Evening star., 1935-10-13
Capital Sidelights
By Will p. Kennedy.

Speaker Joseph w. Byrns is illustrating
his views about the Ethiopian war by
telling an anecdote about a colored
preacher who one Sunday evening by
the odorous light of an old kerosene
lamp was exhorting his brothers and
sisters" to practice brotherly love, to
overlook offenses and walk happily
hand-in-hand toward the promised land.
DE good Lawd don't want you and me
to get angry wifi each other. F I do
you wrong the Lawd will punish me
yo-all don need to trouble and f you-al
Swats me on one cheek, the Lawd mon
ishes dat I turns tn other"
One of the brothers of ample girth,
in a rear seat, who had been imbibing
too much corn liquor and was tired of the
paciflst sermon. suddenly threw lus-
ciously ripe tomato with good aim, swat
ting the preacher squarely on his fore
head so that the seedy juice trickled
down his nose and across his chin, and
cascading onto his ministerial raiment.
Calmly the preacher wiped away the
mess, with beneficent smile he reached
for a hymn book and announced, I'VE
will now sing page 23-after which I
exhort those wishing to depart to leave
quietly and in brotherly love by the front
door. Those wishing to remain will
please keep their seats, remember they
are in a house of worship and should
preserve proper decorum. But, if you do
remain you are going to see the gosh all
firedest. blankety- blank niger fight you
ever witnessed"
Senator Robert Rice Reynolds of North
Carolina, former varsity track and foot
ball star, author of several travel books
"Wanderlust" and Gypsy Trails" and
vice president of the American Auto
mobile Association, who has just returned
from an auto-trailer transforming and
camping trip of some 10,500 miles, get
ting next to Nature and to the folks
away from the National Capital, is
amazed at what small percentage of
the people of the country he has found
who are well informed about their Gov
eminent. Especially as a member of the
Senate District Committee he deplores
the fact that they know next to nothing
about the government of the munich
pality of the Capital City. He sought
their reactions, he said, regarding gen.
erous appropriations for the upkeep and
development of Washington, and found
that few of them knew that Congress
acted as the Town Council and held
the purse strings.
In Salt Lake City while talking with
a prominent business man the Senator
asked: who's your Senator?" and re-
ceived the reply, Senator Smoot." In
surprise Senator Reynolds queried fur
ther: 'Is he the only Senator you have?"
"Oh, yes" was the response. hes been
there long time and guess we'll keep
him there the rest of his life"-oblivious
to the fact that Senator Smoot was de-
feated three years ago.
In 20 years of being lawyer. the late
Senator Huey P. Long of Louisiana had
assembled what his friends claim was one
of the largest and most carefully Sc
lected law libraries In the country. Most
Senators have three Office rooms, but
Senator Long somehow got five rooms,
the walls of which were lined with this
library of $500 volumes. 1t is also
claimed that Long knew his library,
could sit at his desk and direct his sec
retary, Earle ]. Christenberry, to go to a
certain shelf and get particular volume
and turn to a page, the number of which
he gave, to find the exact law quota
ton he sought.
This library he bequeathed to the
Louisiana State University which he had
helped to build up and which was his
pet" institution.
"And q little child shall lead them. "
Representative Milton A. Romjue OF
Macon, Mo-, knows how irresistible is
the call of q child. He has just come
back to the Capital enthused about the
general improvement In business condi-
tions he has found back home" But
he didn't hurry back here to report those
glad tidings to the White House, although
he is a veteran politician and regional
scout for his party. It was the crying
Of q baby that brought him back. He
called up his sons home here to learn
shows the family" and over the long
distance telephone came the walls of a
newborn grandchild. The Represent
ative took the next train to Washington
without stopping to pack.
More than Is years ago william A.
Jump was bright, mischievous. ready
to oblige and run any errand-a mes
senger for the United States Department
Of Agriculture at salary Of $3.50. For
some years now he has been budget
and finance officer for this department,
which, before the relief fund expansion
period, had some Il 900 employees and
an annual budget Of $l45,000,000. It was
his personality and devotion to work
that won that errand boy his advance
ment In the service Of Uncle Sam-not
one bit q pull"