Evening star., 1945-01-21
Capital Sidelights
BIZ VIII 2. Kennedu.

By VIII P. Kennedy.
While the Senate in this Seventy
ninth Congress lost its only woman
member, the Capitol press galleries for
the first time in the 68 years of self
government elected to the managing
Standing Committee of Correspondents
Mrs. May Elizabeth Craig, representa-
tive of the Portland tMeD Press Herald
since 1927 in succession to her husband,
the late Donald Craig, who had been
a member of the galleries since 1911.
Her son, Donald, jr, also was member
for several years before entering the
armed service, where he has been
promoted to the rank of captain.
Mrs. Craig won election by a single
vote over veteran and highly esteemed
correspondent, Ralph Smith of the At
lanta Journal. The night of her elec-
ton James D. Preston, veteran former
superintendent of the Senate gallery,
who will soon celebrate so years Of serv-
ice, including four years as Senate
librarian, six as assistant archivist and
now an assistant to the secretary of
the Senate, had dream. He visioned
a corpulent and impressive figure walk
ing through the gallery with bowed head
which he was shaking disconsolately.
He identified this specter as the late
Capt Edmund w. Brady, who at each
meeting of the gallery for many years
introduced resolution prohibiting the
name of any woman being listed in the
Congressional Directory as member
of the press gallery. Capt. Brady was
a member of the gallery from 1891 until
1908. He represented the Baltimore
News, Springfield Union, Oklahoman
and Scranton (Pa) Truth. His Office
was at sol Fourteenth street.
But women had been listed in the
press gallery long before Capt. Brady
himself. In the directory compiled by
the famous Ben: Perley Poor, CLERK
of printing records" himself listed as
correspondent for the Boston Post, in
the Forty-first Congress, in 1869 (when
Schuyler Colfax of Indiana was Vice
President; Henry B. Anthony of Rhode
Island, President Pro-tempore, and
George G. Gorham Of California, secre-
tary of the Senate; James G. Blaine Of
Maine, Speaker, and Edward McPher-
son of Pennsylvania, clerk of the House,
there were four women holding ere
dentials for the press galleries: Mrs.
Emily Edison ("Olivia") Briggs, Phila-
delphia Press; Mrs. Sarah Jane Lip
pincott, New York Tribune; Maria A.
Stetson, Topeka State Record, and Miss
Snead, New York World. In the Forty
second Congress, 1871, Mrs. Mary Glenn
mer Ames also was listed, representing
the New York Independent. Another
distinguished woman Washington cor
respondent of those early days, who held
a press gallery card signed by Speaker
James G. Blaine, was Mrs. Martha D.
Lincoln. Mrs. Harriet Prescott Spafford
was a contemporary.
From 1866 to 1859 Miss Mary Clemmer
did regular correspondence from WASH
ington for the New York Independent.
In 1869 she engaged for three years work
on the Brooklyn Daily Union and for
the third year received a salary of
5000, the largest salary ever paid to
newspaperwoman up to that time. She
married Edmund Hudson, a prominent
newspaperman, on June 10, 1883.
Mrs. Lincoln was only about 4 feet
inches tall and her husband, Dr.. H. M.
Lincoln, was s feet 2 inches. She
weighed scarcely 50 pounds. She wrote
under the pen name Of Bessie Beach"
and was correspondent of the old Daily
Chronicle and other papers In jan
uary, 1878, she covered for the New
York Times President Hayes silver we'd
ding anniversary and on June 20, 1878,
covered the Hastings -Platt wedding In
the White House for the New York
Tribune. She also wrote for the New
York Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer and
other important papers. With two sister
correspondents she organized the Wom-
ems National Press Association, the first
chartered women's press association in
the world Her grandson, Harold 8. Lin
coin, in charge Of the Capitol branch OF
the Library Of Congress. has the gavel
she used when presiding over that first
women's press club. He also has the
original copy of song she wrote, dated
1882, which John Philip Sousa set to
music, "Star of Light" dedicated to
ELLEN in Heaven"-E Herndon, au-
thor, wife of the late president. Mrs.
Lincoln attended international peace
conferences at Rome and Berne. She
was president Of the American Society Of
Authors and was close friend Of DR..
Belva Lockwood, the only woman ever
nominated for President, q candidate
Of the Equal Rights party. 1884 and
1888.