Evening star., 1944-04-23
Capital Sidelights
BIZ VIII P. Kennedu.

One Senator and five House men,
bers who formerly were Morse telegra-
pliers are to have conspicuous part
in the ceremonies attending the un-
yelling Of two memorial tablets in
the Capitol on May "A, marking the
centennial Of telegraphic service. These
tablets now are being cast. A small
tablet is to be placed at the window
In the law library, originally the Senate
chamber, but occupied by the Supreme
Court at the time Samuel r. B. Morse
sent his famous message to Baltimore
what Hath God Wrought!"-over an
experimental line built with money ap-
propriated by Congress. A larger
tablet Is to be placed on the outside Of
the chamber where it can be pointed
out to tourists by the Capitol guides
without disturbing those engaged in
legal research.
A joint committee of 10 members of
the Senate and House, headed by Sena-
tor Wheeler, with Representatives Bull
winkle Of North Carolina as executive
vice chairman, has prepared q pro-
gram and is heading up Nationwide
and international observance of the
centennial. This will emphasize the
patronage Of Congress, in exercising
one Of. its 18 powers" enumerated in
the COnstitution-'To promote the
progress Of science and useful arts"
which the Supreme Court has sus-
tanned in eight notable decisions. It
also will emphasize that Prof. Morse
was the first man to harness elec-
tricity to the service of man, and that
out Of his successful demonstration
over the line Congress built science
has developed many Of the devices and
conveniences which today constitute
"the American way Of nfe," as well as
much Of the technical equipment SO
essential to our fighting forces to win
the war.
Senator Edwin G. johnson of Colo
RADIO, who was raised on q cattle ranch
In Western Nebraska and home
steaded in Northwestern Colorado, and
who served four years in the State
Legislature and two terms as Governor
before coming to the Senate in 1886,
had several very busy years as Western
Union and radio telegrapher and train
dispatcher for the st. Louis, Burlington,
Union Pacific and Colorado Midland
Railroads. Today he likes to recall
those days when he went out on the
prairie on 0. S. jobs, worked IL hours
a day, 7 days a week, land the pay was
not big" He worked for the Western
Union at Lincoln, Nebr. He also worked
with bill" Jeffers, the Governments
emergency key man on rubber, when
he was working his way up from office
boy, telegrapher, chief dispatcher, etc.,
to president of the Union Pacific Rail-
road Q890-193D.
The granddaddy of all the congress
sional telegraphers, however, is Repre-
sentative Joseph Jefferson Mansfield of
Texas, chairman of the Rivers and Har-
bors Committee. rounding out % years
OF consecutive service in the House He
has held public office for 56 years. When
he was 81 to % years old-from 1882 to
1884-Mr. Mansfield was railway clerk
on the Galveston, Houston g. San An
tonic road, now part of the Southern
Pacific system, using the Morse code.
He recalls that one of the trick" words
to send was Cicero" because it is all
dots and spaces.
Another veteran is Representative
Compton I. White of Idaho, who at the
age of l3 pioneered with his father at
Clark Fork, where his father was sta
ton agent. The boy entered the rail-
way service as telegraph operator more
than so years ago and became trainman
and conductor.
Representative Karl Stefan of Ne
braska learned telegraphy at the age
of 10 from Mike Finnan, station agent
for the Burlington Railroad at Gibson,
on the banks of the Missouri River near
Omaha who caught him playing
hockey" from school to 60 swimming
and insisted that he should learn
something useful" Mr.. Stefan worked
as telegrapher for the Western Union
Co. at Omaha, on all commercial lines,
including Associated Press and United
Press. He was telegraph operator in
the Philippine Constabulary during the
insurrection and early learned radio
telegraphy. During the World War he
taught the Morse and Continental