Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-16
Capital Sidelights

are considered of rather minor i'm
portance. Representative Richard y.
| Elliott of Indiana Is chairman OF the
committee on public buildings and
| grounds and has been acting chair
man of the committee on invalid pen
sions since the death of the late
| Representative Fuller of Illinois. So,
Mr.. Elliott has had his share OF work
| in handling these two big patches OF
bills, or more than so per cent of all
the legislation proposed.
-
Uncle Sam is preparing for new
Army ration. For the current year
the appropriations are based on a
ration cost Of 33 cents. The 1928 ap-
preparation bill before the House is
based on q 35.T4cent ration, while the
hearings showed an average cost of
36.12 cents. The Nays ration costs
SIS cents and the Marine Corps so
cents.
The Army ration Is prescribed by
executive order and has not been
changed in is years. The House com
mittee his recommended that the
Army ration should be improved in
both quantity and quality. and has
put an extra item in the appropriation
bill of $26SS, SAG to bring the ration
| up ~ TV-@CIlI ddoAIS AcA AAos iiACAA'
Representative Ben Johnson, Dem
ocrat, of Kentucky. who voluntarily
retires from Congress on March 4,
after 90 years of consecutive service,
has the distinction of longer continu-
Gus service than any other man from
his State In the history of Congress, and
the only other man from Kentucky
who equals his 90 years record wa s
| Richard M. Johnson, a cousin of the
present incumbent'ss grandfather-so
they have kept a Congressman pretty
well in the family.
This record has been disclosed az a
result of a casual question at the
courthouse when Mr.. johnson was re-
Gently at his home in Bardstown. The
county Judge asked what kentuckians
had served longer than Mr. Johnson
and the records were searched.
The other Johnson, Richard NJ, en-
tered the House in 1897 and served
rs terms. Then he was out for 10
years and came back and served 4
more terms. making 10 in ALL He
retired from the House on March 3,
/ 1887, and the next day became Vice
| President of the United States.
While Richard NJ. Johnson was a
l AhViApCl VI lhC IIpuSc &OukIGSS pre-
scented him with q sword because of
his distinguished services at the bat.
tie of the Thames, He personally
killed Tecumseh. According to his
own account, as handed down in the
family, the attacking army was on
both sides of a marsh, and the In
dams only hope Of escape was to wade
along the stretch of marsh land. TIE
cumseh was mounted on a dun-col
ored stud pony and Johnson on a big
white. horse Because of his short
legs the pony became mired and TIE
cumseh had to dismount to save him
| self AS he threw himself off the
pony he saw Johnson riding toward
him on the big white horse and fired
. the bullet passing through Johnson'i
clothing and making a flesh wound
Then he grabbed the bride of John
sons horse and swung at him will
his tomahawk just as Johnson dis
charged his pistol, killing the famous
Indian chief.
This historic incident is memorial
lied in a monument at the State
ca pital, Frankfort. KY.
+ In his work on the appropriation!
committee Ben Johnson read will
/ interest many old records. which
| showed JndJ WneH NJ. JOHIl
son was In Congress he was especially
" interested in appropriations for 8
/ good road from Washington to Balti
more and on to St. Louis. Only this
Summer he found the real reason
for this interest in highway develop
ment disclosed in thick volume o.
Kentucky history, which showed thai
when Richard NJ. Johnson and his
brother Jim" were in Congress they
operated a stage-coach line from
Washington.
Representative Ben Johnson ha
never had Democratic opposition bu
once, and then out of 316 voting pre-
cincts he carried 315 In his distric
. there are 10 counties, 4 of which ar
Republican, and three. times he car
ried all 10 counties against Repub
! lican opposition.
He was on the House District com
mittee for IA years, and chairman o
1t for years. For the last years
he has been a member Of the appro
priations committee and ranking
: Democrat on the War Department ap
: preparations subcommittee.
Il am away behind on hunting anC
; fishing and must catch up said Mr.
Johnson, when asked how he is goins
to spend the time when he quits at thu
, close OF the present congress.
Il X *
Apropos of the plans for develop
ing Botanic Garden here that will bt
unsurpa ssed anywhere in the world
and applying also to the administra
| tion's plans for establishing a grea
| national arboretum on the Mount
: Hamilton tract Representative Ralph
/ Gilbert, Democrat, of Kentucky. {
A "a
: the Library, has given his colleague!
; this little talk on love of nature:
, Perhaps 1t Is due to my countr.
influence and environment that
look upon a tree as grander than
! monument of stone. and a flower a
more beautiful than a work of art
Those who have had much in the pas
! to do with identifying the District
perhaps Influenced by the fact that
, was new and in a wonderful natura
, environment of beauty, have empha
sized their efforts in stone rather thai
) in plants and flowers.
Everything in this world and Il
, this life is not measured by money
If it is the amount of money we ge
| out of 1t. perhaps nothing. but yo'
get the same good out of it that yol
5 would in looking at great pictur
! or anything else that inspires you L
, look beyond the mere dollar
/ Every capital in the old countr,
+ comparab bic with the United State
, has gardens of this kind, many time
more expensive than ours"
X
Where Is Uncle Sam to get horse
{ and mules?
, The Army allowance is 5000 horse
and 1854 mules-a total of 43,624
There will be on hand at the close o
this fiscal year 3s,461 of these ami
mails. The Army appropriation bill
provides for purchase of 500 horse
and 725 mules next year, so that b!
4hn nnd of tho naxt 6cnal year thor