Evening star., 1948-04-04

.O1 the senate, VINO Is Tie oSIdpllS1
of Hamilton, likes nothing better
than a good biography, but he is SO
taken up with statements from the
State Department and other docu-
ments on foreign relations that he
scarcely gets time for even a little
Sabatini now and then. 1t is the
same with the Republican leader on
domestic issues, Senator Taft OF
Ohio, who also likes biography but
doesn't even have chance to read
an occasional mystery by one of the
so-called classical authors like Doro-
thy Sayers, H. C. Bailey, Margery
Allingham and Anthony Berkeley.
Their Wives Help.
Some hard-pressed legislators en-
list their wives aid in the almost
hopeless task of keeping up with
the current books. Senator Fergu-
son, Republican, of Michigan and
Mrs. Ferguson read aloud to one
another, each taking an alternate
chapter. She likes fiction. He likes
history. They read history and are
at present midway in Arnold j
Toynbee's "A Study of History, y
which the famed investigator finds
intensive"
Agnes Burke Hale, author-wife
of Representative Hale, Republican,
of Maine, serves as first reader for
her husband and directs him to any
thing she considers worthwhile. She
enjoys books about Ireland and cur
rently has him reading Life and the
Dream" the memoirs of the Irish
critic Mary Colum. He also has
James F. Byrnes' Speaking Frank
ly," a great congressional favorite,
going and Osbert Stillwell's Great
Morning" waiting.
Constant Readers.
Representative Kennedy, Demo-
crat, of Massachusetts,, who is un-
married, is a constant reader who
has two or three books going at a
time. The youthful Congressman
shares his older colleagues prefer
ence for biography, names John
Buchans Pilgrims Way" as his fa-
vorite book and is occupied at the
moment with Sandburg's Lincoln:
The War Years" and Winston
Churchilrs biography of Marlbor-
ough, which he says is terrific He
likes little Wodehouse on the side.
Senator Hoey, Democrat, of North
Carolina, who prides himself on be-
ing the Senate's most omnivorous
reader of newspapers (he reads all
the Washington dailies, the New
York Times and Tribune and 10
dailies from his home State), de-
pends on his daughter in Shelby
N. c., to collect books for him
against his summer vacation. He
clips reviews of likely looking titles
for guidance.
Two Books q Week.
One rebel against the fine-print
routine is Representative Powell,
Democrat, of New York, who thinks
that the print is too small in reports,
that they are not we'll organized and,
furthermore. that it is just as i'm
portant to keep up with the new
books. If the reports touch on sub
jects in which he is especially in
terested, such as civil rights and
labor, he will ask the Legislative
Reference Service of the Library
of Congress to give him the high
points or have some one read them
for him, meanwhile keeping to his
self imposed schedule of two books
a week. He is just finishing Rebecca
Vests "The Meaning of Treason" :"
which he has found great, rich,
and is working on END
Over End" a novel by Nelson Gid
ding, a Southampton neighbos and
"Raintree Country" by Ross Lock-
ridge. jr. When interviewed, he
had in his brief case Truman Ca
pote's uch-discussed first novel.
Other Voices, Other Rooms" He
had no comment to make on the
jacket picture of the
author, since his copy had come
from the Library OF
Congress. ...--
Other novel readers include Rep
Monroney of Oklahoma,
who likes something between a mys-
terry and good literature" The
of the Bells" filled the bill.
He is now reading Bemelman's story
Of Hollywood, Dirty Eddie" He is
a New Yorker fan. Representative
Lusk. Democrat, of New Mexico is
reading "Raintree County" which
she likes. She declined to name her
favorite novelist, because there is
to be said for all of
them" The 1,O66-page Lockridge
novel is also occupying House Ma
iority Leader Halleck pf Indiana,
whose home State provides the set
ting.
The Western Addfcts.
Westerns rate high with Repre-
Eaton, Republican, OF New
Jersey, who has library full OF them.
He is very enthusiastic about LIE
Comte Du Nouy's Human Destiny
which he considers "ot be OF the
greatest books ever written" Rep
Hoffman, Republican, OF
Michigan also likes stories of the
range, and thoroughly enjoys read
ing law reports for diversion.
Representative AuchinclOss, Re-
publican, of New Jersey likes mys-
teries. Senator O'Mahoney, DEM
ocrat, of Wyoming reads them only
if he has cold. Senator Milliken.
Republican, of Colorado may pick up
a novel his wife is reading and skim
through the last chapter. The 80