Evening star., 1933-06-04
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL r. KENNEDY.
Remember the Maine"-Oh, how
- - ID,

much we have forgotten since then!
| Lest We Forget'-still further Sena
| tor David I. Walsh of Massachusetts
still remembering the vivid days of 189,
when his playmates saw service In tht
| Spanish-American War, has taken step.
| to secure for some of them governmental
recognition while yet they are alive. HI
! has introduced an amendment to the &C
authorizing the issuance of the Spanish
War Service Medal. This in effect woulc
strike out the present clause requiring
| 80 days of service as prerequisite to re.
ceipt of the medal.
This amendment Is strongly recon-.
mended by the recorder in chief, H. B
| Parker, of the National Commandery
Order of the Spanish War, with whom
Senator Walsh has been in correspond
ence. Also. the Naval and Military Or
der of the Spanish-American Wa
adopted resolution at its convention IL
Milwaukee. August 14-15. last year, re
| questing the enactment of such al
| amendment omitting the 90-day servict
clause, thus putting the Spanish Wa
| Service Medal on an equal footing will
all other war service medals, none o
which require certain number of day
of service.
BY the act of July 9, 1918, Congress
| authorized and directed" the Secretar.
| Of War Ito procure bronze medal" 1T
| be presented to each officer AID enlisted
| man Of the National Guard, and to thi
| families of such as may be dead" whit
| served not less than ninety (90) days IL
the war with Spain. This requirement
among others, has been incorporated IL
the Army regulations. The medal i
also issued to members of the Regula
Army who rendered like service.
TyIa LOT IF ho "o
Department the Mexican Border Serv
ice Medal is issued for service in tn
National Guard, on the Mexican borde
or elsewhere in the field in 1915 O
1917. uncer a call of the President fo
Mexican border duty, and for servic
in the Regular Army as a member .
the Mexican Border Patrol between
January 1, 1916, and April 6, 1917
However, service on the Mexican Dor
der Is not required for the issue Of tn,
Spanish War Service Medal.
Senator Walsh's amendment Is de
signed particularly in the interests o
commissioned officers who performed
duty in the Spanish-American War, bu
who did not have 80 days service
to permit them to receive the medal
Senator Walsh points out that in in
Vulnerable cases it has been shown tha
commissioned volunteers resigned JUS
as soon as the war was over and thu
did not complete sufficient service to b
entitled later to receive the medal.
X
The very first contested election cas-
in Congress was that of the mercuria
Gen. James Jackson against the eccen
trio Gen. Anthony Wayne, "the hair
Drained hero of the Revolution" ac
cording to Representative Robert Luc
of Massachusetts,, for many years ,
member of the Elections Committee anC
one of the most aSsiduous students O
! history in the American Congress.
In talking the matter over with ,
group of FRIENDS in the cloak room
Representative Luce quoted from Fishe
Ames showing that when Gen. jackson
addressed the House "he beloved S,
loudly that it was necessary for tn,
Senate to shut the windows In orde
to keep out the din"
Representative Luce called attention
that by unanimous vote Wayne wa
unseated. A long debate followed il
which Jackson urged that the vote
OF certain counties should be rejected
On the question of seating Jackson thu
Speakers vote made tie and the sea
was declared vacant.
Representative Luce reminded his col.
leagues that the next year Gen. Wavn,
was made general of the Army of tn,
United States and departed for the me.
morable campaign against the Indian,
OF the Northwest, and that Gen. Jack.
son became the Governor of his Stat
and later United States Senator.
One of the new members of conpras.
from Iowa-"out where the tan corr
grows was taken in neatly by a HoIIse
page boy this week. The member. who
tnought he was pretty we'll informed
ABOUT the Capitol, was showing some
guests through the building. They me-
tne page and the member introduced
MN to those in the party. Have vol
SHOWN them the exhibition of Iowa corr
That has been kept on display here by
order OF Thomas Jefferson?" the boy
asked. With mental historical lapse
because there was no Iowa in jefferson ),
day. the member asked the page boy tc
lead them to it. Meanwhile he wa,
thinking that he'd make big hit bacl
nome by adding some other products o.
his State to the Jefferson collection.
Leading out of the very center of tht
| building, where there are 4.50O dead.
weight tons OF structural steel and iror
above their heads in a small but yer,
beautiful corridor entrance to the Law
library OF the United States Supreme
Court-in the room, by the way, where
s. F. B. Morse sent his first telegraphie
message to Baltimore.
The thought Of Thomas jefferson i:
there worked out. for that great pioneer
OF democracy held that all of the pillar.
in our public buildings should be made
in imitation of cornstalks and corn. He
was influential enough to have his sug-
gestion carried out in this small corri-
Cor. Few of those who pass these col
umns have heard their story-or ever
noticed that they are cut to resemble
the pioneer crop of this Nation.