62D CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ( 1st Session.

REPORT
No. 34

REDUCING THE NUMBER OF CAPITOL POLICE.

May 17, 1911.—Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed.

Mr. RODDENBERY, from the Committee on Accounts, submitted the

following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. J. Res. 75.]

The Committee on Accounts, to whom was referred House joint resolution 75, reducing the number of Capitol police, have had the same under consideration and recommend its passage.

This joint resolution repeals so much of the legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation act, approved June 17, 1910, and the legislative act approved March 4, 1911, as appropriates for the salaries for the remainder of the current fiscal year, and the whole of the fiscal year 1912, for one lieutenant, of Capitol police, at $1,200 per annum, and 34 privates at $1,050 per annum each, or a total reduction of $36,900. This is in accordance with and conforms to a resolution adopted in the caucus of Democratic Representaties held on April 1, 1911. The law provides that the members of the Capitol police shall be appointed one-half by the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate and one-half by the Sergeant at Arms of the House for duty throughout the Capitol building and grounds. It may not be competent therefore for the House by simple resolution to abolish one-half of the force without the concurrence of the Senate and still maintain a joint Capitol police force; a joint resolution, if not necessary, is more appropriate for that purpose.

Although the Democratic caucus resolution before mentioned. provided for the abolition of one-half of the Capitol police force, the Committee on Accounts made careful investigation as to whether this could be done in the interest of economy without detriment to the service, and our conclusion is that one-half of the present force can efficiently police the Capitol building and grounds.

Your committee append hereto a chronological history of the Capitol police force, the laws regulating same, and the increases in the force from time to time. It will be seen that from 1828 until about 1870 the force was provided for by lump-sum appropriations for the contingent fund of the Senate and House, after which the appropriation acts from year to year provided specifically for the number and compensation of the officers and privates.

The Revised Statutes of 1878 fixed the total number, which was about one-half of the present number, including the watchmen of the Capitol grounds, who were not then considered a part of the police force proper. There were no material increases until the Fifty-first Congress, when two additional privates were authorized on account, as stated on the floor of the Senate, "of the necessity for a force to look after the Capitol because of the completion of the terraces and corresponding committee rooms." Five additional privates were added in 1896, at $1,100 per annum, and seven privates at $960 per annum each, the latter in lieu of seven watchmen on the grounds, at $840 each, and the jurisdiction of the Capitol police force was extended to the Capitol grounds.

In 1898, during the War with Spain, 18 additional temporary privates were authorized at $960 per annum each, and continued for six months in 1899. These 18 men were added to the permanent force by the act of March 3, 1901, and the force was still further increased by 5 members at the subsequent session (2d sess. 56th Cong.). This made a total permanent increase of 23 privates by legislation of the Fifty-sixth Congress, no reason therefor being assigned at the time. The War with Spain furnished the exigency that resulted in the authorization of 18 additional privates, but that exigency did not long exist. Instead of dropping those 18 men whose employment by the terms of the law was to be temporary, they were made a part of the permanent force, which was, as stated, increased shortly thereafter by the creation of 5 new offices, making the total number of privates 69 whose salaries by the act of June 22, 1906, were equalized at $1,050 per annum each. Two of these privates were made special officers at $1,200 per annum each, leaving the force as at present constituted, with 1 captain, 3 lieutenants, 2 special officers, and 67 privates. This number of men is sufficient to police a city of considerable size, and allowing for eight-hour shifts it seems to your committee that one-half the number can perform all proper police duty in and about the Capitol Building and Grounds.

That we are justified in thus reducing this force is shown by the fact that nearly one-half of the increase thereof was made during and since the War with Spain, the only reason assigned being the supposed exigency growing out of the war, and that it was only contemplated that the additional number were to be temporary is evidenced by the provisions authorizing their employment. This aptly illustrates the difficulty in dispensing with offices intended to be temporary.

Your committee feel that in recommending this reduction of the Capitol police force they are proposing a reform that investigation and careful inquiry demonstrates is demanded by every sense of decent regard for economy in expenditure of public money and is in the interest of good service.

HISTORY OF THE CAPITOL POLICE.

(ORIGINALLY UNDER COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS.)

The act making appropriations for the public buildings and for other purposes, approved May 2, 1828, provided as follows:

SEC. 4. That the regulations of the city of Washington, for the preservation of the

the application of the same shall be requested by the presiding officer of either House of Congress or the commissioner of the public buildings, and that it shall be the duty of the commissioner of the public buildings to obey such rules and regulations as may, from time to time, be prescribed jointly by the presiding officers of the two Houses of Congress for the care, preservation, orderly keeping, and police of all such portions of the Capitol, its appurtenances, and the inclosures about it, and the public buildings and property in its immediate vicinity as are not in the exclusive use and occupation of either House of Congress; that it shall also be his duty to obey such rules and regulations as may be, from time to time, prescribed by the presiding officer of either House of Congress for the care, preservation, orderly keeping, and police of those portions of the Capitol and its appurtenances which are in the exclusive use and occupation of either House of Congress, respectively, and that it shall also be his duty to obey such rules and regulations as may, from time to time, be prescribed by the President of the United States for the care, preservation, orderly keeping, and police of the other public buildings and public property in the city of Washington; and the commissioner and his associates are hereby authorized and empowered to use all necessary and proper means for the discharge of the aforesaid duties; and the necessary assistants of the commissioner shall receive a reasonable compensation for their services, to be allowed by the presiding officers of the two Houses of Congress, one moiety of the said sums to be paid out of the contingent fund of the Senate and the other moiety of the same to be paid out of the contingent fund of the House of Representatives. (4 Stat. L., 266.)

Pursuant to the foregoing law, the Capitol police force was maintained by annual appropriations as a part of the contingent funds of the Senate and House and disbursed accordingly, the average expenditure per year of the one-half paid by the House from 1829 to 1842 being about $3,000. For the year ending December 1, 1843, the number of men employed is given in the itemized report of expenditures as five, which would appear to have been the number employed between 1828 and 1842, there being no material difference in the expenditures. In 1843 one "supernumerary" in addition to the regular force of five was paid a nominal compensation.

During discussion of an amendment offered to the bill making appropriations for the civil and diplomatic expenses of the Government for the year ending June 30, 1853, to increase the appropriation for the Capitol police, Mr. Jones of Tennessee made the following state

ment:

There is one chief of police, at a salary of $1,450 per annum. There are also four assistant police officers, two of whom are upon duty during the night and two during the day at a salary of $1,100 per annum each. At the last session of Congress there was in the deficiency bill a provision authorizing the appointment of two others to watch the grounds and see that the shrubbery was not destroyed or the trees injured. They were on duty only during the day. Their pay is $2 per day. These constitute the whole police force of the Capitol grounds. (Congressional Globe, 1-32, p. 2052.)

In 1854 the appropriation having been increased, the number of men was increased to eight. (House Misc. Doc. 9,2-33.) For 1855 the appropriation was again increased, but the number of men remained the same, their salaries being increased to one at $1,740 and seven at $1,320 each. (House Misc. Doc. 8, 1-34, p. 127.) One additional private was added to the roll in March, 1857, at $800 per annum (House Misc. Doc. 12, 1-35, p. 62), making the total nine, which was reduced to eight January 1, 1859, one at $1,320 being dropped. But on January 12, 1859, six additional police were authorized at $1,100 each and the $1,320 man restored, making the total force 15. (House Misc. Doc. 25, 1-36, pp. 101, 114.) Beginning with the fiscal year 1860, the salaries of 13 privates were equalized at $1,100 each. (House Misc. Doc. 25, 1–36, p. 137.)

In January and February, 1861, an extra force of 14 privates, at the rate of $1,000 per annum, were employed. The regular force of 15 men was continued. By the legislative acts of March 14, 1862, and February 25, 1863, the lump sum appropriation for the Senate and House, respectively, were increased, but it is not shown to what extent, if at all, the force was increased or salaries raised. (12 Stat. L., pp. 356, 683.)

The act of June 25, 1864, provided specifically for 1 captain at $1,740 per annum, a lump sum of $11,880 for the Senate and House, respectively, and for 1 policeman at $960 per annum. (13 Stat. L., p. 1467.)

The act of March 2, 1865, increased the appropriation to $19,170 for each House, from which 32 officers and privates were paid during the fiscal year 1866. (13 Stat. L., p. 446; House Mis. Doc. 21, 2-39, p. 125.) The appropriation was still further increased for each House (14 Stat. L., p. 192), but the number of men remained the same-32. (House Mis. Doc. 31, 2-40, p. 78.)

All of the foregoing authorizations, with the exceptions noted, appropriated for the Capitol police by lump sums for the contingent funds of the Senate and House, the number and compensation being fixed by the presiding officers of the two Houses pursuant to the act of May 2, 1828.

NUMBER AND COMPENSATION SPECIFIED.

The legislative appropriation act approved March 2, 1867 (14 Stat. L., p. 442), was the first law fixing the number and compensation of all of the members of the Capitol police force, as follows: Captain, $2,088 per annum; lieutenant, $1,800 per annum; 29 privates, $1,584 per annum; 1 watchman, $1,152 per annum; total, 32. Act of July 20, 1868 (15 Stat. L., p. 94).-Captain, $2,088 per annum; 2 lieutenants, $1,800 per annum each; 30 privates, $1,584 per annum each; 12 watchmen, $1,000 per annum each; total, 45.

FORCE AND SALARIES REDUCED.

Act of July 12, 1870 (16 Stat. L., p. 232).—Captain, $1,800 per annum; 2 lieutenants, $1,500 per annum each; 25 privates, $1,200 per annum each; 8 watchmen, $1,000 per annum each; total, 36.

Provided, That no disabled soldiers shall be discharged by reason of this act.

SUPERVISION OF CAPITOL POLICE EXTENDED OVER BOTANICAL GARDEN.

Joint Resolution Authorizing the extension of the supervision of the Capitol police over the
Botanical Garden.

Be it resolved, etc., That the supervision of the Capitol police be extended over the Botanical Garden, and that, until otherwise ordered, and especially during the period employed for rebuilding the fence surrounding the grounds, additional police force may be employed, if deemed necessary, the expense for which shall be defrayed from the contingent fund of the Senate and House of Representatives: Provided, however, That the additional number of policemen for this purpose shall not exceed three at

!

FORCE AND SALARIES INCREASED.

Act of May 8, 1872 (17 Stat. L., p. 62).-Captain, $2,088; 3 lieutenants, $1,800 each; 27 privates, $1,584 each; 8 watchmen, $1,000 each; total, 39.

SALARIES REDUCED.

Act of June 20, 1874 (18 Stat. L., p. 86).-Captain, $2,000; 3 lieutenants, $1,600 each; 27 privates, $1,400 each; 8 watchmen, $1,000 each; total, 39.

FORCE AND SALARIES AGAIN REDUCED.

Act of August 15, 1876 (19 Stat. L., p. 144).-Captain, $1,600; 3 lieutenants, $1,200 each; 6 watchmen, $900 each; 21 privates, $1,200 each; total, 31.

This act also repealed the joint resolution of July 15, 1870 (16 Stat. L., p. 391), as to additional policemen.

Revised Statutes, 1878, increased and fixed salaries.

The Capitol police shall consist of the following members, to be paid at the following rates, respectively, per annum, on the order of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate and the Sergeant at Arms of the House, or of either of them, namely:

One captain, at two thousand four hundred and one dollars and twenty cents; three lieutenants, at two thousand and seventy dollars each; twenty-seven privates, at one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one dollars and sixty cents each; and eight watchmen, at one thousand one hundred and fifty dollars each. (R. S., sec. 1822.)

Total, 39.

ADDITIONAL WATCHMEN.

Act of June 21, 1879 (21 Stat. L., pp. 21, 29).-Two additional watchmen, $900 each; total, 41.

NUMBER AND SALARIES AGAIN REDUCED.

Act of June 15, 1880 (22 Stat. L., p. 212).-Captain, $1,600; 3 lieutenants, $1,200 each; 8 watchmen, $900 each; 21 privates, $1,100 each; total, 33.

The act of March 3, 1883 (22 Stat. L., p. 534), increased the number of privates from 21 to 22, and the act of March 3, 1885 (23 Stat. L., p. 419), total, 34.

ADDITIONAL PRIVATES.

Act of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. L., p. 911).-By an amendment of the Senate, 2 additional privates were authorized, at $1,100 each; total, 36. Reason assigned: "On account of the necessity for a force to look after the Capitol because of the completion of the terraces and the corresponding committee rooms." (Record, 2-51, p. 3423.)

Act of March 2, 1895 (28 Stat. L., p. 767).—One additional private, at $1,100; total, 37.

Act of May 28, 1896 (29 Stat. L., p. 143).-Five additional privates, at $1,100 each; seven additional privates, at $960 each.

This by an amendment of the Senate, the 7 privates at $960 in lieu of 7 watchmen on the grounds at $840 each; total, 49. (Record, 1-54, p. 5638.)

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