Evening star., 1941-05-11
Capital SideIights
By Will P. Kennedy.

The absorbing interest of Americans
ALL in national defense, tax and labor
legislation is shown daily in a small
Office in the Capitol just off Statuary
Hall, tucked away behind a circular
staircase. There sits Elmer Lewis, su-
perintendent of the House document
room, with ''photostatic memory and
card index mind backed by % years
of experience, consulted daily by men,
bers of Congress- officials in all depart
ments, bureaus and agencies of the
Government, the legal profession, busi-
ness executives and the general public
of the entire Western Hemisphere.
Elmer keeps track of more than $4,000
bills per Congress, and those who have
had experience with him consider it a
bad wager to get against his knowledge
of any measure presented to Congress.
Upward of l 10O0, 900 bills have been fled
under his supervision. He has such
remarkable memory that "he can give
you more information about any meas
ure than most any one on Capitol Hill"
as leaders frequently have remarked.
Members of Congress take visitors from
back home to meet Elmer as one of the
institutions and challenge them to ask
any question about legislation that he
cannot answer promptly. He keeps a
card index on all measures but merely
for permanent record and to confirm
his memory. He has been called by one
recent Speaker the unofficial secretary
on legislation"
1t is not only his ability to help locate
information wanted instantly and accu-
rately that has endeared Mr.. Lewis to
wide governmental. legal, professional
and business constituency, but his zeal
to be of service. To thousands who
have not met him personally his pleas
ant telephone voice is familiar. Not
only is he known as an information
authority to those in the Capital City,
but throughout the entire United States
He comes from Stoughton, Wis, and
retains his official residence there. A
student in the University of Wisconsin,
when the first World War started, he
quit to join the Navy, was attached to
the American mine fleet in the North
Sea and helped in the German blockade
In the document room he served his
apprenticeship under the late Joel
Grayson, whom both Speakers Uncle
joe Cannon and Champ Clark pointed
out as walking encyclopedia" He
was considered an indispensable man."
but he devoted several years to training
Elmer TO do this job better than any
one else ever did"
House Leader Mccormack calls at
tention to the action of the industrial
leaders and public officials of the New
England States here during the past
week in assuring the Federal adminis-
tration ana defense authorities that
New England is ready, able and willing
to back all-out production for defense"
The conferences here were sponsored
by the New England Council in co-opera-
ton with New England Chambers of
Commerce under the leadership of Ralph
E. Flanders, president of the council
and director of the Machine Tool Priori-
ties Committee of the o. P. M In addi-
ton to the important role of New Eng
land in the production phases of the
national defense program, those States
are also playing an important part in
the diplomatic service of the Nation dur
ing these perilous times, Senator H.
Styles Bridges of New Hampshire points
out. Among those handling delicate
international problems, he cited: John
G. Winant, former Governor of New
Hampshire, Ambassador to the Court of
st. James, the key diplomatic post of
the world; Joseph c. Grew, also of New
Hampshire, Ambassador to the second
most important diplomatic post, Toxic;
Jay Pierrepont Moffat, third New
Hampshireite as United States Minister
to Canada; Lincoln MacVeagh, New
Hampshire and New York, United States
Minister to Greece; William Phillips of
Massachusetts,, Ambassador to Italy;
Herbert Claiborne Tell, Rhode Island,
United States Minister to Hungary. The
New England mobilization here admon-
ished the New England congressional
delegation of 40 members to guard
against any and all interferences with
tho successful execution Of the defense
program"