The Washington times., 1937-08-13
Greatest
Show on
Earth
By FRANK MILLER SMITH

Regardless Of what you hear
about the manner in which these
young and handsome members
OF the Senate bask in the ad-
miration Of feminine society,
one incident has occurred which
proves that a pair of flashing
eyes in the gallery is not suffi-
cient to lure their attention
from their work on the floor.
Two ladies took their places
in gallery one Sultry after
noon recently and their en-
thuSiasm for what they saw was
hardly repressible. They chat
tered continually to each other
and made little gestures toward
first one side and then the
other side of the chamber. Chief
among the objects of their at
tentions apparently were two
members of the Senate from
opposite parties who were sit
ting together carrying on a
little conversation.
One lady carried a Senator's
admission card. Behind it she
kept whispering to her COM
panion and glancing down on
the Senate floor. 1t looked very
charming until one of the Sen
ators covered his mouth and
yawned. Since he was from a
great Southern State noted for
its chivalry it wouldn't do to
imagine that his yawn was Of
fered as encouragement. And
surely it was not received as
such, for the lady in the gallery
yawned back very prettily from
behind her gallery card. But
then she turned her attention
elsewhere and finally departed.
A Ia side show.
Ladeez and Gentlemen! The
next act is positive assurance
that tempers are getting short
and the hour Of adjournment
is at hand.
We offer an example Of how
the gentle art of sarcasm can
be banded back and forth by
the champion of courtly debate,
the one and only Senator Jim
Ham" Lewis of Illinois and
that fast moving statesman
from the State of Utah, Senator
william H. King.
Senator King was explaining
a bill when Senator Lewis
undertook a series of inter
ruptions in the form of ques-
tions, one of which irked the
Utah member to such and eX
tent that he replied abruptly;
"The Senator's loquacity is
greater than his knowledge"
To which Senator Lewis re
piled in soft and dignified
tones:
"It may be that my louuacity
is greater than my knowledge
in this respect, but I cannot see
how my friend, who disclosed
no knowledge, should form such
an opinion"
And as if that was not rebuke
enough, Senator King tartly re-
torted:
"The Senator Is like a run
ning brook; he runs on for
ever" but carries but little
weight upon his ponderous
body"
Tsh, Tsh, very polite but also
very, very firm.
Recently the House Of Rep
yesentatives as a body recog-
nized the long and valued
services of one of the colored
employees of the Ways and
Means Committee and gave
Harry Parker a pension. Harry
will stay around to watch his
successor.
In the meantime, however.
there are some members of
the committee who think that
when all this praise is being
heaped upon Harry, the House
shouldn't lose sight of the 80
years of service given by Sam
Hardy, another of the en-
ployes. Sam is much younger
than Harry and has years Of
good service ahead of him
yet.
One of Sans most valuable
assets is his memory. It is re-
counted that on the spur of
the moment he can tell the
members when and how and
by whom such and such
bill was introduced and passed.
He finds copies of old, old
bills for them before they
have had more than enough
time to mention the d lmber.
He is quiet and selt-et4 Hcing
when at work and well liked.
One other characteristic has
been commented on. While he
is very unobtrusive on duty
come Sunday and he blossoms
out. Sam is an ardent church
goer and a pillar of his church
50 on Sundays he gets out
his full formal clothes, puts
on his spats and really takes
,,lace of honor in his own