Evening star., 1932-07-17
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.


pairing to celebrate half century Of
service by doing record business at
the book store he operates in the base
ment of the Capitol this presidential
campaign year when practically all
members of Congress are expecting an
extraordinarily hard fight for re-elec-
ton.
JIM. Mckee, whom the late Speaker
Champ Clark characterized 'as fine o
gentleman as ever stood in shoe leather" :"
is in charge of this book store, which
has few counter customers, but does a
tremendous mail-order business, send
ing pamphlets, books, maps and other
Government publications into every
State, city, town and hamlet in the
country. He came to the Capitol first
as a page in 1883, and is one of the
group of extraordinary men who have
kept the machinery Of lawmaking going
on in the House end Of the Capitol most
efficiently for score after score of years,
regardless of which political party hap
pened temporarily to be in control
This book store Is called "The House
Folding Room" and some Of the leading
lawyers in the Capital City and
throughout the country have been en-
ployed there while studying for their
profession. Among its graduates also
are several members of Congress. This
book store sends out annually from
100000 to 100000 books and innumer-
able copies of something like 25.OOO
speeches. 1t carries a stock of more
than million books.
All documents are shipped there in
bulk from the Government Printing
Office, and one of the little Jobs Is to
neatly wrap each book and put each
pamphlet in an envelope for mailing
on order from members Of the House.
This task keeps approximately 40 men
busy, as the folding room sends out on an
average of million copies month,
and this being presidential campaign
year and one Of unprecedented poliIi-
cal stress the output will be multiplied.
The efficiency of MIR. McKee's services
have been repeatedly recognized by
special legislative consideration. In the
course Of his many years of experience
he has invented several devices which
have been big saving to the Govern
ment, greatly appreciated by members
of Congress, and which in private en-
ployment would have brought him a
neat little royalty or bonus. But Mar
tin Mckee is so thoroughly devoted
to his job, which he has made his life
work, that he does not consider per-
sonal advantage. He is devoting him.
self to the big task OF sending Uncle
Sans publications to every one in the
country who wants to get them.
\ **
These days while the sun has been
shining warmly and during other days
when the skies lower, when rain clouds
hang heavy, when the winds blow,
when Spring freshets threaten-mem-
bers of the House consult a big pri-
vate bulletin board-in fact, two of
Building. These big bulletin boards
have been operated for the information
Of Congress for two score years.
They show the map Of the United
States under glass On this glass each
day the wind and storm curves are
traced by specialist from the Weather
Bureau, who has performed this task for
many years. From more than 200 sta
tions all over the United States OBJ
servations are made at 8 o'clock each
morning and telegraphed to the Capitol.
These big maps thus show the men,
bers each day what the temperature Is
back home" or in any other part OF
the country, marked in red, and what
the rainfall is marked in yellow. The
weather symbols are arrows-red de-
noting clear; blue, cloudy; yellow, rain
and white, snow. The specialists who
have thus kept Congressman informed
by marking the records on these score
boards during the past 40 years have
been Harry Jones, John H. Stewart
and S. L. Mosby-all of whom have
known practically every member OF
Congress in their day.
The members take a deep interest in
these weather mape-for example, those
from the South, Interested in cotton
or In citrus fruits, watch to see when
there Is danger Of frost. The great
Middle West is just as much interested
in the corn crop and the Northwest in
the wheat crop. Kentucky Virginia
and the Connecticut Valley men are in
terested in tobacco and the damages
that may be done by storms. Again
the great river and food system of the
Mississippi Valley causes much care
full scrutiny of what the weather ex-
pertS have 10 record In the way OF
food warnings.
Storm warnings are also shown along
the coast.
During these recent days Of wrangling
among those who have the partisan polit-
ical campaign bees worrying them, the
House has been particularly quarrelsome
and invective. Representative John D.
Clarke of New York. one of the "wags, -
reminded his colleagues the other day
of the remarkable memory Of the late
Speaker Champ Clark and his extraordi-
nary gift of most appropriate quotation
from holy writ While the partisan
rivals were squabbling some years ago
over the vocational rehabilitation ques-
ton, Clarke recalls, the Speaker said
right out in the House: When I see
these Republicans Quarreling I think Of
the 1880 Psalm, Behold, how good and
how pleasant 1t is for brethren to live
together In unity or as the late Mar
riott Brosius of Pennsylvania construed
and how pleasant it IS for brethren to
Live together In mutiny'"
Again we have been asked for the
record of youth in the great legislative
establishments of the world. It's a
pretty big question to discuss briefly In
this column. William Pitt was pre-
mier of England when he was only "a
and Charles James Fox was recognized
as the greatest debater in Parliament
when he was about the same age, hav--
ing made his entrance In that body at
the age of 10.
John Young Brown of Kentucky was
elected to Congress when he was "a
and too young to take his seat under
the provisions of the Constitution. He
was elected to the Thirty-sixth Con-
gress, but couldn't take his seat until
the second session. This same Brown
was again elected to the Fortieth Con-
gress, but his seat was declared vacant
on account of a disloyal act. Again ne
was elected to the Forty-third and
Forty-fourth Congresses and later was
Governor of Kentucky.
When the famous John Randolph OF
Roanoke, Va, was first elected to Con-