Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-08-21
Capital Sidelights
By WILL p. KENNEDY.

Oil WHICH 10 SIceT LnclT course lOr LQc
future, studious members Of Congress
have habit of turning back the pages of
history. The recent celebration OF the
Swedish American Tercentenary prompt
ed much research by Congressman and
resulted in a better appreciation of how
much many widely separated States owe
to sterling characteristics of colonists
from Sweden. Representative Edward
c. Echer Of Iowa. who is packing up the
memorabilia Of his service in the House
to which he has decided not to seek re-
election after having won denomination,
Is leaving a record of several notable
speeches-one of which reviews the COM
ing of the Swedes to our shore. On
March is, 300 years ago. two little YES
sells from Sweden brought colonists to
establish settlement on the Delaware
River. They landed on the site of the
present City Of Wilmington and pur-
chased from five Indian chiefs land
which included all of the present State
OF Delaware and part of the State of
Pennsylvania. Title was taken in the
name Of the Swedish government. Later,
these same Indian chiefs sold more land
to the Swedes. so that eventually what
may be called New Sweden on the
Delaware" comprised all OF Delaware and
parts Of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and
Maryland
AS result of his intensive research
and comprehensive study Representative
Eicher says: The contribution that
Swedish culture. literature industry and
craftsmanship have made to the adj
vancement of civilization of the Western
Hemisphere is tremendous and all of US
who are vitality concerned in the future
welfare of our country can prof1tably
pause and draw from those who came to
carve home out of what was then an
aboriginal wilderness lessons that may
be of incalculable value for the future.
He emphasizes that the Swedes elected
the first judges, built the first schools,
held the first law courts, laid out the
first roads, constructed the first mills and
built the first churches. Three of their
descendants signed the Declaration Of
Independence, and one of them, John
Morton, cast the deciding vote"
Some House MEMBERSHIPS than 20 of
them are in town-in discussing automo-
bile traffic and parking problems in
washington, seriously considered the
proposed installation Of parking meters.
A couple OF them admitted that they had
made some study of this device and its
operation in other cities. They said that
there are now so cities that are using
parking meters-cities from 1900 to 400
600 population. Probably the one near.
est to tine Capital that has given the
parking meter the longest test Is Cum
berland, Md. The standard parking fee
where meters are in use Is S cents, usu-
ally for one hour, although in some cities
the limit is half hour in congested
areas. Nine cities installed meters in
1887 and several more this year. In Rep
resentative Patrick j. Bolands home city
OF Scranton. Pa, one of the latest to
put the meter to work, every second
meter is free for the first five minutes.
Mrs. Nan Wood Honeymans home city
Of Portland, Greg, is the largest city to
install meters this year. The home CITY
Of Representative Charles Jasper Bell.
Kansas City, Mo-, seems to be the largest
city employing the parking meters. Rep
resentatives Will Rogers and Conner
Smith of Oklahoma City. Okla, boast
that their home town was the first to
install parking meters, in July, 1885.
Proud Of his membership on the most
important" House committee (ways and
means, Representative Frank H. Buck
of California emphasizes that 1.-THE
founders Of our Government in writing
the Constitution provided that al! legis-
lation with respect to revenue must orig
mate in what Is known as the populer
branches Of Congress-the House of
Representatives" whose members 70 be-
fore the electorate for approval every
two years. The House established q
select Committee on Ways and Means
on June ~, 1859, and on January 7,
1902, It became standing committee.
Originally the Jurisdiction Of this
committee" he points out, included
both revenue and appropriation bills, as
well as general oversight Of the bonded
debt of the United States In 1865 1t
was realized that the business of the
committee had become too large, and
appropriation bills were thereafter re-
ferred to a newly organized Committee
on Appropriations, and the banking and
currency bills to newly organized COM
mittee on those subjects" Through the
course Of years, from this committee
service have come Governors of, States,
Speakers Of the House, justices of the
Supreme Court, Vice Presidents and
Presidents. From Representative Bucks
own district came Justice McKenna, who
served on the Ways and Means Com
raittes before his elevation to the eu.
preme Court.