Evening star., 1933-08-13
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.


A notable recent acquisition by the
Library of Congress has been Votes
and Proceedings of the House of Rep
resentatives of the Province of Penn
sylvania, Met at Philadelphia, on the
Fourteenth Of october, Ammo Domini
1754, and Continued by Adjournments. u
In addition to its intrinsic value as q
document Of Colonial Pennsylvania and
its rarity, Dr. Herbert Putnam, librarian
of Congress- points out that this volume
derives its Importance and value prin-
cipally from being product Of the
press OF Benjamin Franklin. At the
time of its printing and some years
before Franklin was printer to the
Province Of Pennsylvania, and in that
very year his presses produced other
volumes Of legislative proceedings.
4 ~
The Capitol group of buildings ha.
an extensive subway system-only pQr-
tions of which are visited by the public
In the development of the Capitol group
a considerable portion are now under
ground, so that it is possible for one tc
start from New Jersey avenue and
| street northeast and proceed north
ward through subway connecting thu
House Office Buildings with the Capito
Building and thence through subway tc
the Senate ONCE Building, then north
ward to the northwest corner Of the
Senate Office Building and westward te
New Jersey avenue and c street with.
out going above the subway There /.
another branch subway from the Capito
Building to the Library of Congress, ir
which Is operated carrier system fol
books for prompt delivery in answer tt
calls from members when the House OF
Senate is in session.
The largest underground develop.
ment in the Capitol area is that con-
nected with the new Capitol Garage, ir
the very heart of the scenic develop
ment between the Capitol and Unior
Station. This garage is reached by 8
subway running from the Kiosk of the
Senate Office Building 32O feet in G
westerly direction, where 1t enters the
garage, which is said to be the larges,
underground structure for the accom-.
modatlon OF automobiles in the entire
country. This garage has length from
East 10 West OF 524 feet 6 inches ano
a With from north to south on a line
with North Capitol street of POI feet
s inches, and is approximately IL feet
nigh from the floor to the ceiling. 1t is
garage for the service Of the Congress
OF the United States.
One OF the interesting things abou,
lie at the Capitol these days is the wa,
IN which members are returning here tt
work out matters for the best interest.
OF their constituents-mostly, In trying
to get jobs for jobless. When Congress.
aoJourned as many as could scurriec
home. When they got home they foune
dlstressful conditions. general unem.
ployment. They were visited by swarm.
OF their people. day and night. anc
practically 100 per cent people for whom
/ they could do nothing. 1t tore at thei
| heartstrlngs. They found that the,
could do little in the way of hell
through positions with the Fedora
! Government or in the economic reha
bilitation services unless they returnet
| to the Capital. So the House Offic,
Buildings are rapidly filling up again
/ The returning members are in turl
sUarming down upon the various Gov
/ ernment establishments. especially tn
! three big rehabilitation agencies, an,
| converging on Postmaster General Far
! ley to learn. if, and when. deserving
Democrats are to get the Government
( positions in which Republican appoin
tees are still drawing the salaries.
'-The Bakers Dozen at Work" Is tn
succinct summarization Of the legisla
tion passed during the hundred days
of the emergency session of Congress
just closed, made by Representative
j. Buell. Snyder-as follows:
First-Wagner-Lewis emergency re
lief law
| Second-Muscle Shoals and Tennes
see Valley development act
Third-Supervision Of trafdc In sc
curities law
Fourth-Emergency banking relic
law
Maintenance Of Government
credit
Sixth-Beer-w revenue law.
Seventh-Emergency agricultural re
lief act
Eighth -Reforestation unemployment
relief bill.
Ninth-Small homo owners refinan
cling act.
Tenth-Railroad reorganization an,
relief law
Observation-Disclosures recovery law.
Twelfth-Glass-S -Steagall banking bill
preparation act.
|
The blind Senator Thomas D. Schal
of Minnesota, conspicuous in the legis
lative fight for adequate soldiers bene
fits, has repeatedly thrilled his col
leagues with little story Of his observ
ations while following the American
Army in the Chateau -Thierry drive
Every person in every land who kne'
the situation and facts believed that tn
Germans were marching into Pari.
They all believed it except those 1900
American boys there in the mud, VIII
met the Germans at the break of dawI
and turned them back and thereb
turned over to our noble allies the spoil
OF the world, which they have to
day. The Germans thought from tn
way the Americans fought that the
were there by the hundreds of thou
sands. So we'll did our boys tight tha
wherever they were lined up with tn
allies the American salient was alway
the farthest advanced. Focht and othe
commanders tried to get them back t
straighten out the lines with the French
and repeatedly quarreled with the Off
GERS. Finally one American officer wa
put upon the carpet and asked why h
did not obey orders and take his boy
back and get them stfaightened ou
with the French line He replied: HOY
the hell 90 you expect me to hold ther
back when the whole damned Germa
Army can not hold them back?'"
!