Evening star., 1941-08-17
Capital SideIights
By Will P. Kennedy.

Congress is preparing to present to the
people reproductions in color of the
Signing of the Constitution" by Harold
Chandler Christie, now on display in
the rotunda Of the Capitol, SO that it
may be seen in every post Office, court
room, library, college and school through
out the United States. Representative
U. S. Guyer of Kansas is author of q
resolution providing that 3000 900 copies
of this picture be made available for
distribution by members of Congress,
and Representative Sol Bloom Of New
York, director general of the o. S. Con-
stitution Sesquicentennial Commission,
is cooperating to the end that supply
of these pictures will be available for
purchase at Uncle Sans Bookshop,"
an adjunct of the Government Printing
ONCE. The Joint Committee on Print
ing is now getting bids and figuring what
the cost will be, before presenting the
measure to the House and Senate for
concurrent action. The first hand print
ed copies now are on display in the
Speakers lobby in the Capitol and in
the offices Of Representatives Guyer and
Bloom. The United States Congress had
Mr.. Christie make the painting. He
engaged in research and study for sew
eral years so that it is in every way his
torically correct 1t was painted in a
sail loft at the Washington Navy Yard
and eventually is to hang over the marble
stairway in the south end of the Capitol
The turbulent scene in the House last
Tuesday night, when by vote of 203
to 202 the extension of the Selective
climax to the birthday anniversary of
Representative James w. Wadsworth of
New York. 1t was Mr.. WadsworthIs Gath
birthday anniversary. He had been
chairman of the Senate Military At
fairs Committee during the World War
and put through President Wilson'S mil
itary program. He was the original ad-
vocate of compulsory military training
and has contended consistently for that
policy. 1t was largely due to his I'M
swerving support that the Selective Serv-
ice Act was passed, and then the extern
sion act. Mr. Wadsworth's father served
in the Civil War and was made brevet
major for gallant service at Five Forks
He was still serving in Congress when his
son was prominent in the State Assem-
bly,. The present Representative served
with battery of field artillery in the
Spanish-American War, in Puerto Rico.
One of the outstanding opponents of
the extension of the Selective Service
Act was Representative Dewey Short of
| Missouri Both Mr.. Wadsworth and Mr..
Short are Republicans and both are ef-
fective speakers. Mr. Short was or
dained q minister and Mr.. Wadsworth
has for years been an active farmer.
Immediately after his unsuccessful fight
MI Short appeared in the House wear
ing a conspicuously emblematic blue cos
tume-a symphony in harmonic blue,
rejecting his feelings, to which he calleo
attention.
The House on Friday. preparing for
months recess. elected one of its ablest
and bestowed mepbers Speaker Pro-
Tenn, on motion of House Leader
Mccormack. Speaker Rayburn in a
"cute" speech had asked his colleagues
to let him 60 home-"Im homesick, and
I want to 60 home" he said. So Rep
resentative Clifton A. Woodrum of Vir-
ginia was elected to serve as Speaker
during the recess. Mr.. Woodrum has
earned the new honor, for during the
present session he has been one Of the
hardest working members.
- 4
A noted former member Of the House,
James Adam Bede, of Duluth, MINI,
former teacher, Washington newspaper
correspondent, editor and publisher,
lecturer, author and wit is again advis-
Ing House members after an absence Of
81 years. While In the House he intro
duced legislation proposing to swap the
Philippines for Ireland and-lets raise
our own policemen" Now ut the age Of
IS. Mr.. Bede has prepared an authorita-
tive statement regarding the st.
Lawrence Seaway Project, pending In
Congress, which Representative william
A. Pittinger has inserted In the Record.