Evening star., 1937-04-18
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY,

Representative Otha D. Wearin, Demo-
crat, OF Iowa is author of An Iowa
Farmer Abroad" History of Tabor COL
lege," AN Iowa Farmer in Foreign
Fields" and New Roads in Old Mexico. ("
Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, Re-
publican, of Michigan is author of several
books dealing with Alexander Hamilton.
Senator Bennett Champ Clark, Demo-
crat, OF Missouri, who compiled several
manuals on parliamentary law is author
OF John Quincy Adams-Old Man Elo-
quent," and co-author of Social Studies. {"
Representative Clarence Cannon.
Democrat of Missouri is author of "A
Synopsis Of Proceedings of the House, +"
OF Procedure in the House of Repre-
sentatives," ""Cannons Procedure" and of
three editions Of the Convention Par
liamentary Manual for the Democratic
National Committee" of "Cannon's
Precedents of the House of Represent
atives' and of treaties on parliamentary
law in the Encyclopedia Brittanica. and
he is editor and compiler of the "Prece-
dents OF the House of Representatives
by Act of Congress"
Representative Usher Burdick. Repub-
llcan, OF North Dakota has written many
books on Western history, including The
Last Battle Of the Sioux"
Representative Maury Maverick, Demo-
crat, OF Iexas Is just completing a book
on The American maverick" mote small
M and is an extensive contributor to
prominent magazines
Representative j. Hamilton Fish, Re-
publican, of New York is author Of the
preamble Of the constitution of the
American Legion.
Senator John Lee, Democrat, of Okla
eoma Is also an author.
significantly-the poem "Moritun
saiutamus,' written by Henry w. Long
Fellow when he and surviving class
mates assembled at Bowdoin College
Tor their 5Oth anniversary, which recited
that:
Cato learned Greek at 80;
Sophocles wrote his grand Oedipus and
Simonides
Bore off the prize for verse from his
compeers
When each had numbered more than
fourscore years,
And Theophrastus, at fourscore and ten
HAD Just begun his Characters of Men !"
Cnaucer, at Woodstock with the niphtin-
gales,
At sixty wrote the Canterbury Tales:
Goethe at Weimar, toiling to the last,
completed Faust when 80 years were
past.
This was read in the House bv
come-oa to Congress-Represent
Jonn McSweeney of Ohio, who came to
the House first in 1922, after having
Taught in High School for 10 years, seen
service overseas and studied law at the
INNS OF Court, London When he came
70 congress he was next to the younp-
est acknowledgements Lister Hill
q Alabama. now chairman of the Mill
cary Affairs Committeeman he served
Tor three terms. Since then he set in
operation Ohios old-age pension sys-
tenn IN the Department Of Public We'll
fare, OF which he was director.
McSweeney paid a well-merited trib-
ute In the House the other day to his
veteran colleague of a decade ago
Ineodore E. Burton who had served in
ooth House and Senate. One day when
ne was thanking Burton for his help
lulness during McSweeney's legislative
apprenticeship, the former said: did
you ever stop to think I am cleaning
something from the enthusiasm and pa
tr1ot1sm and forward-lo looking attitude
you nave? am getting something from
you"
Uncle Sam is sometimes quite cinchy
about titles and salaries for extraordi-
narily qualified employees DR.. Herbert
Putnam, librarian of Congress, explained
this. He was asking for chief reference
librarian. He already had in the Library
the right man for the job, but had to
put together scraps of salaries" to hold
him until he could get CONGRESS to
properly authorize-he had to hold
vacant the position of chief assistant
librarian for an entire year to do it.
This man, after 30 years in service of
the Library, steadily developing, was lent
to the Folger Library for four years, be-
came director of it and organized it.
Two years ago he was attracted back to
the Library Of Congress, with the title
in charge of reference work." DR.. Put
nam told the appropriations committee:
acIc AS oilc VI Ine Key pOoACloIlS, ouI-
standing positions in the organization OF
any great research library. This author
ity cannot be carried except by suitable
title. Here is man who is unique for
the purpose, with IS years of experience
with our collections and our apparatus;
. born photographer, with q 'nair' for
submerged material-imagination
Throughout the entire Government
service are Phi Beta Kappa key men, de-
voting their lives to some specialized
subject, who know practically all there
is to know on that particular subject,
who have contributed generously to the
sum total Of human knowledge-and they
are shabbily clothed because they get
aeAenelu a1a0aiHk Ia liuA 0n