Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-16
TOLD UNDER THE DOME

MYTH the close of the Sixty Con-
gress there passed out of public life the
only two living members who had personal
acquaintance with Abraham Lincoln. There
are men who as boys saw and perhaps shook
hands with Lincoln, but Shelby NJ. Cullom and
Joseph G.. Cannon actually knew him. They
had participated in political campaigns with
him, and in fact, were the only men in Con-
gress in recent times who actually knew the
famous war President Senator Cullon had
been active in politics during the four years
1856 6O-when Lincoln was paving the way
to the presidency. Mr.. Cullom was elected
to Congress for the first time the year that
Lincoln was elected President the second
time. Mr. Cannon, seven years younger
than Senator Cullom, was active in politics
when Lincoln was looming large upon the
horizon of public affairs. He was State At
torney of Illinois while Lincoln was Presi-
dent. and, like Senator Cullom, had been in
touch politically and personally with the
President during the most serious period of
the nations history. 1t was the ambition
of both Mr.. Cullom and Mr.. Cannon to see
provision made for suitable memorial to
Lincoln when they were both in Congress.
During the DAYS when the struggle was
OH OSel L1lt 1lllGOill lllSllloIiil, p0lieilol
Cullo1n was told that Mrs. John B. Henderson
was doing everything she could for the Get
tysburg highway which had been proposed
for a Lincoln memorial instead of the plan
that the commission, of which the Senator
was member, had agreed upon. Mrs.
Henderson is the wife of John B. Henderson,
who was Senator from Missouri during the
Civil War. Her interest IN the Gettysburg
highway was because it would mean an ex-
tension of Sixteenth-St. in Washington, a
street that Mrs. Henderson has done much
to improve and beautify
Senator Cullom was not much disturbed
over the report that Mrs. Henderson had
taken an interest in the Gettysburg propo-
sition. 1t doesn't make very much differ
ence. remarked the Senator Mrs. Hen
derson has always taken a great interest IN
public affairs. Several years ago she wanted
a certain person appointed to vacancy IN
the Smithsonian Institution. The Board OF
Regents was entertained by Mrs. Henderson
at a very handsome dinner. The next day
the Regents met, and in the course of the
proceedings the vacancy was reached.
Gentlemen, said Mr.. Henderson, who
was a member of the board, our house is
divided on this matter. Mrs. Henderson
wants this person who has been named ap-
pointed: l don't.
Then vote was taken. concluded Sen
ator Cullom, land the person was not elected
to the vacancy
JAMES R. MANN, better known as Jim"
> Mann. the minority leader of the House
of Representatives, is a more prominent
figure than almost any other man in either
House. Mann creates stories by what he
SAYS and does. and here is one of them, told
By a member who suffered in consequence
of Mann's shrewd manipulation of events:
There was pending before the Committee
on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, of
which Mann was chairman at the time, a
bill relating to the life saving service. There
was hard fight for and against the meas
ure; but beyond question majority in favor
of it. AT least three-fourths of the commit
tee were in favor of reporting the bill favor
ably; but Mann was opposed and 1t was
held up. 1t was at a time when there was
much talk about "snothering bills in COM
mittee, and one day number of members
interviewed Mann.
Say, Jim," said the spokesman, "why
don't YOU LET that bill out