Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL r. KENNEDY.

The idea OF marking historic spots
now, before the old buildings have been
wiped away in the march of progress
is sweeping over the country, especially
since the "See America First" slogan
has won following and Everyman and
his family and neighbors have taken
to touring along the Federal-aid high
ways to all parts of the country. OF
course. they start with some objective
and the historic lure Is strong
The National Capital is seeing some oil
it's historic old homes and areas trans
formed in the Federal building program
and the location of a new municipal
center for the city of Washington, and
efforts are now being made to have
authentic records of such shrines, with
pictures of them, preserved for posterity
Washington is the mecca and nesting
place of the history, pedigree and
escutcheon followers. Family trees are
being constantly searched Gut in the
Census Bureau and other such anthem
tic wells of information here.
Little wonder, then, that there Is q
present-tense Illustration of the zest
of the public for such matters when
the recent publication of pictures of the
memorial being preserved by the town
of Natick, Mass--the little cobbler's
shop where Henry Wilson worked, who
later became Vice President - ha:
prompted many to turn their "fiivyers'
in that direction for next Summers
jaunt awheel.
The Office of Representative Luce OF
Massachusetts, in whose district this
cobbler-shop memorial stands, is be.
sieged by inQuirers and the Library oil
Congress is being visited nightly by per-
sons hunting up the facts of Wilson's
biography.
The "Natick Cobbler" came to that
town from his birthplace in Farming
ton, Me, with empty pockets but full oil
grit and gluttonous for work. For two
years he worked as a cobbler and then
went home to attend school. He had
intrusted his savings to a friend who
failed in business and soon young Will
son had to return to his cobbler's shop
In support of William Henry Harrison
he made 40 speeches and won such
fame as an orator that he was sent to
the State Legislature. He was an ardent
abolitionist and In 1855 came to the
United States Senate as successor tc
the great Massachusetts, statesman, Ed.
ward Everett. He was chairman Of the
Senate military affairs committee dur.
ing the Civil War. He was close adj
wiser of Lincoln and organized regi-
ment and led it to the front.
After a service of Is years In the
United States Senate he received 28t
of the 354 electoral votes for Vice Presi.
dent. He died in Office.
During his cobbler days he won the
friendship of John Greenleaf Whittier
His self-won advancement was com.
mented upon at the time that PreSi.
dent Coolidge's mentor, James Lucey oil
Northampton, paid his recent visit tt
the White House.
Even in the jazz age of blatant and
raucous syncopation the people of these
United States like to hear the more
silvery and dulcet trills of the featherec
songsterS, as is shown by a study re-
Gently completed by Uncle Sans ex.
perts who are constantly hunting ur
surprising information through the dull
and prosaic compilation Of statistics.
One of Secretary Jardines bright
young men has just informed us thai
more than half million foreign
birds were imported into this country
during the last year--an average Of
more than 1000 canaries day.
OF course, this experts main job was
much more important than viseing the
passports Of canaries. The watch was
kept to prevent the introduction of in.
furious species and diseases. Nearl,
two-thirds of all game birds imported
have been Mexican quail-so the fight
ing strain seems to come through ever
the birds from the country of per.
petual unrest south of the Rio Grande
About one-third Of all the known
~ - JHna hpnvynI.% it-
for exhibition purposes. Very few oil
these breed in captivity in the United
States.
congressman are constantly being
asked to do the most amazing sort OF
errands by some of their constituents
who seem to have quite hazy and some
times startling ideas OF the duties of a
National legislator. For example. Rep
resentative Joseph W. Martin. jr., got
a letter the other day from man he
knows very we'll In New Bedford, Mass.
asking him In all seriousness to call or
Secretary Mellon and get him to Ak ur
a report on the condition Of the Treas.
ury balance to correspond with a SCI
ing that he held those numbers In q
pool and he wanted the Treasury re-
port fixed so he would win.
n y X X
The fact that the United States
Government Is about to let contracts
for the years supply of paper for al
departments of the Federal service to a
total of 50,85O0 pounds, at a cost o.
about $2,250,O00, focuses attention that
the best laboratory in the printing
business Is maintained by the Govern
ment. The technical division of the
Government Printing Office has been
recognized as a research laboratory fol
the various branches of the printing
bookbinding and allied industries. II
is the most complete laboratory in the
United States combining its work ex.
clusively to the problems Of the various
branches of the printing industry.
The equipment of this laboratory Il
quite complete and includes the latest
types of chemical, physical and micro
scopical testing apparatus for use *
testing paper, textiles, glue. type metals
etc. The personnel consists of 90 EN-
ployes in addition to the research asso.
ciate chemist representing the Ameri-
can Newspaper Publishers Association