Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-12
STATUE SPEAKS OUT
Pomp on Capitol Hill Amazes
Thomas Jefferson.
NOT LIKE 0LDEN DAYS
Says Simplicity for Which He
Stood Seems Lacking.
CONSENTS TO INTERVIEW
Statesman in Marble Discusses Plan
to Rename House Building

Upon the ordinarily immobiIe face of
the statue of Thomas Jefferson in statu-
airy hall at the Capitol there is quizzi-
cal look these days. The guides who are
conducting huge parties of very pretty
girls from the rural districts and manu-
featuring centers through the halls of
the national legislature have noted this
change in the great Virginian's express
sion and have wondered but. they have
said nothing about it, They are averse
to making remarks about the statues,
inasmuch as a pesky newspaper reporter
overheard one of them say once that
Daniel Webster's marble trousers were
ripped, and the ensuing line of humorous
news on the subject engulfed Capt Me-
grew of the Capitol police force in end
less discussion.
Reason for Expression.
quizzical expression lies in the fact that
Representative Humphrey of Mississippi
is endeavoring to change the name of
the House office building to Jefferson hall
Thomas Jefferson caught glimpse of the
joint resolution proposing the change as
joel Grayson carried batch of them
into the document room, which is little
nook just off statuary, hall They saw
that Jefferson actually leaned. over to
read the paper and nearly toppled to the
floor in consequence. That afternoon a
Star reporter asked Thomas jefferson S
statue what he thought of the PROPOSE
ton.
"Of course" the statue replied. "you
Will excuse this fixed look of mine, it's
habit that sculptors have with theil
work. / can't laugh without breaking te
pieces. OF course. l would not laugh al
Representative Humphreys. proposition
as 1t pays me an honor that / would feigr
not accept if l had my way.
Forced to Speculate.
II wonder how these statesmen who sit
upon the west side Of the lower house
Che meant the republicans) would accept
this proposition? / gather from the re-
marks of those who stand in front of me
daily that there Is powerful party now
in existence under the name of demo-
Gratis. and that they look up to me as the
founder of a great democracy. That was
true. | remember before I went to
France-when was it-1797? Anyhow, be-
fore l went over there I told George
Washington that there was great danger
that the republic would become too lux
urious unless the principles of democracy
were instilled into the roots Of the gov
eminent. l used to write much on this
subject. You remember / was member
of the lower house in the Colonial Con-
gress, and / believe l was one of the first
to extend my remarks in the Record
What fashion l set by that practice!
Symplicityp Indeed! Hum:
But about this House office building !?
Is it not a luxurious placer 1 understand
that in the room Of the committee on
the judiciary there Is a. plush carpet that
would have made the court of France
jealous. 1 heard a girl saying yesterday,
My dear. did you ever see such beautiful
chandeliers as they have in the demo
cratic caucus room? They are simply
gorgeous!' Chandeliers. gorgeous And
to think / was the great-great-grand-
father of a democratic party that had a
simplicity plank in its platform. 1 don't
know so much about the change Of name
to Jefferson hall. got a peep of Johnny
Fitzgerald riding up Capitol Hill in a
fifty horsepower automobile one day last
week. and he's chairman of this great
appropriations committee. Democratic
simplicity indeed! Why, in my day we
used to ride to Congress on a hundred
dollar horse, and carry bottle Of good
strong Jamaica spirits In a saddle horn.
New Tangled Features.
i am told, too, that they nave so many
of these new-fangled elevators in the
House office building that a good demo-
crat hardly gets chance to walk up
stairs once in a session of Congress. Is
that true? 1 thought so. Dear me. We
are falling on soft days indeed. And let
me ask you, also, Is II true they have
burrowed under the streets to make a
subterranean passage from the Capitol
to the building which they propose to
name for me? Is 1t possible? l never
would have dreamed It, How George
Washington would have laughed. / al
ways imagined he leaned a little toward
splendor. l never could stand that gold
headed cane OF his. / told him once 1t
reminded me of Sir Noel lie Jolys. the
great dandy of France in King Louis
XIs reign. How furious he got at me.
He nearly inhaled his entire snuff box in
his rage.
Horse Good Enough for Him.
How about this payment Of 20 cents a
mile for travelling expenses OF representa-
| tives? Do they actually do that? l travel