Evening star., 1938-06-12
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.


Every once in a while there is an out
standing case of Damon and Pythias
among men in Congress or other high
positions in the Government. For ex-
ample, there was the boon companion
ship of the late Senator Ollie James of
Kentucky and Senator Tom Hef1in of
Alabama. Also for many years the late
Speaker and Senator Frederick H. Gill
lett of Massachusetts, and the late Sec
retary of the Navy in Theodore Roose-
velts cabinet. William H. Moody, were
for years inseparable.
Today we have two modestly retiring
gentlemen-one, William Hassett,
White House secretary, and the other,
Representative Ira w. Drew, who is
also doctor-who have been the closest
of friends since boyhood and who today
find the greatest relaxation in each
others company. They make spiritual
retreats together and find soul-expan-
sion and new zest for living through
communion Of spirit, chatting about the
better" and generally the humber
things in life. When they sit down for
a chat they do not discuss the affairs
of state international ENVIRONMENTS, the
weighty subjects of politics or party
expediency. They swap "reminiscences
Of their experiences as newspaper men,
their boyish escapades and the Jams"
they got into-for they were not always
the meek and staid gentlemen they are
today.
BILL" and IRA" got their first jobs
81 years ago last March on the old
Burlington (Vt) Free Press. And you
can take it from one who worked for
years with both of them that they were
exceptionally good newspaper men. They
celebrated their first job this year by
making a trip together to Tangier
Island. Entirely Unexpectedly they were
called to speak from the pulpit in the
Methodist Church. 1t was the first time
either of them had heard the other make
a speech. Each testifles that the other
did a good job-anyhow, the congrega-
ton was so proud to have Presidents
secretary and Congressman with them
that they made the day forever men,
orable for "Bill'' and Ira"
Over a recent week end DIR. Drew
slipped away from his legislative duties
to make a periodic pilgrimage to his
birthplace on q farm in Hardwick, VT.
He was copy reader on the Boston
Herald and had just been offered the
managing editorship of an Anaconda
paper when he quit the newspaper pro-
fession in 1908 to study osteopathy. At
the medical school he met the lady who
became his wife and they have practiced
together since-having their own hos
pital and children's clinic. They have
two sons who are following in their
parents professional footsteps. bill"
came many long miles to be at "Iras"
wedding.
"Bill' himself never married. He has
travelled all over the world and has had
many important journalistic missions.
He was for long time star man in
the Washington Office of the Associated
Press and covered" the White House
many years before he was given an
Office there. "Bill" and IRA" have been
separated by continents and by decades
or more, but whersthey meet they always
start in again right where they left off.
They will both tell you that it is such
friendship that compensates for all
the buffeting life brings.
X X
While opposing the Thomas Jefferson
Memorial appropriation in the House
on Wednesday, Representative Maury
Maverick of Texas told his colleagues
how close his kin had been In life to
Jefferson. When Jefferson went to
school at Shadwell, Va, not far from
Monticello, his teacher was the Rev.
James Maury, famous for his part in
the historic ''two-penny case" of Patrick
Henry. Referring to this OLD teacher
of his in his autobiography, jefferson
wrote that classical scholar" He was
Representative Maury Mavericks great
great-grandfather. His great-grand-
father, Reuben Maury, furnished food
supplies and some slave labor to build
the University of Virginia. His grand
father, Jesse Lewis Maury, named for
his cousin who headed the Lewis and
Clark expedition, personally knew Mad
ison, Monroe and Jefferson. When those
three great statesmen had what they
called their Presidents Club" on Vine
gar Hill, near Charlottesville, Va, this
grandfather of the turbulent Congress-
man from Texas, who styles himself
maverick in politics." claimed the right
to join them because he was president
Of the Albemarle Possum Club. Nav
erick's mother was born there and his
father attended the University Of vir-
ginia. 5~