Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-05
Senator Knute Nelson Receives
a Letter From Minnesota
Asking a Few Favors
"MoTHER-IN-LAW OF THE NAVY
Why the Port of Erie is So Called by
Naval officers-Mark in the Line of
Mascots Set by Oklahoma Boomers
-Bede of Minnesota Always Expect
ed to be Funny.

"My people back home are as well In
formed and up to date as people any
where" said Senator knute Nelson of
chamber few days ago with fellow
senator, says the Washington CORE
spondent of the New York Times, 'but
some Of 'em now and then give the old
man bad Jog. Here is letter l got
from Ole Rasmussen Of Sleepy Eye.
He says: When you go to the capitol
the next time please go in the pension
office and get my pension increase
pushed through, and then see II the fish
commission will give us some trout
seed up here Same time see the post
master general and have Nils Swenson
made postmaster at Koday and If you
see him tell Secretary Wilson we all up
here want plenty new cabbage next
spring. Same time go in attorney gen
erals Office and poke UP Moody to get
whisky to Indians. That's all now.
Thanking you for past favors yours,
etc.
THAT letter." said the Scandinavian
senator, "is sample Of many have
received in my service in congress.
Lots of folks think the whole govern
ment is under one roof and that have
only to go from one room to another to
attend to their business and do up
their errands."
The recent appointment Of Arthur l..
Bates of Pennsylvania to the naval af-
fairs committee is because Of the fact
that Erie. the only port in his district,
is the mother-in-law Of the navy; at
least that's what the officers call her.
The old cruiser Michigan, now named
the Wolverine, goes into winter quarters
there every year from November till
May. She has done so every year since
1874 The officers have nothing to do
all winter except to court the Erie
girls, and the resulting havoc is ter
rife An amateur statistician looked
the matter up year ago and found
that flfty-four commissioned officers
had married Erie girls to say nothing
Of the countless warrant officers; hence
Erie's unique and honorable position in
the minds Of navy men and hence her
need for representation on the naval
affairs committee.
The Oklahoma boomers have set u
mark in the line of mascots. AS their
special train was rolling along over
the breeze swept prairies Washington
ward the boomers spied razorback
easily trying conclusions with the en-
gineer and keeping up with the train.
The bell rope was pulled, the train
stopped and the whole crowd got off
and ran the pig into fence corner and
caught it. His pigness was taken
aboard and brought to Washington as
the boomers mascot He is registered
at a hotel and has room to himself,
for which the delegation is paying 81
per day. Over the door is nailed the
motto in big letters, I'm Hog Signo
Vinces." and under this the couplet:
The queen Of the fays herself might ride
On sweet little pigling justified.
Representative J. Adam Bede of Min
nesota, who. much to his discomfort, is
always expected to be funny, called on
the president recently to ask favor.
"Mr. President" he said, you were
so good as to let the naval reserve of
my state have the Fern up on Lake
Superior. Now want to get permits
sion to change her name"
The president said he saw little to OBJ
ject to in that suggestion IL the name
was a good one.
WELL" said Mr.. Bede, I'VE want a
distinctive name Michigan is known
as the Wolverine State. Wisconsin is
the Badger State. Minnesota has been
called the Gopher State. We would
like to have the boat called the
Gopher"
That's good" said the president, sif'
Secretary Bonaparte does not find fault
with your zoology"
Our gophers are not the common
little striped ones of the west, but the
big gray ones" said Mr.. Bede, land
l think can mix him up ON the zoolo-
gy Of the little beasts sufficiently to
get past Mr.. Bonaparte."
Representative John Wesley Gaines
Of Tennessee ives tearing out some Of
his abundant hair the other afternoon
"Look at thatt'' be cried, pointing to
letter he had received from a eonstitu-
ent.
II have read comic stories in the
daily papers about requests to con-
gressmen for seeds and things, but ]
think that's the limit
The letter read:
Dear Mt. Gaipes-Please send me
some fsh and SONIC frogs."
At the home Of Representative Eaton
]. Bowers Of Mississippi some one was
singing Everybody Works but Fa-
Their" Mps. Bowers little son listened
with grave appreciation
That's the way It p In our house,
said be sagely when the singing was
concluded Everybody works but ia
Their. Ali he does is to go to the CAPT
toll every day and sit around"
Three little babes We're nestled In bed.
I'll name William, Willie and Bill"