Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-23
Capitol Sidelights.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

authorized, without legislation, in COM
memoration of the 300th anniversary Of
the founding of the Massachusetts, Bay
Colony, Representative John w. McCor-
mack of Boston has written Postmaster
General Brown, requesting "a definite
answer in order that the people of
Massachusetts, may know what the de-
partment intends to do on this matter"
In his letter the Representative called
attention to the fact that he first took
up this question with the department in
April, 1929, and since that time has had
other communications with the Post
master General and First Assistant
Postmaster General Coleman, but as yet
has not received a definite reply.
The Representatives, letter, in part,
reads: THE first event of the celebra
ton occurs on March II, which will also
be the celebration of the evacuation of
Boston by the British. The tercentenary
celebration is not confined to Boston
but will be observed throughout the
entire commonwealth Of Massachusetts :"
In referring to the major importance
of the celebration the Representative
said: THE founding and settlement of
the Massachusetts Bay Colony is one Of
the most important events in the his
tory of the Western Hemisphere. AS a
colony and as a State, its influence
has been tremendous, and its ex-
periments and experiences in govern
ment were adopted as the foundation
upon which our Federal Government
should be built. The people of Massa-
chusetts are intensely interested in hav-
ing special stamp issued and will feel
keenly any negative action"
X \
George r. Farnum, who recently re-
where he was in charge of all land
condemnation work for the United
States Government. and who is an en-
thusiastic collector of unusual old docu-
mentS, in examining the abstract to a
parcel of land which is being acquired
by the War Department in connection
with the projected improvement of the
Ohio River in West Pennsylvania, about
eight miles from Pittsburgh ran across
IN the chain of title-that is, among
the records upon which the title is
based-the will of a John Neyill, dated
June z, 1897, which was probated in
1908, in what was then the Court of
Virginia. The will contains the fol-
lowing paragraphs:
i wish my funeral to be without
any punctilious ceremony, no si0ns I
hope OF outward mourning by my re-
lations or friends, not even black or
white gloves, nor any bits of black rags
tied round the hats, arms or legs. an
apeish custom have long disliked."
After directing his executors to settle
his estate as may seem meet to
them, he further advises:
This I hope will keep this my last
Will and only will from ever being
sullied by the mercenary, ingenious
and quibbling fingers of lawyers, and
then hope and wish 1t may rest as
quiet as the cofin that contains my
poor forgotten body"
The high price of "applesauce" was
complained of in the House the other
day by Representative Charles L. Under
nil OF Massachusetts,, who as chairman
OF the committee on accounts is in
charge OF the House restaurant.
Representative Underhill was protest.
ing against the cost resulting from the
frequent injection of "(applause)" in
speeches made in the House by his COL
leagues, but as his own speech on this
occasion appears in the Record, 1t is
punctuated by as many of these Gap
plause)" as any Of the others, for ex-
ample:
IF 1t is any JUNCTION to ones soul
to have his colleagues applaud him
when he makes speech have no OBJ
lection to it. (Applause.) May I state
that the applause at the present time
IL subtracting from my time, and I
would rather have the time than the
applause. (Applause.) I do not know
whether the House Is taking this as q
Joke or not, If it is, am going to
quit"
Or again: st make no attempt to re-
form the House. I have no RESPONSE
bility, nor has any man on the floor any
responsibility, for what goes on else
where than in this body. If you want
the House to enjoy the same estimate
that Is held by the public generally all
over this country at the present time
Of some other legislative bodies, why. all
right. daughter and applause) But
assume We are all proud of our mem
bership in this body, take it seriously
and believe in the dignity of the House.
Simply because somebody else some
where else does something that is wrong
and inexcusable is no reason why others
should follow a bad example. Gap
plause.)"
Now that the Senate's sensational In
vestigation has made the whole country
minder in a comprehensive report writ
ten by DR.. E, Pendleton Herring, in
structor in the department of govern
ment at Harvard, put out by the
Institute for Government Research, as
follows:
1T is interesting to recall that WASH
ington would not be where 1t Is today
were it not for this institution. The
city was actually founded by q social
lobby. Jefferson and his fellow Vir-
ginians greatly desired to have the seat
OF Government on the banks of the
Potomac. Hamilton and his neighbors
wished to have the Capital City in some
place more accessible to the delegates
nom the Northern States. Even greater,
however, was the desire Of the first
secretary Of the Treasury to have the
National Government assume the in
debtedneSS OF the States. The astute
Mr.. Jefferson accordingly arranged q
dinner party, at which he brought to-
gether the assumptionists and advocates
OF the Washington site for the Capital.
little discussion took place, little
log-rolling ensued, and both sides won:
to Hamilton, the State debts to Jeffer-
son. the Capital on the Potomac"
Few men in the House hold such q
strong position as Representative John
M. Robson of Kentucky, known among
his colleagues as ~. M. from Kingdom
Come" He Is a member of the Re-
publican committee on committees, is
chairman of the committee on mines
and mining and is ranking next to the
chairman on three other important
committees-education, pensions and
roads.