Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-08
Capital Sidelights
By Will P. Kennedy.

One of the happiest men in the House
at The close of the session was Repre-
sentative Abe Murdoch of Utah who
came to Congress with the largest
majority ever given a candidate in his
State. But what made him happy wasn't
so much the testimonial votes of his con-
stituents as that he is now the owner
of pair of beautifully beaded moccasins
worn by the great Indian chieftain-
Sitting Bull. He was just as thrilled
as any boy would be, and made his
colleagues handle this trophy with
reverence.
Representative Usher L. Burdick Of
North Dakota, an Indian from the
Sitting Bull" country, served on the
subcommittee Of which Murdoch was
chairman, entertaining complaints on
the part of Indians regarding the ad-
ministration of the Wheeler-HoWard act
and the administration of the Indian
Bureau by Commissioner John Collier.
There developed a very sincere and in
innate friendship between Murdoch and
Burdlck. In token of this the latter, on
the closing day, presented Murdoch with
Sitting Bulls moccaSins, each bead
fastened by sinews. The accompanying
card bears testimony: Genuine sinew
sewed moccaSins, made by Kunkpapa
Sioux. Little Eagle, S. Oak. Made by
the mother of One Bull Custer battle
Indian. These moccasins are probably
about IS years old"
Representative Burdick's name in the
Sioux Indian tribe is Mato Sapa. Rep
resentative Roy E. Ayres of Montana
also a member of the Indian Affairs
Committee, has been adopted by five
Indian tribes.
One of the most modest of the new
members OF the House is Representative
Edward J. Hart While most members
of Congress have rather extensive auto
biographies printed in the Congressional
Directory. Hart has the simplest state
ment: Lawyer, Democrat, of Jersey
City"
He is an illustration of the oppor-
tunities for advancement that youth
finds in the Government service and by
taking an interest in public affairs Hart
came to Washington some years ago as
clerk to the old Excise Board, during
the Wilson administration, through the
good Offices Of the late Representative
Kinkaid-one of the characters" in the
House in those days. While performing
his work with the Excise Board he at
tended Georgetown Law School, was
later made assistant corporation coun-
sci in Jersey City, and then the big
political boss" of that district-Mayor
Hague-picked him up and had him sent
to Congress, where he is making good.
There are men of extraordinary abil-
ity in Congress who have made record
of work well done when called upon to
perform important special duties, about
whom the public knows little because
they do not get into the newspaper head
lines through debate on the floor. They
just keep plugging" along and doing
well the work assigned them. Such
one is Representative Dick" Wiggles-
worth, Republican, of Massachusetts.
He was a noted athlete at Harvard and
maintains all the best Harvard tradi-
tionS. After graduating from Harvard
he was assistant secretary to w. Cameron
Forbes, Governor General of the Philip
pine Islands. Then he served in France
during the World War as captain of
Battery E and commanding officer OF
the LIST Battalion, 3O3d Field Artillery,
18th Division. He was called to the
Office of the Secretary of the Treasury
as legal adviser to the Assistant Secre-
tary, in charge of foreign loans and rail-
way payments, and became secretary
of the World War Foreign Debt Com
mission. He was next assistant to the
agent general for reparation payments, in
Berlin. Then Paris representative and
general counsel for organizations Gre
ated under the Dawes plan. He is
member of the American Bar and Mas
sachusetts Bar Associations the Amer
lean Legion, 40 and g." Veterans OF For
eign Wars Military order of the World
War, Military Order of Foreign Wars,
and is rated by those who know him
best as "a fellow you can always depend
upon" He is often intrusted with i'm
portant special duties by Representative
John Taber of New York, who is his Re-
publican chief on the Appropriations
Committee and by Minority Leader Smell.