Evening star., 1944-06-04
Capital Sidelights
By Will P. Kennedy.

Capital Sidelights
By Will P. Kennedy.
The State of Wisconsin was honored
when the latest battleship recently was
commissioned-the U. s. S. Wisconsin.
In observance OF that event Representa-
tive william H. Stevenson is sponsoring
the dedication of march for military
bands titled "U. S. s. Wisconsin" writ
ten by Henry G. Stephen, United States
Marine Band, retired, native of Rep
resentative Stevenson's home town, La
Crosse, Wis. The dedication will be by
radio at noon next Friday, when the
Navy Band, 1t Charles Brendler,
leader, will give the premier perform
ance Of the march.
On Memorial Day, as for the past
seven years. Representative Margaret G.
Smith of Maine placed vases Of peonies
on the statues Of Names two contribu-
tions to the "Hall Of Fame" in the Cap
itol-Hannibal HamNn and william
King. Mrs. Smith started this custom
when she first came to the Capitol as
secretary to her late husband and has
continued it since she succeeded to his
seat in the House. Hamlin worked his
way up from compositor in printing
plant to Speaker in the State Legisla-
ture, then to the National House and
United States Senate as Democrat.
He left the party in 1856, was elected
Governor, then came back to the United
States Senate; was Vice President with
Lincoln In 1861, next collector Of the
port of Boston, returned once more to
the Senate and finally was Minister to
Spain. King was the nrst Governor Of
Maine and successful banker and
businessman. ~
Mrs. Smith, 1t also should be ex-
planned, r was an outstanding business
executive before coming to Congress.
She taught school, served successfully
the Maine Telephone & Telegraph Co.,
a newspaper, woolen company and q
Masterpieces company; was State IL
brarian, is past president Of the Maine
Federation of Business and Professional
Women's Clubs and member of the
Republican State Committee. She
boasts that her small home town of
about 5000 population, Skowhegan, has
had six Representatives In Congress
since the State was admitted to the
Union, March Is, 1920. The first was
Stephen Coburn, elected to fill the va
cancy caused by the resignation Of
Israel Washburn. jr., one of four
brothers who served from as many
States. Coburn took his seat in the
Sixteenth Congress January 2, 1861.
IL X
One of the best privately owned COL
Jections of original Currier g. Ives
hand-colored prints has been accumu-
lated during the past three years by w.
N. Mcleod, jr., private secretary to
South Trimble, the veteran clerk Of the
House. This collection is important for
five special reasons: Because of its size.
containing about $50 Of the 5000 extant
prints; because of the excellent state of
preservation Of the prints; because Of
the wide variety of subjects included;
because practically all OF the prints are
colored-all but the political cartoons,
none of which were ever colored: and
because 1t includes large number of
what are considered as the best" coll
lectors' prints. Many Members of Con-
greSs have been collectors of Currier
g. Ives originals. The late Speaker
Henry T. Rainey had one of the out
standing collections at his home in Car
rolton, ILL., Representative J. Hamilton
Fish of New York also has an excellent
collection confined to West Point and
the upper Hudson River Recently, Mr.
Mcleod acquired one of the most priced
items, the richly colored 'Husking" the
only work of the famous painter East
man johnson that Currier e. Ives pro-
duced, and considered by experts to be
an exceptional item Mr. Mcleod is from
South Carolina, and his wife is from
Virginia. Of Maine stock. Together they
have driven all over New England to
find some of their very best prints. The
Mcleod collection includes II of the
historical prints, such as Landing of
the Pilgrims at Plymouth" and THE
Birthplace of Washington" at Bridges
Creek, Westmoreland County, Va. This
latter print served as a model for the
facsimile reconstruction of the old
home, at Wakefield, some years ago.