Evening star., 1951-01-05
It's All Official History-7984 STYLE
= By WiIIiom Hines

a successful candidate for reelection
to Congress in 1946, and resumed the
practice of law in Prestonsburg, KY. :.
John Parnell Thomas served the State
of New Jersey in Congress from January
8. 1887, until January 2, 1850, when he
resigned 80.
James Michael Curley was not candi-
date for denomination to the House in
1946, but was elected Mayor Of Boston
in November of that year and served in
that capacity until January, 1850 80.
Going back bit in history, Albert
Bacon Fall, former Senator from New
Mexico, served as Secretary Of the In
terror in the Harding cabinet until March
4, 1923, when he resigned to resume
in Ell Paso, Tex. on November 80,
1914 ...
Most readers will remember without
prompting three of these names-May,
Curley and Thomas and many will
recall the name of Fall as having some
thing in common with the other three.
All four were convicted of betraying
their public trust and served prison
terms for their crimes.
Yet nothing is to be found above about
Mays association with the Garssons-
or Curleys mail-fraud trial-or Thomas
and the "kickbacks"-or Fall and the
Elk Hills little black bag scandal,
despite the fact that all these items
are matters Of historical record.
Read those opening paragraphs again.
They are official history-rnodern style.
They are history as spread on the
formal Government records, in House
Document No. GOT, of the I'd session, 81st
Congress. The title of this document is
Biographical Directory OF the American
Congress: 1774-1949," compilation
supervised by the Joint Congressional
Committee on Printing and published by
the Government Printing Office.
The directory is an imposing and
ambitious work. 1t weighs eight and
three-quarters pounds Lying open, it
spans nearly two feet. 1t contains more
than two thousand pages. 1t sells at the
GPO for $3.50 copy.
Remember George Orwell? He wrote
frightening but increasingly believable
book called Nineteen Eighty-four," in
which he showed how government, gain
ing control of historical records, can re-
wise history to suit its own purpose.
How far is Washington from 1884? Old
newspaper files will yellow and crumble
to dust. The microfilm edition Of the
The Star will be forgotten in an out
of-the-way cabinet somewhere. Ed
ward L. Doheny and the little black bag
and Secretary Fall are almost forgotten
already. But the sturdy Biographical
Directory Of the American Congress will
endure, convenient and apparently
complete source-book for people who
want to know about those who served
them in Congress.
According to James L. Harrison, its
compiler, the directory should be con-
sidered as a reference work-something
historians could use for everyday pur-
poses.
Every effort has been made. Mr.. Har-
rison declares. to bring up to date 1927
edition and to ascertain the facts about
each person listed. The compiler says
his staff was pretty actively engaged" on
it for four years. He has not yet received
the printing bill. In any case, the expense
can be assumed to be derable-much
greater. for instance. than a commercial
publisher would be willing to invest on
work Of this nature.
why are the facts of trial, convic-
ton and confinement of such men as
Fall, Thomas. Curley and May not in
cluded in their biographies?" Mr.. Har-
rison was asked.
WELL" he replied "I don't know If
can answer that or not. agree with
you that it's historical information, and
may not be known so years from now"
He added: Where members are still
alive we tried to respect their wishes
,Lo ~ ,f,.io
Mr.. Harrison gave no explanation as
to why the deceased Mr.. Fall was not
listed as a convicted criminal. Other
deceased, who had been accused but
not convicted-Aaron Burr, Jefferson
Davis and Andrew johnson, as examples
had the charges against them in
cluded in the record. Mr.. Harrison
denied that the Joint Committee on
Printing had issued any policy along
the line of covering up for the guilty
and letting the innocent take care Of
themselves.
The directory contains a compiler's
foreword which concludes:
"The cooperation of readers Is Solic-
tied to the end that future biographical
directories eventually may contain a
full and accurate record. Errors of
commission or omission that may be
called to the attention of the Joint
Committee on Printing may be filed for
use in subsequent editions"
Mr.. Harrison was asked whether the
truth about Fall, May, Curley and
Thomas would be included in the next
edition If some one furnished data
which. on checking. might be found to
be factual. He said such items would be
included, and added that another edition
is planned in about 10 years.
The next logical question seemed to
be whether such data would be included
10 years hence if one of the former
members should still be living at that
time Mr.. Harrison's answer again was
that the committee tries to follow the
individual members wishes wherever
possible.
Mr.. Harrison said he had striven to