Evening star., 1927-10-16
Capital Sidelights


development of transportation, was
the sesquicentennial at York. Pa,
commemorating the nine perilous
months when that then small town
was the Capital OF this country, which
also emphasized the progress in trans
portation.
Representative Franklin Menges
who represents that district in the
House, tells how the golden treasure
sent by France to hearten the cause
OF the. colonists in their gloomiess hour
was hauled by horse and wagon from
Portsmouth, n H., to York. Pa. His
story also shows how the Govern
n,ent's wealth In the Treasury has
grown during those $50 years.
When Congress removed to York In
the latter part of September. l777. and
during the entire nine months of the
session held there. the home of Archi
bald Mclean was occupied by thy
Board of Treasury. In a vault in the
cellar of the Mclean building the
money belonging to the United States
Treasury was kept. 1t did not only
contain the deprecated Continental
currency, but a considerable amount OF
silver. This valuable treasure,
amounting to about $500, 900, was
brought to York in the Spring of 177S.
The money had been sent to America
from France as a loan to the United
States Government. The vessel which
brought this money from the French
government landed at Portsmouth
N. I'll. Capt. James B. Frye, who had
been a member of the Boston tea
party, was intrusted with the care OF
the money to convey it to Congress at
York with the compliments of Louis
XVI. The four-horse wagon that con-
veyed this money from Portsmouth
through Boston, Albany and Reading
to York was guarded by full com
'pany of Continental troops. The
money arrived at York in safety. and
was put in charge of Michael Hillegas
who had been Treasurer OF the United
States since 1916. This building was
also the temporary re.Acsitory for a
large amount of Confidential money
printed at York under a@2 of Congress
passed April II. 177S. About $23,000.'
COO in Continental currency was issued
at York during the first part of 1878.
II X X X
In focusing attention on the impor'
TAM part borne by Virginia men in
the establishment of this Nation, Rep
resentative r.. Walton Moore of Fair
fax, who delivered one of the princi'
pal addresses at the sesquiC
celebration in York, Pa, yesterday
quoted from speech In the Senate
many years ago by Senator George +.
Hoar of Massachusetts,:
Notwithstanding the splendid con-
stellation Of burning and blazing
names which she (Virginial gave to
the country during the period Of the
Revolution and in framing and inau'
gurating the Constitution, IL by some
miracle they had been gathered to-
gether in one room, we will say in the
year 1777 to 1880, and had perished in
one calamity, Virginia could have sup
piled their places and have maintained
almost entirely the same pre-emi'
nence."
Representative Moore put in the
first class mentioned by Senator Hoar
such men as George Washington. Pat
rick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. In
the second group of requirements"
referred to by Senator Hoar he put
such men as John Rannister, Thomas
Adams, John Harvie, Joseph Jones
(whose correspondence supplements
the Washington. Madison and Jeffer-
son notes on the proceedings OF the
Continental Congressl, Benjamin Har-
rison, ancestor of two Presidents. who
physically placed John Hancock in the
chair as successor to Peyton Ran
dolph, as president of the Congress,
saying:
I'VE will show Mother Britain how
little we care for her by making q
Massachusetts, man our president,
whom she has excluded from amnesty
by public proclamation"
This same Benjamin Harrison was
three times elected governor in what
has been called "the Athenian days
of Virginia"
Uncle Sam is q very human" fel.
low, taking a deep interest In all that
affects his ne, news and nieces In the
myriad tangents of their daily lives.
Take Secretary Jardine OF the Depart
ment of Agriculture, for example.
whom Uncle Sam intrusts with most
of the matters affecting the farmers.
The thousands Of specialists whose
studies Secretary Jardine directs are
not merely concerned with matters
relating to tilling the soil and harvest.
ing and marketing the crops.
Such apparently far-remoyed mod
ern tendencies as wearing OF short
skirts and sleeveless dresses have been
made a special subject of research.
because they have caused a decidedly
important decrease in the consumption
of cotton, which the farmers in the
South raise.
The Bureau of Home Economics.
under the supervision OF DR.. Louise
Stanley. and with Miss Ruth O'Brien
holding the yardstick In the Division
of Textiles and Clothing and measur'
ing conservative and comparable
styles and patterns, finds that in 1919
skirts reached the ankles and gradu-
ally climbed until now they are 15 Tor
morel inches UP. The net result Is
fed, and where originally they called
for s "a yards Of 36-inch material eight
years ago, today the call is for 4 1'6
yards Of the same width, or net
saving Of l "a yards of cloth.
y u y X
"As the bird fiies'' Is a trite express
sion, used to signify in a straight air
line. But whittier and whence do
birds fly? Uncle Sam Is having some
of his bright young men And out. The
birds flying South are the proverhial
heralds Of approaching cold weather.
F.. w. Nelson, chief of the Biologi-
cal Survey, in discussing this work
with several members of Congress last
week. displayed report showing that
three common terms, banded at Tern
Island, near Chatham, Mass, in July.
1926. were found on the Island of
Trinidad in May and June. 1927. A
Caspian tern, banded July /, 1925, at
Gravelly Island. Mich. was found on
June Z. 1927, on the Magdalena River
near Baranquilla, Colombia, and this
was the fourth banded Caspian tern
reported from this same area.
n n u i.
Daddy" Sproul, one of the most
lovable old gentlemen in Congress,
who takes a strong interest in all mat
ters relating to the Capital City and
who always insists on a. square deal"
for the voteIess residents here. espe-