Hobby riding is a well known pastime in Congress. Some Congressmen are more conscientious about it than others. When it comes to certain pieces of legislation dear to their hearts, the old-timers in particular are inclined to have their legislative peep sights set well in advance.
A number of newly elected members of Congress soon get on the the idea of hobby riding, and toward the last days of a Congressional session become eligible to join the hobby riding fraternity. Full-fledged membership, however, is not attained until after they return for their second term.
Of course, coming back for a second term requires being elected by the folks back home. And for some of the youngsters this proves to be just the spot where they stub their toe.
STANDPATTER KAHN
On Capitol Hill they tell a story of Mrs. Florence P. Kahn, representative from California, who is generally regarded as a standpatter. On one occasion when Mrs. Kahn was following in line with the reactionary Senator Moses on a certain proposition she was chided by a fellow member in the House of Representatives for her adherence to the Senator’s point of view. She quickly flared back: “Why shouldn’t I choose Moses as my leader? Haven’t my people been following him for ages?”
When it comes to hobby riding Senator Huey P. Long of Louisiana ranks right on top. The self-styled “Kingfish” dotes on clamoring for redistribution of wealth and has introduced a measure which would place a limit on wealth in the possession of individuals.
Senator Long gave notice to the Senate the other day that “in the near future” he will call up his resolution “undertaking to commit the Senate to do something that is sane and sensible, to have the taxes paid where they can be paid without burden to the people and have relief given to our people.” So far as the able senator from Louisiana is concerned, the Roosevelt administration’s bloodless revolution is much too mild.
Representative Louis T. McFadden of Pennsylvania, who on the floor of the House of Representatives every so often preaches what strongly resembles the gospel of anti-Semitism, will be a candidate for reelection to the House next fall. A short while ago a movement was started in McFadden’s district to win him a seat in the Senate. But McFadden says he would rather be sent back to the House. A total of 435 members, plus stenographers and messenger boys, not to mention the gallery, makes quite a large audience for him.
A number of Congressmen, particularly certain Jewish members, are quite disturbed over the fact that Representative Samuel Dickstein, chairman of the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, is inspiring the chairmanship of the committee to be named by Speaker Rainey to conduct the investigation of Nazi propaganda activities in the United States. Dickstein was the author of the resolution.
A meeting of the Jewish Congressmen was held the day after the passage of the resolution and another one later in the week. Representatives Adolph J. Sabath of Illinois, one of the deans among House members, called them together to discuss Dickstein’s candidacy. Opinion was divided, but the majority of the members would like to see a non-Jewish leader head the committee. Perhaps Dickstein will give way and be content with just a place on the committee, they felt. The proposition will be put to him. Dickstein’s answer will be known when Speaker Rainey names the committee.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
