis is the right to be left alone. Farewell the Auto dealer and Good riddance. C Universal press Syndicate the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government