Evening star., 1941-02-09
Capital SideIiehts
By Will P. Kennedy.

Michael J. Bunke. in charge of the
telephones in the Republican cloakroom
at the Capitol, has been % years in the
service of Congress-and has encoura ged
and guided scores of young men from
every State in the Union to make the
most Of their opportunities. develop their
talents and grow into good citizens.
Some Of his protegeS now are occupying
important Federal positions. He first
came in with Representative Fred Brit
ten of Illinois. Then when the Repub-
ICans wen control il 1919. Senator
Medill Mccormick had him appointed
secretary Of the Senate. He returned to
the House IN 1923 when the chief clerks
Office was reorgenized and became as
slstant property custodian. Then wien
M. Brit,en became chairman of the
Ncval Affairs Committee he made Mr..
Burke CLERK Of the committee and he
continued 70. time as clerk under
Chairman Vinson. In 1882, when Ber-
tran1 H. SreE of New York was RepubN-
can leader. Mr. Bunlze was given his
present job. Few employees Of Congress
in the past quarter Of century have
made es many friends among the mem
bership. One of his youthful disciples
is Brent Hughes, who was given posi-
ton as phone page by Representative
Joseph r. Bryson Of South Carolina.
He has ENCOURAGED this young man to
Hpyp1OI0 1otpr ta11,0f CT lN,-o
tending the Corcoran Gallery School of
Art This young man has Just COM
pleted a life-sized portrait pen and ink
drawing of President Roosevelt which
he has presented to his chief" the vet
eran doorkeeper of the House. Joseph J.
Sinnott. who also has for many years
been big brother and mentor to am
bilious young men. Scarcely anywhere
else in the country is such a spirit of
encoura cement to youth demonstrated as
among the Older eronloyes of Congress.
-
Representative Clarence Cannon of
Illinois, former House parliamentarian
has Just contributed few pages Of party
history to the Confessional Record. He
submits partial list of caucus chairmen
of both parties and the roll of members
of the two Steering Committees since
their organization. He emphasizes that
the caucus has been co-eXistent with
the Congress from its first session. that
political parties had their origin in the
caucus; congressional committees were
made up in the caucuses as early as 1897.
He notices that in 1900 President Jeffer-
son was informed that only five more
votes were needed in the caucus to bring
about declaration of war against
France. Yet, he points out. no Journals
of these history-making conferences prior
to the Sixty-second Congress have been
found No data have been disclosed for
any session prior to the Thirty-first Con-
greSS. He himself has deposited with the
Library of Congress the caucus journals
from the Sixty-first Congress from his
own personal files
X %*
Former Representative George P. Dar-
row of Pennsylvania celebrated his 82d
birthday last Tuesday and was heart
ened by remembrances and an embossed
scroll signed by scores of his former
colleagues and by the entire Pennsyl-
vania delegation, wishing him Many
Happy Returns" Mr. Darrow also was
remembered by the minority employees. of
whom he was until recently, eldest
brother" William Tyler Page, Frank w.
Collier. James P Griffin, M L. Meletio
and William F Russell, who succeeded to
the job formerly held by Mr.. Darrow
after his retirement from the House
In these days of preparation for ma
tional defense and of stimulated produc-
tion of essential war equipment, Repre-
sentative Foster Stearns of New Hamp-
shire Is boaSting to his colleagues that
Dartmouth College. in his home State,
has established an extra-curricular STU
dent workship, offering career in skilled
trades believing that one of the great
est weaknesses of present home, prepar-
atory and college education is that boys
have no chance to work with their hands
rs did their ancestors who preceded the
machine age"