Evening star., 1921-12-21
FORTY YEARS IN THE CAPITOL:
HAS HOPES OF DYING THERE
William Tyler Page. Clerk of the House,
Has Great Store of Interesting
Recollections.

you were born in the Capitol?" The
big man in gray, with a rose in his
buttonhole and wearing q bright red
tie. who asked this question with a
chuckle was Champ Clark. old war
President and for eight years Speaker.
That's an exaggeration, Mr.. Speaker,
but. like John Quincy Adams, I have
hopes of dying here"
This answer was made by William
Tyler Page. who Monday celebrated
/ forty years Of continuous service in the
Capitol.
By a strange coincidence. Mr.. Page
Is now occupying as an Office the room
on Statuary Hall where John Quincy
Adams died after having been stricken
in the House chamber. He pointed to
the wall facing his desk. where jutted
out a pediment on which rests the
bust of John Quincy Adams.
Wore Homespun Suit.
Describing the genesis of his career.
Tyler Page recalls that he dimdently
entered the Capitol forty years ago as
green country boy, wearing a
homespun suit, which my mother
made for me-" He came as the pro-
a member of Congress and secretary
Of the republican national committee,
who was then clerk of the House.
Mark you, he came to the Capitol to
be q page for the clerk Of the House,
and now he Is clerk himself. Il had
been working twelve hours a day as
a printers devil to support my mother
and sister," he explains, and then,
with a smile, You can well imagine
that by the sudden metamorphosis Of
passed to q seraphic atmosphere"
II soon came to realize that Con-
gress was a pretty serious business"
Mr.. Page continued. y began to
study. studied the characteristics
Of the men. and I studied parlia-
debates. When anything happened
that was Greek to me-and it often
happened-I studied that particular
thing out until 1 knew 1t. In my
spare time l buried myself in the
House library. nights and Sundays and
during vacations. Thus 1 absorbed
the genius Of this great institution
what it was all about. You see. was
going daily to practical school which
gave me more education of certain
kind than could have obtained IN
one devoted to higher branches.
Author Of Monroe Doctrine.
Mr.. Pages glance wandered to the
is the real author Of the Monroe doc
trine." he told me. "He collaborated
with Mr.. Charming when he (John
Quincy Adams) was minister to Great
Britain in 1919. and the substance of
the Monroe doctrine enunciated by
papers and was copied in papers In
this country. The Monroe doctrine
was not announced until 1928. when
Mr.. Adams was Secretary OF State to
Monroe"
In the earlier days there was an
entente between the republicans and
democrats, by which some of the best
men were held on their jobs in the
Capitol. in spite Of changing political
complexion Of the membership. So 1t
was that Mr.. Page held his job
through these two-score years. He
Congress-journal. tally. file. bill and
enrolling clerk. He has even served
as chaplain when the regular chap
lain was kept at home by illness.
Speaker Gillett asked Mr.. Page II he
could make the prayer. Then he asked
the right Of a sinner" Mr.. Page re-
piled, and out of the recesses of his
memory he recited an old English
collect. more than 400 years old. He
has revived the custom by which for
merly the clerk read the Presidents
appear in person.
Composed "The Americana Creed.e
For moro than a quarter OF a CEN
tury Mr.. Page has made 1t a custom
to spend Independence day in reading
the fundamental documents Of the
United States. sleeping himself in the
essence Of patriotic literature, the
better to understand the meaning Of
the day and to enter into its spirit
such documents as the Declaration of
Independence. the Constitution, the
Mayflower compact, Lincoln's address,
Webster's speeches, etc. 1t was thus
that he fitted himself to compose
THE Americans Creed" as follows:
believe in the United States of
America as q government of the
people. by the people. for tho peo-
pie, whose just powers are derived
from tho consent Of the governed:
a democracy in a republic;. q SOW
ereign nation Of many sovereign
states; perfect union. one and in
separable: established upon those
principles Of freedom, equality.
justice and humanity for which
American patriots sacrificed their
lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe IL IL my duty
to my country to love 1T, to support
its Constitution. to obey its laws,
to respect its nag, and to defend 1t
against all enemies.