The Wilmington morning star., 1947-12-22
AS Pegler Sees It
By WESTBROOK PEGLER


new House office buildings to the House Of
Representatives in the Capitol is about 4
half mile. There is no transportation exce0t
by taxi, which is futile for several reasons.
Even the nearest offices are more than
quarter of mile away. The congressman
and their office help almost always walk.
Their errands are frequent. A member may
have to W. three round trips day, either
overland, through the park, or by tunnel
The Senate office building also is con-
nected with the Capitol by tunnel. For some
obscure reason, while the senators have a
set of electric trolleys like old-time Broad
way summer 'inkeys, there are no ehicles
in the subway to the congressmen's offices.
1t would cost little and it would save time
and energy, but still there is no olley-line.
Even factory scooters would be fine, but,
nevertheless, the congressman and their
help walk. Most of the members are dis
tinctly younger and more active than most
senator's but have thought, while wearily
ploddin. the monotOnous route, that 1t would
be in the public interest that they take their
exercise on their own time and use their
energy on their work. 1t is punishal- z trip
through long corridors on marble and con-
crete floors and by the end of busy day,
statesman or journalist C clerk is pain
fully weary. 1t hurts.
More and more lately I have b. N con-
scious of the representative character of
the represe. ..tatives. The young men in their
thirties have the look of ambitiouc, fairly
successful active young Americans as they
are seen in all our cities and to- rs. OF the
elder John Rankin, of Mississippi, ridiculed
ID held up hatred by hundred iser-
able ideologians from the Red Bic, ,,h of New
York, is nev -rtheless true representative
of his district and of the emotions and prin-
ciples of most of the people of the state. Vito
Marcantonio, of New York, 1airly presents
the communists in his district and the Euro
pean prejudices and temperamental pecu-
liarities OF man. of the inhabitants, COM
munists or not. Rankin is ferociously mer
lean, as the people of Mississippi showed
they were when the white boys enlisted as
volunteers in far greater proportion than the
youth of New York districts VIII IN had been
bowling for Hitlers blood for years. Now
came the showdown and the southern boys
flocked to the colors. In New York many
of the draft clientele were asking de-
ferment lest their aged fathers, so years old,
be destitute. Psychiatrists were VIII; ing up
the term anxiety neuroSis" as a euphemism
fer fear to excuse towards. In the lower
House, the southern and western members
are calm when metropolitan members fre n
the east bewail indifference to the plight of
hundred European localities and ons
They are more American by far They are
just American.
The physical problem of housing the legis-
lature got out of hand long ago. The situa-
ton is now an inefficient mess. Actually, the
old CAPITOL pretty as its dome is in the flood
lights and an easy symbol for cartoonists.
ought to be knocked down or preserved Only
as a monument.
In Baton Rouge, more than IS years ago,
Huey Long went straight up in the air with
his state Capitol There was plenty of room
for spread, but magnificent distances, sem
timental boast of Washington, are waste
and a liability, Our national Capitol has
many roomy hooks tucked away in pockets
of its architecture, but t.ley are largely
wasted on the personal comfort and vanity
of men who, by se4-iority and the turns Of
politics, qualify for these few special .uar
ters. The Senate office building and the two
House office buildings are three stories high
and beautiful examples of clumsy design
and stupid waste. They should have been
combined with the Senate and House cham
bers and committee rooms and many of the
now scattered reference rooms all under one
high roof.
The old House office building was finish
ed in 1906. Before it was C. ned the mem
bers did their business in the committee
rooms under the big dome and kept their
papers in their living quarters in hotels or
rooming houses. Most of them lived on or
near the Hill in the region of the Capitol.
The sessions were short and the pay OF $4,000
or $4,000, and about $1,000 year for cleri-
cal work, was very good for part-time
job. 1t was good living. A dollar day was
mighty good pay in the campaign slogan OF
day when soup bone cost nickel and a
quart of Ink or loaf of bread the same.
A congressman's pay or roughly $100 week
was aristocratic then and the more 50 mas
much as he worked only few weeks each
session. Now he gets $4,000 and still keeps
home or fictitious home back in his dis
| trict, and the job runs roughly around the
calendar. The Metl It building, which for
long time housed the late Wayne B.
Wheeler's political power. -ouse during pro-
hibition, still is home for some of the
modest or unpretentious members. There are
two or three similar apartments on the Hill,
but many of the members of tn houses are
scattered all over the city. So are the great,
dumb, bureaus in enormously wasteful tombs
with soiled walls.
In the old House office building each
member had one room, usually with glass
partitioned sanctum for the member himself
a:d his conferences. The new building was
opened in the thirties. Now each member
has two roo S., but still nothing has been
done about rubbing out blocks OF uSeless old
hutches near the capitol and running up
reasonably decent living quarters for the
members.
The British MPs have no such burdens Of
study, correspondence, investigation and
legislation. No other free parliament IN the
world is comparable in size and responsible
ty.
! Reducing often becomes necessary when
the line of least resistance is the waist
line.
Baby sitting covers youngsters up to
three and four wears o1d-and we've seen
II some who really ought to be sat on.
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