Evening star., 1923-03-18
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.


setting = new record - Miss Alice
Robertson. Oklahoma: Mrs. winni-
fred Mason Huck, Illinois, and Mrs.
John I. Nolan. California. But the
public has read nothing. until this
good hour. about one woman who has
done very important work behind the
| scenes for Congress for a quarter Of
century and who, in the closing
hours of the Sixty-seventh Congress.
by a special resolution, was retained
/ In service.
The House considers itself fortu-
| nate in being able to "hold' Mrs.
Florence Donnelly. who came here
with the late Jim" Mann a quarter
! Of century ago, who has been his
"right-hand man" ever since, includ
ing the years he was republican lead
er; and In justice to whom Mr.. Mann
Saio: she knows more than four
hfths of the members Of Congress"
II must be recalled that Jim" Mann
was one OF former Speaker Cannon's
! so-calied cabinet" and during those
famous DAYS Of political and inter-
party lighting had charge of the re-
tublicsn organization in the House,
Just as when the present republican
majority was organizing and Mann
was defeated for floor leader in favor
or Mondell they suddenly woke up
trolling the organization.
II was Mrs. Donnelly more than
any member or group OF members of
congress who helped Mr.. Mann or
niL ganlze committees. Tho resolution
tained in the service of the House
! technically places her under the su-
perVision OF William Tyler Page.
clerk. but she will in reality be a
sort Of legislative clerk to the re-
| OF service in keeping Mr. Mann post
ed on all legislation before the House
Will be OF inestimable value. She
VIII continue 10 serve as clerk to
the republican committee on COM
mittees. For approximately twenty
! hve years no member of the House
has been as well informed on all
bills before the House as Mrs Don
| nelly, and withall she is self-eNacing.
and only the older members even
know who she is.
There's another woman employe at
| the Capitol who is likely to stay on
the job-Miss Stella Diffenbaugh,
| Who has been "right-hand man" to
Frank w. Mondell during the four
years he was House leader Miss
Diffenbaugh was with Mondell for
five years, and for seven years before
that with Representative Frank P.
Woods of Iowa while he was chair
| man of the republican congressional
committee. 1t was while she was
thus employed that Miss Diffenbaugh
attracted the attention Of Represen-
| tative Mondell. who was then chair
man OF the auditing committee. II
is reported on good authority about
the Capitol that Miss Dinenbaugh
will be found still on her old job as
"risht-hand man" to the floor leader
when and II Representative Nicholas
Longworth is elected 70 that position
as successor to Mondell.
y
Sons ofttimes follow in the foot
steps OF their famous fathers which
lead 10 Congress. as witness: Senator
Joseph S. Frelinghuysen OF New Jer-
sey is the fourth member OF his fam
| lily 10 occupy a seat in the United
States Senate: Representative Charles
! r Crisp of Georgia was elected TO fill
out the unexpired term of his father.
Speaker Crisp: Representative Fritz
Lanham of Texas is occupying the
seat his father had before him: so
also is Representative Hamilton Fish
of New York. and others too numer-
Gus to mention.
Now. coming into the Sixty-eighth
Congress is Richard S. AIdrich. from
| the second Rhode Island district He
was born in Washington, on New
Hampshire avenue, while his father
was United States senator. When
ever any member of the Rhode Island
delegat ton is kidded by his colleagues
| about coming from the smallest state
in the Union. he promptly backs them
| UP by saying: Yes. but remember.
| that smallest state gave you Senator
| Aldrich, who was known as the
manager of the United States"
| II any one thinks it Is an easy job
I, TO spend Uncle Sans millions or bill
lions, he should restrain himself from
! snap judgment. 1t costs Uncle Sam
a sizabie penny even to decide how
. his money shall be spent. There's the
expense of maintaining the Senate
| and House committees on appropria-
! tions and the costs of the budget
| bureau and the accounting forces in
the various government departments
and the general accounting Office It
/ self Take one insignificant item to
| illustrate: In it's search for informa-
| ton to justify appropriations recon-
I menQeQ
House appropriations committee had
| 1000 printed pages OF testimony taken
during preparation OF the eleven reg
| ular annual appropriation bills and
two deficiency measures. Here was
| the cost of stenographer hire and the
| subsequent cost of printing.
x II Il
| The death Of Samuel L. Gray and
Fred Irland. nestors OF the House Of
Representatives reportortal corps.
the former being buried on the same
day the latter died. emphasizes the
strain that is upon these men, whose
minds are human sluices through
which passed millions of words
spoken on the floor of the House on
countless subjects.
! There are six members OF this
House reportorial corps, and they re-
ceive $4,000 a year each. All OF this
especially as both Gray and lrland
were absent from their duties on ac-
Icount Of sickness during the final jam.
! 1t Is probable that their death will
lead to a system of substitutes. These
reporters now take down every word
spoken on the floor, in twenty-minute
| lakes" and then dictate to expert
transcribers. which in itself is a try
, ing task,
| Fred Irland was dean Of the corps
and Just plain worked himself to
death He ran down just as a clock
| is said to run down.
The Oldest man in years on the
corps is Reuel Small. He was ap-
pointed when Tom Reed was Speaker,
las were also Irland and Allister
ICochrane. The other official reporters
of debate are John D. Cremer and
George C. Lafferty.
| The custom is that whenever it is
possible vacancies on this reportorial
star are filled from the ofilcial corps
Of committee stenographers. Cremer