Newspapers / The Wilmington Dispatch (Wilmington, … / Nov. 26, 1916, edition 1 / Page 15
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-a PAGE FIFTEEN ;'-... ow cpjt Tr irrr-m-KS" Congressional Traditions and l ILI I.II.IU'-I J LU l-l id 1 ember May Ubet vjST rr rrrrrrrfc i mm HEN the Sixty-fifth Confetess first woman elected to ational legislative body will cf thp House in the person of Miss Jeannette Rankin, Repre-sentaiive-at-Large from Montana. She was the Republican , - mi: tf- but - Democrats and Progressives and the women wi o were able to vote largely because of her leadership in tne suffrage campaign of 1914, elected her. ; " ': Tne eyes of the nation, as well as of the men and women 0f Montana, will be focused on the woman ' who enjoys the unioue distinction of being the only one- of her sex to hejp uiai;e the Federal laws. The advocates and opponents of woman uirage will watch every step of her Congressional career with ta eye to gaining ammunition for their campaigns. ' - What may her constituents and the country at large expect of her? What form will her activities in the House of Repre sentatives take? And what changes-in the habits and practices of congressmen, in the conduct of the nation's legislation, in the tioak rooms, and the committee rooms and the House itself will the advent of the first woman Congressman bring about? .Miss Rankin herself, on this page, gives the readers of this newspaper some idea of what they may expect from her. Rene baihe. the well-known authority on Washington matters, indi cates some of tha changes in the traditions of the House that mav result from Miss Rankin's election. How Washington and Congresswoman Rankin Will Get Along Together By Rene Bache. PETTICOATS in Congress! George Washington and the signers of the Declaration of independence never dreamed of fciicli a thing. The day when the Hon. Miss jeannette Rankin, the first woman to v.rite the letters "M. C." after her name, takes her seat in the House of Representatives will be marked in the annals of the National Legislature with a red letter. That will also be the color oi her hair, it is understood. Will she feel embarrassed? Not a bit, probably. One hears that Remove This Disgusting Thing.' A Female Sergeant-at-Arms P;'J" rwi rfnuMftiiBMti iii WMWl ifcillli MUM Hiii v' convenes nextr March, the represent a state In the take her seat on the. floor she is quick-witted, a "good mixer" and of a very independent turn of " mind not at all the kind of woman that would per mit herself to worry about the impression she made upon any number of mere men. But how about the men? Will they feel em barrassed? Quite likely, indeed. And, doubtless, they will wonder if their accustomed ease-and com fort are to be interfered with by the presence of a female member in the cloakrooms, for instanc Fortunately, the manners of Congress have undergone a marked change for the better during the last generation. Rows are in frequent, and fist-fights rarely occur. If any disturbance ap proaching riot does happen, it is always possible for a lady member to retire from the floor, coinci djjntly with the bringing in of the order-commanding mace by the Sergeant-at-Arms. Tobacco-chewing has largely gone out of fashion, and the habit of promiscuous expectoration on the floor of the House is frowned on in these days. Members no longer put their feet- on their desks. In fact, there are fid desks to put their feet upon. Benches, on which the Representatives sit in decorous rows, have taken the place of desks and chairs. But in moments of mental abstraction the feet of Congressmen are still often tilted at angles that would hardly be called fitting for the presence of ladies. The manners of Congressmen have become more ladylike than they used to be. Fifty years or so ' ago it was the fashion for the nation's legislators to absorb much liquor, and brandy and whiskey in stiff doses furnished inspiration for many a brilliant oratorical effort in the House. But alcoholic eloquence in Congress has gone out of style, and a member given, to over indulgence would be subjected to prompt discipline. An important part of the business of the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House is to look after the comfort of members. It is within his dis cretionary power so to modify ar rangements as to augment their comfort. , When (as is sure to happen be fore long) there are a number of female Representatives, he will probably establish, with the ap proval of the Speaker, a separate cloakroom for the women members. He may even have a woman deputy to act in a disciplinary capacity when members In petticoats are to be arrested as absentees or other wise sternly dealt with under the authority of the House. . But this is looking into the future. Will the Congressional Barber Shop Become a Ladies' Hair Dress ing Parlor? III i 4r. A Nv . .v. V. lg Miss Jeannette Rankin, the "Lady from Montana," and First Woman To Win a Seat in Congress. In the meantime the Hon. Jeannette Rankin, of Missoula, Mont., banker's daughter and suffrage advocate, must make the best of things as she . finds them. - The Republican cloak room, of course, will offer her a wel - come, as to any other member. Of course, the men smoke there, but she will not mind that. Perhaps she enjoys a cigarette herself. The cloakrooms are much like ordinary clubrooms, immediately ad joining the legislative chamber. They are handsomely and even luxuriously furnished. Drinks are not to be had. for of late years the serving cf alcoholic refreshments within the precincts of the Capitol has been forbidden. But there are conveniences for epistolary corre spondence, for washing the hands, for hanging up coats and hats and for combing hair and whiskers. In short, the cloakrooms are pleasant places in which to lounge, read or talk. Members sit about in comfortable leather-covered chairs and smoke and tell stories. Often the stories are of the "stag" variety not indecent, be it understood, but of a kind hardly suited to ladies' ears; such stories as are told in clubs. They would be told just the same if Miss Ran kin happened to be present, but she would not hear them. The narra tors would gather in corners and swap their little anecdotes in an undertone. All she could hear would be the laughter, causing her to wOnder what those horrid men were saying. Formerly there was a barber 'Smoking Out" the Copyright, 1916, -non FX ,-- . ' - ' 4- - I- shop attached to the Republican cloakroom and another connected with the cloakroom on the Demo cratic side. Now there is only one - "tonsorial parlor" for both 'parties, on the floor below. It will be as accessible to the new woman Con gressman as to any other member. She may want to have her hair "marcelled" or her shoes blacked. But she will have to pay. If she were a Senator similar services in the barber shop of the Senate wing would cost her nothing. Miss Rankin (like other Repre sentatives) will have a handsomely furnished office room assigned to her exclusive use in the House an nex building, a white marble struc ture of huge size 100 yards distant from the House wing of the Capi tol. There she will do the desk work of a Congressman, with the help of a clerk and a stenographer. To pay these helpers she will have the customary allowance of $1,800 per annum. In the House office building she will not find herself a "lone, lorn" female, destitute of the compan ionship of her Sex. The place is full of women, mostly employed as clerks and stenographers. In the Capitol also there are many women employees. Her daily life will be sufficiently busy. Leaving her hotel or per haps it may be a comfortable little flat at about 9 o'clock in the morning she will start downtown and drop 'in at two or three of the Departments, to do errands for constituents. On reaching her St. ffi; Lady from Montana in a Committee Meeting. toy the Star Company. Great Britain - -i?-f;; .mm$' "safer . g mm office, she will 'find some dozens or scores of letters, most of them from constituents asking for jobs or for pensions or increases of pensions. To these she will dictate replies, which are. mailed post-free Under her frank. By the time this task .is finished it will be noon, at which hour the House meets. The seat she oc cupies in the House on a bench, will have been drawn by lot. If she chooses to wear a hat -during sessions, there is not likely to be any objection. Male representa tives are always bare-headed though in the British House of Commons, the opposite rule governs. A safe thing to predict is that when she speaks in the House the galleries will be crowded. Not only that, but members will flock into the legislative chamber to hear her talk. And they will listen to what she has to say, instead of reading newspapers or otherwise occupy ing themselves inattentively, as they customarily d? when a speech is being made. Grave and dignified Senators, notified of the fact that the new Congresswoman is speak ing, will hasten to bo present from the other wing of the Capitol. Her speeches will be extensively reported in the newspapers all over the country even though her re marks are but casual and brief. Ordinarily a new Congressman finds it hard to get any sort of hearing; but the courteous Speaker will surely not fail to allow Miss Rankin to catch his eye. Rights Reserved. m mmm - vv ,;w.. Chang Habits of the Trouser- Wearing Majority What I Expect to Do When I Get to Congress By Miss Jeanettc Ra:.kin, the New Congresswoman from Montana. EVERAL years ago during a session of Congress $300.- 000 was appropriated for the study of fodder for hogs. At the same session $30,000 was appropriated for a study of the needs of the nation' children. It would seem that in the eyes of Congress the hoge of the nation are ten times more important than hogs. We have plenty of men in Congress who devote their attention to the tariff, the hogs, irrigation projects, rivers and har bor, labor, the farmer, etc., etc Bui. until now, we haven't had a woman in our National Legisla ture to do for the nation's most precious asset, its children, what the him have been doing for the hogs. The platform on which I conducted my campaign n Montana had three planks. They were Na tional Woman Suffrage, National Legislation for Children and National Pro hibition I shall stand on the same platform in Congress, and I hope to awaken my legislative colleagues to the need of Federal laws dealing with those three planks. This state of affairs, d.iubtlts, will continue until the Congress woman has ceas-ad to be a novelty; thereafter the degree of conspicu ousness she enjoys will depend upon her ability and nothing )se. She will have, like any other member, certain committee assign ments. It may occur to her to r,p ply for appointment " to the Comit tee on Alcoholic Liquor Traffic, deeming that she could do usefr1 work in that line. She might a?k for membership in the Committee on Education (teaching being al ways of interest to women), an' if the Speaker lis'ed her for the job, would take part in the expected hearings on the rending bill to es tablish a national board of censors for moving pictures. It happens to most Congressmen that now and then they have a chance to go off on trips for pur poses alleged to be of importance connected with pending legislation. Such an excursion may be to: in vestigate the economic problems of an Indian tribe in the far West. Or it may carry the industrious and inquisitive legislators as far Hawaii or the Philippines. In any case it is a great lark, and Uncle Snm pays for everything, including ,even cigars and liquid refresh ments. Is it to be supp-ed that a dis. tinguished Congre woman 'would be left out of such Junkets! Perish the thought! Of c--'j-3e, some un gallant members might prefer to leave her out, lest she interfere with the fun. Men are sometimes so nasty that way. But one may hope that such a thing will not happen. If she goes along on an excursion of the kind, a section will be provided for her exclusive occu pancy, and everything will doubt less be done to enable her to enter tain herself. The Lady from Montana Rises to a Point of Order on the Subject of Feet. ...si' ' ; s. '',-" ST the Personal the rame platform in Congress, and 1 hope to awaken my legislative col leagues to the need of Federal laws dealing with those three plant.. My settlement housework New York and Chicago convinced me that there is certain needful social and economic legislation which will come only through the demands of our women. I believe, too, that these demands will not re ceive the attention they merit until they are pressed by women who are members of our State and National Legislatures-not merely member' of committees who appear at 'le-vr-ing3. I know that as a Representative, as a member of the House, my opin ions will have more weight with my colleagues than they would if they represented only the opinions of a Suffrage campaigaer. And I hope to convince my colleagues that there is needed, legislation which can best be handled by women be cause It deals with subjects to which thinking women have for years devoted thir energies sub jects like the welfare of our chil dren and the welfare of our homes : with both of which is firrr,Iy linked the cause of prohibition. I am familiar with more than the needs of my own State because as secretary of the National Suff rage Association I travelled wi!ely. I have had charge of surr; i)ll!s in New York. New iTampI-'e. Dele ware, Florida and Noi'i- alta. "LaJt'es First The Gentlemen Arc All Out of drier'" Not Fit for Publication! 'ti-.: -..:. ',' '"'' -"i '' ' 1 plb ,tJ t lii "III "IT- 1 fl I I '"
The Wilmington Dispatch (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Nov. 26, 1916, edition 1
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