Evening star., 1937-02-21
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p, KENNEDY,

What ranking free tranSpOr-
tation Of Government mail-costs the
taxpayers was emphasized in the House
by Representative John Taber, Repub-
lican. of New York, ranking minority
member on the Appropriations Commit
tee. He said: There has been a lot of
talk about the franking privilege. The
amount spent by the Government to
take care of the congressional franking
is not very heavy. It runs on an average
over the last four or five years some
where around s750,000" Then Minority
Leader Smell asked If the cost for frank
ing the mail of members of Congress was
not only about per cent of the total,
and Taber admitted that was correct
S750,000 as against approximately S34.-
600 900 for the free mail of all the Gov
eminent service for the current year, if
1t continues at the same rate for the
next six months.
Here is a legislative panacea. Rep
resentative Charles N. Crosby of Penn
sylvania has introduced a bill TO pro-
vide for and promote the general vel
fare Of the United States by supplying
to the people a more liberal distribution
and increase of purchasing power, re-
tiring certain citizens from gainful en-
ployment, improving and stabilizing
gainful employment for other persons,
stimulating agricultural and industrial
production and general business. and
alleviating the hazards and insecurity of
old age and unemployment: to provide
a method whereby citizens shall con-
tribute to the purchase of and receive
a retirement annuity; to provide for the
necessary revenues to operate a contin-
uing plan therefor; to provide for the
appropriation and expenditure of such
revenue: to provide for the proper ad-
ministration of this act: to provide pen
altles for violation of the act, ETC."
Where is the pencil city? Repre-
sentative John r. Mitchell of Tennessee
gives the answer-Shelbyville Tenn. He
has been distributing some of these
pencils branded Cedar King" made from
the very best Bedford County red cedar
timber. Shelbyville, he points out, fur
niShes nearly one-third of the pencils
used in the United States and are dis
tributed to nearly every nation in the
world.
The timber was cut from the forests
more than century back. he explains,
and split into rails by our forefathers
when they cleared the land for culti-
vatlon. For many years they served
this purpose as protection to the crops.
Then these rails became more valuable
Tor the uses of civilization, so wire fencing
was substituted. and the rails wre hauled
into town for cutting into pencil stats.
Representative Charles j. Golden.
Democrat. of California laughs at the
old saw that a rolling stone never
gathers any moss" and it's corrolary that
1T gets mighty fine polish" for he has
done right well in spite of the fact that
he roamed from farm in Illinois. taught
school In Missouri and Iowa for five
years. was editor of country papers in
Northwestern Missouri for 10 years. built
residences in Kansas City and engaged
IN the real estate business in California.
was In the Missouri House of Represent
atives for two terms, president of the
board of regents of a teacher college.
president Of the Los Angeles Harbor
Commission, and a member of the CITY
Council for two terms. Then, because he
thought he had grown rusty. he sought a
little polishing off in six months tour
OF Europe and a nine months trip
around the world. He is serving his third
term in Congress.
For the first time in the history of the
United States the issue of internal reve-
nue. stamps-142,O0 ,O04, ,O47 sheets-exceeds
the number of postage stamps-l38,061,-
159-Representative Taber called to the
attention Of the House, commenting,
this gives you an idea of the way we
are progressing in increasing the tax
burdens the people are required to bear"
~
Although he has been successful for
more than Is years in the lumber busi-
ness and served two terms as Mayor of
his home town-one Of the proudest
boasts of Representative John M. Hous-
ton, Democrat. of Kansas is that he
served as honor guard for President Will
son for eight weeks. 1t was while he
was serving an enlistment in the United
States Marine Corps-later he was in
charge of the Marine guard In the State,
War and Navy Building. When the
armiStice was signed he was in the off,
GERS camp at the Marine Base, Guam
tico, Va.
A man of many and varied businesses
Is Representative Frank w. Boykin,
Democrat, Of Alabama. He began his
business career early in life and is now
prominently identified with real estate,
farming, live stock, timber, lumber and
naval stores business. During the World
War he was an official In ship building
companies which built 50 per cent Of all
ships built on the Gulf Coast prior to
the axmistics.