Evening star., 1928-06-03
Capital Sidelights

was none VINO DreaCned a nearLler sign
Of relief than Chairman Smell of the
House rules committee. which is the
policy committee, to decide on the pro-
gram Of what measures shall have pref
erential consideration.
All during the session Mr.. Smell was
bounded by those advocating measures
which would greatly increase the cost OF
Government, while his job was to exer-
else strict restraint on such legislation
He was the buffer between the admins
tration's economy and business program
and those members who were promptly
responsive to the appeals from those
who saw only one side Of the Govern
ment's ledger.
Bert" Smell Is really a good fellow
and likes to see everybody happy and
prosperous and getting what they want
but he has an exacting job. Probably
none In Congress was more bitterly
criticized than he, especially In the clos
ing days when the party leaders decided
that the liberalized retirement bill must
not be allowed to Come up for a vote
He was pointed out as the one man who
could let 1t pass and wouldn't.
That Is part Of the price he had to
pay for his position of responsibility
But Mr. Smell felt he had a duty
toward ths taxpayers and toward
those who after careful study Of the
Government finances decided that a
halt must be called to wholesale ex-
penditures.
While other members of Congress
could on the floor of the House make
q farIid y@lno fnr hFy he
Government In caring for these veteran
workers, or could speak in favor Of the
bill at committee hearings and then
secretly urge Mr.. Smell and the House
leadership to hold up on passage OF
the measures, 1t was Chairman Smell
who had to set up the stop" sign
and stand by it,
1t wasn't just the retirement bin that
bothered Mr.. Smell; it was an accumu-
lation of other bills, which meant big
expenditures, some of which got by
Here are some Of them: Increased night
pay for postal workers, increases fol-
fourth-claSs postmasters, increases fol
first-class postmasters-andt this on tor
OF the fact that in 1925 Congress in
creased the expenditure for the postal
service $70,000,000; year-round hall
holiday for navy yards and arsenals
and half holiday for civilian employees;
the WEIGH pay bill carrying $40, ,O00, ,00C
or $22,O00,000 in salary increases to
civilian employees of the Government;
with the Government just starting In
on its program of appropriating $780,
100000 year for 80 years to pay up
Uncle Sans accrued liability in the
retirement fund, and $4,000, 900 a year
thereafter, the hberalized measure
would increase the amount to $50 0,000,-
600 year for 80 years and $4,000, ,00C
a year thereafter.
Other legislation proposals that made
Mr.. SHELLS job hard were for old-age
pensions increasing the pension tc
widows from $50 to $40 per month, in
creases to veterans in a number oi
measures and increases in rank for the
Army and Navy.
SO the army OF Government en-
ployes should no. think too harshly
about 'old Bert Snell;" he Just die
what he had to do, and took the cuss-
ing like a man. Some day soon, when
Government finances are in a little
better shape, the Government workers
will have reason to think fully as well
OF Mr.. Smell as they do today Of Mr.
WEIGH.
WklnE We klk1Q q
Damon and Pythias relationship in the
real life Of our day among our prom.
inent men. There was Wilson and Har-
vey. President Coolidge and Frank
Stearns, Gov. Al Smith and William
@: Kenny, Senator Hefiin and the late
Ollie James, the late Representative
Madden OF Illinois and Representative
Sproul, into whose arms he fell when
stricken at the Capitol Now comes
Senator Reed of Missouri picking a
lifetime pal after 80 years Of proved
devotion to make his nomination
speech at the Houston convention
Ever since Reed took his first public
office in 1898, Charles NJ. Howell OF
Kansas City has been his right-hand
man.
Herbert Hoover, who is already an
honorary citizen Of Belgium and a free
man and citizen of various other Bel
gian, Polish and Esthonian cities, and
hopes soon to be still further honorec
at Kansas City, lis the most diplomaec
man In public life. At this graduation
season 1t is interesting to note that
Hoover claims Stanford University as
his alma mater. but that he has hon.
oratory degrees from Brown, PennsyIva-
MIA, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Prince
ton, Johns Hopkins, George Washing.
ton, Dartmouth, Rutgers, Alabama, Vir-
ginia, Oberlin, Liege, Brussels, Warsaw
Cracow, oxford, Rensselaer,. Tufts
Swarthmore, williams. Manchester
Louvain, and Prague.
Every year several members of Con-
gress pick up new diploma to add
to their collection, but what chance
have they against Hoover's exhibit?
There Is Representative B. Carroll
Reece OF Tennessee, who treasures four
war medals for distinguished service
and who has just returned from making
the commencement address at Cumber-
land University, Lebanon, Tenn. where
he was awarded the honorary degree
OF doctor Of laws He already has
diplomas from Carson and Newman
College In Tennessee, Columbia Uni
versity and the University OF London
He's quite q youth yet