Evening star., 1928-04-01
Capital Sidelights

ItVkuS8 AAAnGAy AA vAtC O&ASO va VAN
sergeant at arms of the House is
filled. It now contains 440 portraits
of the 435 members of the House and
the five delegates.
The sergeant at arms, Joseph G..
Rogers one Of the most popular men
on Capitol Hill, Is part Of his duties
operates bank which does business
of more than $10,000.000 annually.
Kenneth Romney is cashier, having
held the job throughout party changes
during the last ii years. 1t Is In the
lobby of this bank that the portraits
of members are hung on the walls,
constituting what Is called THE
Rogues' Gallery"
This gallery Is used not only by
the cashier to identify the members
when they come to have checks cashed.
but It is used by members OF Con-
gress to identify fellow members whose
names they do not recall. It is used
by walters In the House restaurant
names OF members. It Is one Of the
show places, visited by tourists and
pointed out by Capitol guides. There
visitors from any State In the Union
can find out who their Congressman
Is and what he looks like.
Most OF the pictures are supplied by
Harris & Ewing. As an offshoot OF
this "Rogues' Gallery is stack Of
photographs Of former members run
ming back so years or more. which
are treasured In the archives Of the
sergeant at arms.
N N " N
Almost every day members Of Con-
gress are educated with interesting bits
of history. presented by their fellow
members from authoritative sources.
They thus learn much about the his
tory Of their country that they never
found In histories and for which they
would have to make extensive search
In the Library OF Congress. Without
interfering with the orderly processes
of legislation these historical lecture
courses have become one Of the VAL
liable side issues of Congress
For example, few OF those now in
the House could have given an accu-
rate answer to what was the 0oliad
MaSSacre?" Representative Joseph j.
Mansfield called attention that last
Tuesday was the ninety-second ami
versary OF that most barbarous, most
revolving and most heart-rending
scene ever perpetrated by men in an
cient or modern times"
On Palm Sunday, March 81, 1886,
at Goliad. Tex. Col. j. w. Fannin, jr,
a soldier and officer in the Army fol
the Independence of Texas. with abou,
$50 men under his command, all oil
whom were prisoners of war. we're
marched from their prison at daylight
and shot to death without warning.
The scene Of this massacre Is now
becoming great shrine in Texas.
In recent years the people Of Texas
nave taken steps to honor the martyrs
OF Goliad. The old mission. which has
ever remained the property Of the
Catholic Church. and long In ruins, has
been restored by the knights of CO.
lumbus TO what Is believed to have been
Its former condition.
The legislature in 1883 authorized
the erection OF : monument In Goliad
| consisting OF 33-foot marble shaft
upon granite base, and suitably In.
scribed 1t is considered the hand.
somest monument In Texas. and the
grounds are beauttfied and maintained
by the ladies Of the Fannin Park AS
sociation,
Through the efforts of the Daughters
OF the Republic Of Texas o bin passed
the Legislature In 1913 to accent and
beautify another park at the town OF
Fannin. where the battle and surren-
der took place. and to erect a suitable
monument there.
4 \ 4
Members Of Congress showed especial
interest In review Of the. unique nIace
IN history held by the State OF TEXAS
made by Representative Mansfield:
~ was long claimed by both France
and Spain by right OF discovery. In
1883 1t was ceded by France to Suain
spain ceded 1t back TO France In ia0O
II was claimed by the United states
under the Louisiana Purchase from
france In 1903. but all our rights werr
qoitclaimed to Spain In 1919 in pari
consideration of the purchase of Flor.
ioa. Texas became part Of the Mex.
ican empire under Iturbide In 1921
ana OF the Mexican Republic In 1924
:, Iexas became an independent repub.
nc IN 1885 and State In the American
onion IN l845 In 1881 Texas seeded
ana shared the fate OF the Southern
Sonieoeracy. From the sclose of the
WAT wat IN 1860 II was under the military
a', a1.e OF the United States until 1870
80 ~. PAynAs Will Tue requirements
hood. W s'a'e'
Iexas has paid allegiance to the
I,ouroons and the Bonapartes, tho
aapsburgs and the Montegumas n
mas several times been a Kingdom
twice an empire and six times = r..
public: It has now reached its soal
as king Of empires in the creates,
republic the world has ever known.