The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-04-30
FUNNY STORIES
ELIMINATED FROM
THE CLOAK ROOM
At Least That is The Popular
Impression of Congressional
Anecdotes.
MINISTER WI WANTS TO KNOW.
The Distinguished Chinese Diplomat
Who Resolves Himself Into An
Animated Interrogation Point Up
on All Occasions.

Washington, April 2S.-He
wore a frock coat, a Undermined,
soft black hat and his shoes
squeaked. He wanted to see the
cloak room of the Senate.
"I've read so many funny stories
about Senators" he said, land
every one of them happened in the
cloak room-eXCept a few which
we're told at the water-cooler," he
added, on reflection.
When he was shown the cloak
room, he was surprised. Evident
-ly he had pictured in his mind s
eye a cloak room all cluttered up
with assorted garments, no matter
what the weather was, and made
uninhabitable by mud-splattered
goloshes, damp, smelly raincoats,
umbrellas in corners and all that
sort Of thing.
This visitor is only one of those
who have an imaginative idea of
what the cloak room is like. 1t is
doubtful whether half a dozen
people outside of those who live in
Washington, or who have been
here in more or less intimate
capacity have ever seen the cloak
room.
The reality is much different
from the imagined. The cloak
rooms, as all who have seen them
know, are furnished with great
attention to solid comfort. They
arg. rood places to lounge about
and tell stories-that's why so
many stories are hung" on the
cloak rooms.
Some of the lounging rooms of
fairly prominent clubs are in
significant compared to the govern
ment cloak rooms. The thick
carpet is assumptions; there is a
profusion of chairs, every one of
them inviting and comfortable,
and a half a dozen comfortable
davenports are scattered about.
In the old days, when a member
could register as John Smith and
Jag, the davenports about the
cloak roomsZbOth Democratic and
Republican - worked overtime.
One could often see a statesman
having his nap. Nowadays, when
nothing stronger than tea is serv-
ed in the Capitol restaurants and
drunkenness is looked upon as bad
form in legislator, there is little
sleeping in the cloak room. But
they are popular places.
In these rooms the burdens roll
away from the minds of the,states-
men; the legislative back unbends
and a smile chases away the
wrinkles of dignity and deep
thought. They tell stories, laugh
at jokes, josh one another, and, il
they are in the mood, sometimes
broil everyone from The President
to the page boy, from the Consti-
tuition to the eighteenth assistant
secretary of state who does not
know his place.
Sometimes they fry each other
on the pan and there is generally
an interested audience when one
Senator has a little something tc
say to another.
Correspondents who are keen fo1
good stories usually pay great at.
tention to the cloak room gossip
There is always something inter
esting being talked about. And
again, correspondents know thai
the cloak room is the proper place
to mention as the scene of funny
incident or comic story.
Minister WI, who has been bacl
in Washington as the representa-
tive of the Chinese government
for several weeks, is a much
changed man. He has not beef
asking questions.
While his disposition to interro
gate is not entirely suppressed, h,
does not seek nearly as much in