Evening star., 1935-01-13
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

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Those about the Capitol who have
never witnessed the tnvestiture of
Kentucky colonel will have an oppor.
tunity next Wednesday when Joseph
]. Hinnott Of Richmond, Va, veteran
doorkeeper Of the House and Of the
Democratic National Conventions,
will receive hts commission IN his
office in the Capitol from Represent
ative Brent Spence. Gov. Ruby
Lafoon has written Mr.. Einnott that
the distinguished order of Kentucky
Colonies will be honored In having
such an filustrteus addition to their
numbers, and that he takes great per.
sonal pleasure in Mr.. Sinnott's &C.
ceptance Of position on his staff.
Mr.. Sinnott has been employed In
several capacities at the Capitol for
the past 48 years. He was an off,
cial Of the National Democratic Com
mittee at the Chicago headquarters
from 1895 to 1900. He has been an
Official Of the Democratic Congress
sional Committee for SO years. He
has been sergeant at arms of the
Democratic CAUCUS Of the House for
80 years. He was elected assistant
sergeant at arms Of the House in the
Sxty-flrSt Congress by the Demo-
Gratis and insurgent Republicans to
bring In absent members and corral
quorum to remove Speaker Cannon
from the Committee on Rules. He
has been an ofiicial at the last I2
he was elected doorkeeper Of the
House IN the Sixty-second, Sixty
third, Sixty-fourth, Sixty fifth, Sew
enty second, Seventy-third and Sey.
enty fourth Congresses.
How to straighten out some of the
kinks and snarls resulting from the
so-called lame duck" amendment to
the Constitution has already been
discussed thus early in the House.
chairman Summers Of the judiciary
committee has invited the attention
OF his colleagues to q bill he intro
ouced Tor advancing the time for the
general election, BY moving it up one
month. The effect of the twentieth
amendment and subsequent legisIa-
ZION, he pointed out, Is to leave but
Il days between the time OF the cleo
tion OF the electors and the meeting
OF the electors. which Is clearly too
snort q time to canvass the returns
and to have an opportunity properly
10 settle any election contest with re-
gard to the electors. He has been
advised that 1t cannot be done in a.
days under the laws of any of the
States.
Chairman OConnor of the House
Rules Committee also suggested other
corrections Of errors which he said
might be grievous. For instance. he
called attention that there are but
nVe days between the time the EIec-
toral College meets here and the time
tne President is supposed to take
ONCE. He warned his colleagues that
we may some time find ourselves
without a President"
Chairman OConnor also ennpha-
sized that new members coming here
tnls year did not have a place to cit
down because the old members were
not out Of their Offices. In NV esti-
nation" he said. the first thing that
ought to be done Is to fix the date
that Congress shall meet far enough
beyond the LIST of January, and far
enough beyond the end of the term
OF old members, so that new members
Will have of1ces at their disposal. It
seems Also" said Mr.. O'Connor. "that
nobody thought of the fact that the
80 OF January comes only 4s hours
after New Year day. He expressed
confidence that "the astute chairman
OF the Judiciary Committee can do a
good job correcting the flaws in the
amendment to the Constitution"
The same State, the same con-
gressional district and city that gave
the country Andrew Jackson and
James K. Polk now gives us Joe
Byrns." declared Representative Sam
D. McReynolds in presenting the new
Speaker to the Democratic CAUCUS
and he also quoted from the late
Speaker Henry T. Rainey. who said:
He is the Abe Lincoln Of Democ-
racy."