The Monticellonian., 1916-03-30
New Congressional Directory.

with interest in the city of Wash
| ington, and presumably SO in the
rest of the country where the worth
| of the directory as human document
| is understood. 1t is good reading for
| it not only is instructive. but frequent
| ly amusing Between its covers one
| finds combination of what might be
called human interest recitals.
Now the last edition of the congress
sional directory containing the biog-
raphies of the members, their COM
mittee assignments, their time service
records, together with information
about the president of the United
| States and the various departments of
| government, with its delicate blue COW
er and enameled white imprint is, il
one may indulge In a bromide, a de-
| light to the eye.
Some Are Really Modest.
Biographies of members of congress
which appear in the congressional di
rectory are prepared by themselves.
or at least this is true in most in
stances. Therefore the biographies
really are autobiographies. It is pos
sible to judge of mans tempera-
ment. and of good many other things
| concerning him by a perusal of the
biography which he has prepared for
the benefit of his fellow members and
for such others of the 0G,000000
American citizens who can lay hands
and eyes on the volume
Some members of congress are over
modest. Take Senator Harry Lane of
Oregon for instance. Asked for his
biography in order that the world
might have something concerning him
in print in an official record he wrote
this:
Harry Lane, Democrat Term ex-
pires March 3, 1912
This is all that one learns of the
junior senator of Oregon from the
congressional directory.
Some of the members of congress
apparently do not care to tell their
ages. Many of them it is supposed
omit all mention of the date of birth
because they do not want people to
know that they are getting old, but
you not only find aged ones putting
down in a fair. plain hand the fact
that they were born long ago. but you
occasionally find such a plain writing
one as Edwin S. Johnson, junior sena-
tor from South Dakota, who is willing
to tell the world that he was born "a
long time ago"
u Cnso 10
Ninth Pennsylvania district runs Sen
ator Lane of Oregon, close race for
biographical brevity. Here is what
appears in the Congressional Directory
concerning the life and services of the
Pennsylvanian:
w ". Griest. Republican; elected
to the Sixty-frst and subsequent con-
crosses"
Members of congress who write their
biographies at considerable length for
the directory differ materially in the
choice of subject matter Some of
them leave the reader in doubt as to
whether they are bachelors or married
men. whether they have children or
are childless, and whether or not they
have any warnings, aspirations, recre-
ations, or aims in life outside of those
which are encompassed within the
lines of legislative endeavor
Some of the members of congress-
probably would take offense if one
should put in print even without ccct-
ment. some of the things which they
have written about themselves. The
biographies in the congressional di-
rectory are sign posts pointing direct
~ to the characters or at any rate the
temperaments of the men who have
written them.
New Bridge to Be Memorial.
Congress has committed itself to
plan for a memorial bridge to span the
Potomac from a point near the Lin
coin monument which is now building,
to a point on the Virginia shore just
below the Arlington National ceme-
terry. Plans and specifications for the
great structure already have been pre-
pared and it IS believed that soon the
first appropriation will be made to
start the work of construction.
1t is proposed that an appropriation
for the bridge should be put into the
urgent deficiency bill which has just
passed congress, but the members of
house and senate seemed to be
against the proposition, and it prob
ably will find a place in some other
appropriation bill in the near flu
ture
There is a geod deal of sentiment
connected with this plan for bridge
Of commanding size aad beauty across
the Potomac at this point. To put it
ito a few words the sentiment back
Of the thought is that the bridge would
be an eXemphtieation of the reunion
of sympathies between the North
and the South, for in a marked way
the Potomac river is regarded as be-
ing the dividing line between the
North and the South countries.
The bridge. when completed, if the
plans are carried out in accordance
with those already made, will be one
Of the most beautiful structures in
the world Washington already has
one of the finest bridges, so far as
beauty is concerned at any rate, that
the world knows. 1t is known as the
Connecticut Avenue bridge, and it
spans the valley of Rock Creek park
over one OF the extremities of the
government reservation which has
been set aside as a pleasure ground
Another beautiful bridge across the
same valley is now in process of con-
struction. The Potomac river bridge