The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-04-26

dSnlnStOn, ApIli -".-fle "Olc d
frock coat, a wide-rimmed, soft black
hat and his shoes squeaked. He want
ed to see the cloak room Of the SEN
ate
I've read so many funny stories
about senator's" he said, and every
one of them happened in the cloak
rOom-except a few which We're told
at the water-cooler," he added, on re
Election.
When he was shown the cloak room
he was surprised Evidently he had
pictured in his minds eye a cloak
room all cluttered up with assorted
garments. no matter what the weather
was, and made uninhabitable by mud
splattered gOlOshes. dank. smelly rain
coats, umbrellas in corners and all
that SOrc of thing.
This visitor is only one of those who
have an imaginative idea of what the
whether half a dozen people outside
who have been here in a more or less
intimate capacity have ever 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 are good places to,
lounge about and tell stories-that S
why so many stories are hung on
the cloak rooms.
Some of the Iounging rooms of fair
Appointment clubs are insignificant
compared TO the government cloak
rooms. The thick carpet is scrump-
tious; there is a profusion of chairs,
every one of them inviting and COM
Portable, and a nalf a dozen comfort
able davenports are scattered about.
In the old DAYS, when a member
could register as John Smith and Jag,
the daVenDOrts about the cloak rooms
both democratic and republican,
worked overtime. One could often see
a statesman having his nap. Now
adays. when nothing stronger than tea
j
and drunkenness is looked upon as
| bad form in a 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 smile ChaseS away the wrinkles
/ of dignity and deep thought. They tell
/ stories, laugh at jokes. Josh one anoth-
eT and. if they are in the mood, some
! times brOil everyone from the presi-
dent 70 the page boy. from the consti-
tuition TO the eighteenth assistant sec
rotary Of state who does not know his
place.
Sometimes they frey each other on
the pan and there is generally an in
terested audience when one senator
has a little something to say 70 an.
other.
Correspondents who are keen for
good stories usually pay great atten-
ton 10 the cloak room gossip. There
! is always something interesting being
talked about And, again. COrrespOn-
dents know that the cloak room is the
proper place 10 mention as the scene
OF a funny incident or comic story.
Minister WI, who has been back in
Washington as the representative Of
the Chinese government for several
weeks. is 4 much-changed man. He
has not been asking questions.
While his disposition to interrogate
is NOT entirely suppressed, he does not
seek nearly as much information as
! when he was here before,
Several Years ago on meeting an
admirer. Minister WI would look
blandly and innocently while he asked
without any preliminary leading up 10
j the subject: How old are you?"
On being informed. he would ask in
what month his visitor was horn.
/ Then he would follow with a half hun
dred other questions. many OF them
/ rather Quzzling, but in the end. the
visitor was rather pleased than other.