Capital Notes

Porch Light. Indiana's Freshman Democratic Congressman Randall S. Harmon, 55, who has been collecting $100 a month from the Government for renting out his own front porch to himself for an office in Muncie, announced that the Post Office Department owed him money, too. Declared Harmon, a political rolling stone and onetime tool worker who tumbled into office with last fall's Democratic landslide: The Muncie post office used his versatile porch for a drop-off station for sacks of mail for nine years. The tab: $1,800. Replied Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield: "No legal basis."

Bronx Cheer. Another Congressman, New York Democrat Charles A. Buckley (elected in 1934), turned up on the lengthening list of lawmakers who spend federal staff allowances with cheery abandon. Reported Scripps-Howard Newshawk Vance Trimble (TIME, March 16): The Bronx's Buckley pays $38,497 a year to eight political followers in New York City who work part time on Buckley business, mostly in their own homes. Buckley's Washington office is staffed by only two people, both paid not out of his staff allowance, but from funds of the House Public Works Committee, of which he is chairman. The committee also pays salaries to two other Buckley staffers in New York, bringing the total annual Government payroll for Buckley to $70,171.

Rump Session. At the White House somebody goofed twice in a row on forgetting to invite the Democrats' House Majority Leader John McCormack to two presidential briefings held for congressional leaders. House Minority Leader Charlie Halleck put a bug in the President's ear. Promptly, Ike invited McCormack for a full hour's presidential question-and-answer session all his own.

Short Cut. On petition from the White House staff, the President approved plans for renovation of the long-abandoned White House clay tennis court, which will be maintained by surplus funds out of the White House mess. One restriction, laid down by Mamie Eisenhower: Players wearing shorts may not parade across the public lawn from the West Wing to the court, instead must use the nearby tool shed for a dressing room.

Word from the Sponsor. Noted, after seven months, was the fact that Pennsylvania's Democratic Congressman Daniel J. Flood got printed in the appendix of the Aug. 21 Congressional Record (circ. 42,400) a lengthy advertisement for Diplomat cigarettes (manufactured in Wilkes-Barre). Last week, after his fellow Congressmen began receiving "reprints" courtesy of the manufacturer, nonsmoking Daniel Flood allowed as he had no objection to use of the Record to reprint ads: "I see nothing wrong in it."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.