Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02
Capital Sidelights
Nv WILL p. KENNEDY.

discovered. He is one who for more
than 80 years has done his work be-
cause he loved it," 'he makes the
Government service honorable" "he
takes n lust pride in what he does for
the Government" he is about to be
retired and the Department of State
is perpIexed as to how his place can
be filled.
TYLER bennett, historical adviser to
the Department of State, brought this
veteran employe to the attention of
Congress during the hearings on the
State Department appropriation bill,
saving that che would come to work II
YOU took away every penny of his
salary"
The man thus commended is Henry
L. BRYAN, GOA East Capitol street, editor
of Laws of Congress, who is vice presi-
dent of the Association of Oldest In
habitants Of the District of Columbia,
and who was private secretary to
Thomas F. Bayard Secretary of State
in the cabinet of President Cleveland
Mr.. bennett told the appropriations
committee that a serious problem is
pre- sented regarding editing of laws of
Congress. He reminded them that the
statutes at large are edited in the De-
partment of State.
after a law is signed 1t goes over
to the Department of State and the
slip law Is prepared" he said. Fol
lowing that the editor of the statutes
takes 1t, writes his marginal digests
and makes his index; every two years
you have the volumes Of the statutes
at large for the current session of
Congress.
"The man who has done that. Mr..
Bryan, has been at it, with some few
interruptions, for more than 30 years.
On the goth of next August under
the existing retirement act, he will be
retired. He is, think, II years of age.
At the present minute he is just as
competent to do his work as any of us,
and while it Is not in the nature of
the case that he has so many years in
front Of him, as we hope to have, he is
still competent to do his work, yet
under the law he must 60. Now, we
have tried for four years to bring to
the attention Of Congress that some
provision must be made for this Situa-
ton. This year you ind in the budget
request for an understudy for Mr..
Bryan. ! do not believe that a man
can learn to do that work without hav-
ing gone through a full Congress, q
long and a short session. 1t is a big
job to take those volumes of the stat
utes and carry them clear through, to
get the index right, to get the matter
organized right. and produce the VOL
ume promptly: in fact, am confident
that when Mr.. Bryan does relinquish
control there will be a period where
we shall have to be patient. I do not
see how we can escape it, that some
measure may be found to retain Mr..
Bryan so long as he is aphysically able
to do that work, at least for q period
OF another two years, such provision
would have to be made. I suppose, by
executive order. But we are at the
point now where we just cannot let
him CO."
Sanford Bates, Federal superintend-
ent OF prisons, and Representative
George Holden Tinkham of Massa-
chusetts, an outstanding wet" had a
pleasant exchange of opinions during
the hearings on the Department of
Justice appropriations bill. They are
old friends and Mr.. Tinkham is a great
admirer of the work done by Mr.. Bates
as commissioner Of corrections in Mas
sachusettS.
Mr. Bates was discussing the super
viSing social worker as a common sense
person whose duty 1t will be to advise
correctional institutions just how best
! and most economically they can handle
| individual problems. IT have In mind"
he said, "one problem that has to be
| met. We have a flood OF young men
| from the mountain districts, who have
never been to school, cannot read or
write their own name. They have no
| ambition and no desire to go to school.
One of them said to me the other day,
after had asked him IL he could read
and write: No, I do not care for
along in life?' asked him, and he said
I do not have to. I am married and
my wife has all the larnin'.'
I'VE must meet that problem" said
Mr.. Bates. those men are being pun
iShed over and over again for a crime
which was not q crime in the days of
their fathers and grandfathers."
Representative Tink h IN asked
What crime is that?"
Mr.. Bates replied, "It is one that you
are particularly interested in"
Mr.. Tinkham then commented, eft is
not crime In morals. 1t Is only a
crime in law"
Mr.. Bates replied, at brings them in
Mr.. Tinkham's rejoinder was, "And
more and more will come In
Mr.. Bates said, And so more and
more will 1t be problem which re-
Quires some new treatment, and not a
reliance on the old principle that you
| can punish virtue into people"
Mr.. Tinkham then asked Mr.. Bates
IL he had ever read DR.. Watkins book
on behaviorism. Mr.. Bates answered
Not every word of it, but got as far
through 1t as could. We have 1t in
the ONCE, and like the gentlemen from
the mountains, let the other fellow
read It,"
Folks who receive letters every day
in the mail little realize the magnitude
of the organization which gives them
such efficient service, at such a small
cost. Hearings on the postal appro-
priations, which are now under con-
Stderation In the House, discloses that
there are 1885 fourth-class post Offices
10,957 third-class post ofices. 3,5Oe
second-class post oficeS, and I,169 first
class post Offices. On July /, last, there
were 1927 presidential post ofIices in
the country.
One Of the interesting little SOU
venirs OF important events which are
being preserved for posterity in the
Capitol Is the furniture which was used
at the Disarmament Conference in
Washington. This is now in a large
room on the ground floor of the House
end, which is used as a conference
room for the largest committee of the
House-the committee on appropria-
tions. On the back Of each one of the
mahogany swivel desk chairs is silver
plate. carving the mama and nfacial