Evening star., 1924-08-31
Capital Sidelights
NJ WILL p. KENNEDY.

1or th0 hSn06t honOr that can come
to an American citixen-election in his
own name and right to the presidency
OF these United States through the
individual voice Of the citizens
Calvin Coolidge has paused, to see
that due credit Is given certain young
men for having done their job we'll.
He realizes full well that. all too
often young men are not given
proper stimulation and encourage
ment to do each task that comes to
hand with q pride in the work, and
wit ha consciousness that through
their work we'll done others whom
tney may never know are benefited.
J. W. Talbot. superintendent of
maintenance for the Chesapeake and
Potomac Telephone Company, has
received the following letter from
President Coolidge: s~.,:- 81
Il am very glad to have the oppor-
tunity OF expressing to you my
thanks for the very effective way in
which the arrangements for the
broadcasting Of the notification ad-
dress was handled by you and your
associates
We are often forgetful OF those
to whose careful work we owe the
effectiveness Of any such occasion,
and perhaps you will express my ap-
precsation also to the men in your
department"
Mr.. Talbot. being a good executive
ana knowing that such q letter would
strengthen the morale Of his force,
sent a photostat copy Of the Presi-
dents letter to the following young
men who had been on the job at
Memorial Continental Hall for the
Coolidge notification-H. NJ. Craven,
q. X Hudson, z. D. Spedden, ]. Ham,
mond. A. Bodwell, William Talbot,
w. F. Davidson. r. T. Weldon, H. c.
Given and r. r HaIpenny.
And Mr.. Talbot added this note:
you realize, of course, that I PLAYED
only a small part in handling the ar
ranEements and that this letter Is
intended more for you. who actually
handled the work, than for me"
The hurricaneish storm that swept
across the path of the round-the-
world myers came near depriving the
national House of Representatives of
the services of its very efficient clerk.
William Tyler Page. He is enioyine
his customary Summer fishing out
ing at Short Point Lodge, Hulls Cove,
near jamestown. r. l. The storm
caught his fishing party unprepared
ana IN letters just received by friends
here he described the all-day storm
and hurricane as terrific, terrifying,
terrible. with the sea rolling noun
tain high upon the shore" He says
that lit was trying and anxious ex-
perience In the worst storm on this
coast in many years"
~
For more than 30 years Harry s.
New. a longtime newspaper man.
formerly United States Senator. now
Postmaster General, and always
politician. went without any mid
day luncheon. Recently his close
personal friends. and particularly his
good doctor, persuaded him TO take
bottle of buttermilk and a couple
OF graham waters regularly at $50
each day. So now, promptly at that
time, no matter who may be with
him in his private once, the mes
kenEer, enters with the carefully
chilled bottle. which the Postmaster
General disposes of in a ceremoniar
manner.
Joseph S. Mccoy, Government actu-
ary, is a patron saint Of all classi.
fed civil service employes-not only
because he is a distinguished one
among them but because it was his
wizardry with figures that convinced
Uncle Sam he ought to set up re-
annuate long workers.
For something like a quarter of
century there has been an effort,
spasmodically erupting, to establish
an annuity retirement system for
these wotn-out workers. 1t was fig
ured that it would cost the employees
something like per cent OF their
saIaries-just as the Washington
school teachers are now paying.
II
ell and figured out that 2h contri-
button from their salaries by the en-
ployes would pay more than so per
cent Of the cost of retirement. So
when the matter was under discus
sion In Congress and the Senate COM
mittee on the civil service asked the
Treasury Department for an opinion.
Mccoy was able to quickly submit
q convincing detailed report-as a re-
suit of which the civil service re-
tirement law was promptly passed.
This same Joseph S. Mccoy is pri-
marily responsible for the integrity
of Alaska as United States domain
When the great negotiator. John A.
kasson, in 1898 was a member Of the
United States and British joint high
commission which met in Quebec to
adjust Canadian questions, Mccoy
was secretary to tho American COM
mission. At that time the Alaskan
question vas broached, discussed, but
not settled.
Mccoy promptly spotted pessibil-
tiles Of severe trouble. On his re-
turn to Washington he suggested to
John Hay. then Secretary of State,
that the United States should fortify
itself with all the data that could
possibly be secured on this subject
He was authorized to draft a, letter
which was sent by the State Depart
ment to the diplomatic representative
in Russia instructing him to have q
careful search made of the govern
ment files and forward to Washing
ton authenticated copies of all papers
dealing with Alaska This repre-
sented more than a years careful
research. But. when an American
representative was later sent to Eng
land to settle the Alaskan question
he was able to lay down such indis-
putable documentary proofs, that the
British didn't know existed, which
resulted in the Alaskan question be-
ing settled to the entire satisfaction
of tho United States.
This was Of tremendous impor-
tance because 1t preserved for the
United States among other matters
Tue IHte6rIly OK tnlS FL DCraQO against
invasion by Great Britain, which had
claimed right -of-way through Alaska
to the sea No nation wants any
other nation to have such right Of
way through its domain. "
+ X \
There are many heart-throb stories
buried under the dust OF years in
the Government archives in Washing
ton. Probably nowhere else are there
SO many human-interest stories that
will never find their way into print
as in tho Pension ONCE. For example.
there have just been brought to