Evening star., 1939-04-30
Capital SideIights
By viii p. Kennedu

Garry on" is good old congressional
slogan-it's tradition. Veteran en-
ployes keep the legislative machinery in
good working order, no matter how the
vicissitudes Of partisan politics may
eventuate, and when party leaders are
i'll or absent for other causes there are
invariably able men ready to substitute
A timely illustration is found in hear
ings before the Foreign Affairs CcSmit-
tee. 1t is difficult task to pinch HI for
the greatly beloved, able and courteous
chairman, Sam D. McReynolds, especial
ly with such an important subject as
neutrality coming up for extensive hear
ings. But Representative s& Bloom, the
Houses special Snowman an6 director of
anniversary celebrations, came to bat
and has made hit. Representative of
the State Department have been espe-
cially commendatory of the way in which
he has been taking charge of the hear
ings But this is an old custom of sue
cessive chairmen of that committee
Veteran members recall how Representa-
tives Hal D. Flood and j. Charles Lin
thicum, Stephen G. Porter and John j.
Rogers did similar service Three times
in the past 18 years the House has elected
temporary Speaker to serve during the
illness or brief absence of the Speaker
Representative Joseph Walsh of Massa-
chusetts serving two days for Speaker
Gillett, Representative Henry T. Rainey
serving 10 days for Speaker Garner and
Lindsay c. Warren serving eight days in
the absence Of Speaker Bankhead. Dur
ing most of the year 1885, when Mr..
Bankhead, the majority leader, was recu-
perating from a serious illness, Repre-
sentative Edward T. Taylor of Colorado,
then chairman of the Democratic caucus,
was acting leader And while Mr.. Tay-
lor, now chairman of the Appropriations
Committee, was absent for many months
on account Of illness, Representatives
Clarence Cannon and Clifton A. Wood
rum carried on" for him. Similarly, at
the opening of the present Congress.
when Marcellus c. Shield, veteran clerk
OF the Appropriations Committee, was
sick for the first time in 80 years, with
hearings starting on the important sup
ply bills, John c. Pugh, with the whole
hearted cooperation of the other COM
mlttee clerks, did the work in a thor
oughly satisfactory manner. There have
been many other instances during the
experience OF those still on duty on Capt.
tol Hill.
Congress is going to have a garden
party all this week. Representative
Louis Rabaut, chairman of the subcom-
mittee which makes appropriations, and
William A. Frederick, landscape archi-
tect Of the Capitol Grounds and acting
director OF the Botanic Garden, are in
viting all members Of the House and SEN
ate to look over their own front yard
and back yard. They are urging them to
take walk through the Capitol Grounds
and through the house and garden park
around the famous Bartholdi Fountain.
The Capitol Grounds are far from being
forest, but there are 1,7O0 highly orna-
mental trees and countless bushes. Fac
ing Union Station, there are now in
bloom red and pink dogwood and white
azaleas. Other blooms on the Capitol
Grounds are several varieties of spirea.
bush honeysuckle, 20 varieties of azaleas,
Iris and tulips. The spring flower show
IN the Botanic Garden Conservatory is
about over, although there are hybrid
rhododendrons, darwin tulips, calceolaris
ana other blooms still on display. There
have been $4,000 visitors in the past
three months. Among the flowers that
make the outdoor garden fragrant and
fascinating are about 81, 1000 pansy plants
scores of azaleas, $4,000 tulips. wister,a
In both lavender and white, ground
phlox, 10 varieties Of botanical tulips
with an orchidlike bloom, Chinese and
Persian lilac as well as the more COM
mon variety, seven types of bleeding
heart, sedum, primrose, candy tuft, sweet
alyssum. yucca, spirea, syringa, iris-and
others.
Congress is again considering the re-
moval OF the statue of John Marshall
from its present site on the terrace at
the west front of the Capitol to a new
site either on the grounds Of the Supreme
Court Building or on the Capitol
Grounds on the east front between the
Capitol and the Supreme Court Building.
The selection Of the site would be left
to the Supreme Court Building Commits
sion.