Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-11-19
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

By WILL p. KENNEDY.
Two veteran employees of the Senate
who grew up from page boys IS years
ago to the most responsible positions
today-had the qualification yesterday
Of seeing one Of their important labors
Of love accomplished which win help TO
keep history straight, and bring the
greatest statesmen from Washington
down into closer relationship with the
citizens Of today and the youth who viii
be the Nations leaders in a few years.
Col. Edwin A. Halsey, secretary Of the
Senate, and his loyal fellow worker,
James D. Preston, librarian of the Sen
ate, working under Senate resolution
put through by the leader, Senator
Joseph Robinson, have had a number
of the most interesting original docu-
ments which they found scattered
around in cubbyholes and kicked under
foot in storerooms, restored and pre-
served in the most scientific manner.
Only yesterday these were placed in
specially built slses for display, where
they can be visited by all tourists and
especially by students of government
and American history. These cases are
in the suite of oidces Of the secretary of
the Senate and just outside the private
Office of Col. Halsey
The first documents to be placed in
this display are: The original manu-
script Of President Washington'S first
inaugural address, President James
Monroe's message outlining the Mon
roe Doctrine, Virginia's election certifi-
cate for the first President and Vice
pVnofdovaf IAxy al iy1
his own handwriting, TIE last message
written by Gen. Was'>lgton as Com
mander In Chief Of tEc Army. the GER
tiflcate Of Gov. Hancock Of Massachu-
sets electoral vote in the first election.
X X X
AS soon as possible all Of these old
Senate records will be scientifically re-
stored and preserved and placed in
accessible form for study and research
by students and historians.
The Senate librarian. James D. Pres
ton, now has in course of construction
books of a special standard design in
which will be bound every scrap of
paper relating to the First Congress, SO
that hereafter they will be available for
students in fattened, easily consulted
form, instead of being folded away in
cabinets in such way as to be injured
by each handling. The first OF these
books is already completed It con-
tains So messages of George Washing
ton which he transmitted to the First
Congress. There will be a special book
containing the messages of the Presi-
dents transmitting resolutions passed BY
various State Legislatures ratifying the
first ten amendments to the Constitu-
ton. A third book will contain ali the
election certificates and papers con-
nected with the election of the first
President and Vice President. Another
book will contain various bills and Joint
resolutions, in which will be found
printed bills as they came from the
House in 1889. creating the Department
of the Treasury, the Department Of
War, the Department of Foreign At
fairs lin the next session changed to
the Department of State) and the bills
to encourage the useful arts and SCI
ences, which was the forerunner of the
present United States Patent ONCE, and
others of similar nature all meticu-
lousy restored.
The particular work of members of
Congress during this recess of Con-
gress-that Of finding Jobs for the I'M
employed-1nds many of the new
corners especially well fitted for that
task, with sympathies for fellow man
running strong because they them
selves have passed through the vor-
tex Of suffering and struggle.
One Of those who has been working
tirelessly to put pay envelope in the
hanuS OF every man willing to work is
representative Henry Ellenbogen of
Pittsburgh, Pa He was born 80 years
ago in Vienna, Austria: educated in
the public and high school and COL
lege there and started in at law school
OF the University OF Vienna, one of
the Oldest in the world. He came to
the United States at the age of 81,
Immediately taking out his first papers
and declaring his intention to become
a naturalized American citizen. Three
years later he graduated from Du-
quesne University Law School and
passed the State bar examinations
with the highest mark ever attained
by any student, but his admission to
the bar was delayed until 1925 by
the fact that he did not have his
final citizenship papers.
He came into national prominence
when, in cooperation with Rev. James
r. Cox. he organized the unemployed
march from Pittsburgh to Washing
ton, which mustered $4,000 men. He
and Father Cox headed a delegation
which waited on the then Speaker
John N. Garner and the then Vice
President Senator Charles Curtis. and
upon the then President Herbert
Hoover.
He is particularly interested In leg
islation for shorter working hours and
a shorter work week His first entrance
into public life was during the 1929 ses-
sion Of the Pennsylvania Legislature
He had worked up a campaign in
Allegheny County to secure the sboli
ton of the vicious coal and iron mine
police systems. With Father Cox he
boarded a special plane in Pittsburgh
TO NY to Harrisburg and swoop down
on hearing before a legislative COM
mittee on the proposed coal and iron
mine police measure. The plane got
lost and carried them out over the
broad expanSe of Chesapeake Bay in
stead Of to Harrisburg. 1t was only
the skin of the pilot in landing on a.
small island, named Kent, that saved
WE thTee from drowning.