Evening star., 1937-08-15
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

With the House passing the bill TO
create 4 new Department OF Welfare,
on the eve Of the second anniversary
OF establishing social security, Repre-
sentative Albert j. Engel, Republican. OF
Michigan, who by . single speech blasted
the Townsend plan and was amazed at
the popular demand for 800 900 copies OF
that speech, now gives interesting data
on the security legislation. He says:
History will record this law as the most
colossal success or the most colossal fail
ure of the age. President Roosevelt sees
1t the most outstanding accomplishment
OF his administration. His enemies see
in 1t nothing but socialism and radicalism
and predict its dismal failure. The
worker sees In it security for himself
and his family, and hopes it will Danish
poverty which he knows will come with
old age. Some believe in it blindly and
hope for its Utopian success; others, pro-
Tossing friendship, would secretly give 1t
the Kiss Of Death"
EnRel himself has worked for social
security legislation for sixteen years He
wants to see it succeed, but confesses
a growing haunting fear that it Is being
mired slowly but surely in a political
bog He proposes to secure just about
An even half OF the tremendous cost of
social security including 4 $40, ,64l, loo, 900
reserve fund.- from the people engaged in
productive enterprise. He has submitted
to his colleagues for constructive criti-
cism his plan with \ summary OF twelve
points OF comparison between his plan
and the present law, asking for careful
study during the recess Of Congress.
The passage by the House of the bill
to create 4 new Federal department Is
a reminder that there are now in Con-
gress nine men who voted on the legis-
lation which created the last previous
new department-the Department Of
Labor, now 80 prominent in public re-
gard. Four OF these are in the Senate
and one OF them was In both the House
and Senate during fnal action on this
measure-Senator Morris Sheppard of
Texas. The others In the Senate are
Borah, Idaho: Smith, South Carolina,
and Ashurst, Arizona. Pittman, Nevada
And Norris, Nebraska, however, were
sworn in as Senators before Secretary
William B. Wilson took over the once
Of Secretary Of Labor and the present
Senate leader, Barkley, had just come
into the House. The others who voted
in establishing the Department Of Labor
and who are now in the House are Rep
resentatives David j. Lewis, Maryland;
William A. Ashbrook. Ohio: Adolph j.
SABBATH, Illinois; Edward T. Taylor, Colo
RADIO, and Robert L. Doughton, North
Carolina. Both Lewis and Ashbrook were
out Of Congress for many years. but re-
Gently returned. Seven Of the nine who
voted to set up the Labor Department
have served continuously - Senators
Sheppard. Borah, Smith and Ashurst:
Representatives SABBATH, Taylor and
Doughton.
Verify time moves on with a whirligig
are still hanging on.
Some families have been outstanding
In public affairs and law making.
Henry Middleton presided over the
Continental Congress in 1774 and ITS,
and received the thanks Of Congress
for his services In the cause Of liberty.
His son. Arthur Middleton. was a men,
Der Of the Continental Congress l776-
1889. served in the Revolution and signed
the Declaration Of independence. His
son, grandson Of Henry Middleton. also
named Henry, was Governor OF South
Carolina, served in the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth Congresses and was Minister
to Russia, 1890 to 1880.
The records OF political preferment
by families, "nepotism" If you will, is
so voluminous that it cannot be printed
here, but some OF the names are sug-
eestive: The Adams family Of Massa-
chusetts, Aldrich, Rhode Island; Bayard,
Delaware; Boulisny, Louisiana; Gambler.
Mississippi; Clay, Kentucky: Condict
and Cutler. New Jersey; Dillingham;,
Vermont: Findlay. Pennsylvania Gris-
void, Pennsylvania; Grinnell, New York;
Halsey, New York; Hampton, South
Carolina; Harlan, Ohio; the Harrisons
Of Virginia. Ohio and Indiana; Hen
dricks, Indiana and Pennsylvania; Jack
son, Maryland; the Kennedys, Maryland;
the Kings Of Massachusetts,, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania; Lassiter, Virginia:
Law, Indiana; Lee, Virginia; Mudd,
Maryland; Mercer, Virginia; Meriwether,
Virginia and Georgia; Merrick, Mary
land; Miller, Pennsylvania, California,
Washington; Moore, Va; Morgan, New
York; Morris, New York, Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois and Pennsylvania; Muhlenberg,
Pennsylvania; Murray. New York and
Pennsylvania; Mulkey. Oregon: Mutchler,
Pennsylvania: olin, Vermont; Otero, New