Evening star., 1942-10-18
Capital SideIights
By Will P. Kennedy.

The outstanding Blue Lodge and Scot
tish Rite Mason in Congress-Represen-
tative Allen T. TreadWay of Massachu-
sets, ranking minority Member on the
Ways and Means Committee-is to be
honored by his colleagues next Wednes-
day when he completes so years in
Masonry. Yesterday the Occidental
Lodge of Stockbridge, Mass, presented
him with veterans medal at banquet
in his honor, attended by State digni-
taries. He is member of the Charity
and Education Committee of the Grand
Lodge of Massachusetts,. He is past
master of his lodge, past district deputy
and past junior grand warden of the
Grand Lodge. He is the only active 33d
degree Mason in Congress, and the ma
tional membership of that degree is
limited to IS. There are something over
300 Masons in Congress including
Speaker Rayburn: Senator Connally,
who was grand chancellor of the Texas
knights of Pythias and has the 33d
degree; Representative Otter, chairman
Of the Republican Congressional Com
mittee; more than half the members of
the Ways and Means Committee: chair
men of many important committees
Representatives Doughton, Ways and
Means; SABBATH, Rules; Ramspeck, Civil
Service; Mansfield, Rivers and Harbors:
Lanham. Public Buildings and Grounds;
Bloom, Foreign Affairs; Jarman, Print
Ing, and Dickstein, immigration and
Naturalization Other prominent Masons
are: Representatives Taber, ranking
minority member on Appropriations
Walcott, ranking minority member on
Banking and Currency: Scrugham, for
mer Governor OF Nevada who in the
coming Congress will move over from
the House to the Senate: Plumlev.
Dirksen, Tinkham, Harter and Fish.
Two legislative veterans, each having
valuable specialized knowledge and ex-
perience in particular field, did not
choose to run" again-Representativ
Frank Crowther, Republican, of New
York, member of the Ways and Means
Committee, with "a years of continuous
service, and Representative George
Holden Tinkham, Republican of Massa-
chusetts member of the Foreign Affairs
Committee, with % years of continuous
service. Mr.. Crowther is nationally
known as tax expert. Born in Liver
pool, England, u years ago, he was in
his youth designer of fabrics, carpets
and rugs for seven years; then graduated
from Harvard dental school and prac-
tlced dentistry in Boston, Mass, Perth
Amboy, N. j., and Schenectady, N. Y.
He served in the New Jersey House of
Assembly and was president of the Com
mon Council in Schenectady. Repre-
sentative Tinkham traces back to Nav
flower ancestry. He had experience in
both branches of the Boston city govern
ment and in the State Senate. He is a
world traveller and big game hunter.
When the United States declared war
against Austria, he was the first Ameri-
can to fire a shot against the Austrians
in battle, December II, 1917. The King
OF Italy conferred the rank of chevalier
upon him which he did not accept be-
cause OF the prohibition in the Constitu-
ton against accepting such distinction
without the consent of Congress. The
letters patent and insignia of the title
are IN the custody Of the State Depart
men. His biggest battle in Congress was
against Bishop Cannon. Mr.. Tinkham
has an important museum of his trophies
He is one of the most picturesque men
in Congress.
X X
The value of the longtime policy of
the House in ignoring the PATRONAGE
system in making appointments to the
more important clerkships and instead
building them into career positions has
just been emphasized A former chief
tally clerk, William H. Hickson, had to
be called back from his present post with
the immigration and Naturalization
Service in Philadelphia to train a pair
OF very able and efficient clerks as tally
clerks. Each individual vote on every
roll call has to be checked and rechecked
and cross-indexed so that the official
record IN the House Journal may be
correct, and then worked over into in
dividual records for each member chron-.
1cling his vote on every roll call through
out all OF his years in Congress. Hans
j. Jurgensen, the present tally clerk, is
seriously i'll in Garfield Hospital The
assistant tally clerk, John Smith, has left
to accept commission in the Navy.
Substitute Reading Clerk William Swan
son had to be pressed into service tenn
porarily as tally clerk, but he was not
familiar with the involved work. House
leaders were fortunate In being able to
Al IA