Evening star., 1939-05-14
Capital SideIights
By VIII P. Kennedu

The Voice of the Gavel"-that was
title under which the late War Horse
Of democracy. Champ Clark of Missouri,
was writing when he died. He owned one
OF the finest collections Of historic gavels
ever assembled, and for several decades
he had listened to the voice of the CAV
ell as it reflected the temperament and
control of many presiding officers Men
prominent in public life are from time
to time presented with gavels-"Uncle
joe Cannon is another former Speaker
who had a large, interesting collection
Vice President Cactus Jack" Garner
has one of the largest in this present
cycle. They now number 100 During
the past week he received three new
ones. Senator George w. Norris. on be-
half Of the people of Nebraska pre-
sented him with beautiful walnut gavel
made from timber in the log cabin which
Daniel Freeman. a Union soldier built
on the first homestead filed on January
l. 1853 The homestead Office was spe-
clailv opened at midnight to allow Free
man to file as he had been ordered to
St. Louis for military duty Abraham
Lincoln signed that Homestead Act. 1t
was recalled that Mr. Garners home
State of Texas in its constitution estab-
hShed homestead law long before the
National Homestead Act. Another savel
sent to Mr.. Garner by Gov. Olson of
California lis a replica of the historic
Sun-klst gavel carved from the wood of
Callfornia's parent navel orange tree"
Santiago 1glesias, resident commissioner
from Puerto Rico, who learned the cabi-
netmaker's trade at the age of IL, pre-
sented the Vice President with an ornate
gavel from hardwoods grown on that
island.
Representative Edward T. Tavlor of
Colorado chairman of the House Appro-
priations Committee, who already has
40 gavels, was presented with a mallet
fashioned from significant" woods
grown In IS reclamation States of the
arid West in appreciation of his 30 years
of service for that area.
The historical collection of manu-
scripts, books, prints, paintings and mod
els which President Roosevelt is pre-
sentlng to the Nation, to be preserved in
special library on his Hyde Park estate.
includes $4,000 books, much material re-
latlng to American history, especially the
Navy, since ITS, including 81 ship mod
els of famous American naval vessels.
log books and letters.
Tributes from the Governors of all the
States and all the United States Sena-
tors to the spectacle of 10000 bows and
girls-members of school safety patrols.
coming from 20 States for their annual
parade here yesterday were brought to
the attention of Congress by Senator
Robert R. Reynolds of North Carolina.
himself vice president of the American
Automobile Association. which organized
these patrols. Senator Reynolds is ma
honally known as an outdoors enthusiast,
author OF travel Observation-Disclosures" and
Gypsy Trails" He pointed out that the
youth parade represented 275,OO0 young
sters who served on school patrols in
more than 5000 communities, who are
mot only engaged in an effort to safe
guard their schoolmates from the hazards
OF traffic, but also receiving fine training
in civic responsibility and BACKGROUND
OF training for citizenship"
The old members come back to Capitol
Hill-sometimes after many years-and
are welcomed. Former Representative
Thomas F. Konop of Wisconsin was de-
lighted this week when veteran members
and employees greeted him by name.
He had served six years, from 1911 to
1917. He also had treat in fraternizing
with two of his former pupils-Repre-
sentative Frank B. Keefe of Wisconsin
and Representative Robert A. Grant.
Indiana. Konop was student in the
old Oshkosh Normal School about 1900.
and as practice teacher in the training
school taught Keefe who was in one of
the grades. Later Konop became dean
of the law department of the University
Of Notre Dame when Grant was a student
there.