, 1911-09-28
Our Washington Correspondence

Washington-The idea that a member of ongress in order to be
successful in securing appropriations for his district, must go fswn-
ing about with hat in hand, doing the bidding of certain leaders, is
an entirely erroneous one and clearly disproven by the record as far
as the Wyoming delegation is concerned. While it may have been
true in earlier congresses that in order to get anything a member
must "stand in" with some one, it has long since gone out of style in
Washington. The member who is now able to secure a approp-
ration for his district must depend entirely on other sources for e.
cognition- his W ability and bis standing in congress. The ia
hed pull" and the overworked betrayal of his constituents"-lo
favorite popuiistic plaint-wout land the pcrsmmon nowadays. 1t
,okoS hare work brains fa;rnessa and ,r,s0;o ,and oa.;I
only thru long service to win out now.
That this implication of "bootlicking" will not apply to the mem
bms of the Wyoming delegation will be evident to all who give the
matter a moments consideration, Our delegation has been partic-
ularly fortunate in the matter of securing appropriations for Wyom-
ipg-so much 10 that Golfers has made it a topic for editorial dis
cussion, and attempts to charge this success to our delegation stand
ing in" with the administration. AS a matter of fact the records
the Roosevelt and Taft regimes, at least" our delegation has been on
the opposite side from that taken by the administration. This was
true of the Philippine tariff, joint statehood, the conservation meas
ures advocated by both Roosevelt and Taft, reciprocity and other
questions.
The delegation not only voted against these measures, but re.
peatedly opposed them on the floor and everywhere else. They have
frequently been compelled to take the other side of a question in CD.
position to the announced administration policy, in order to honestly
represent their constituency in Wyoming-but they have gone right
along securing appropriations just the same. The reason why the
Wyoming delegation has been SO fortunate in the matter of approp-
rations is because they have been here a long time, they personally
know every member of the Appropriations Committee, and every
member of tina. committee knows our delegation. Members of the
committee know they can depend on statements made by our delegat
ion their relations are cordial from such long association-and the
Wyoming members start in OIL much better footing than the new
conner when appearing before this committee in support of an approp-
ration. They not Gully appear before the committee, but they see
its members personally and lay their claims before them. Persist
ency and ability to clearly present The case, coupled with the advant-
age of a knowledge gained only thru long service, have won for Wy
oming men when newer men from other states have failed.
1t must be remembered that the House appropriations committee
before which every measure must pass muster before it stands any
chance of passing is composed of both democrats and republicans
that we're an appropriation even suspected of being an award for
"booticking" rather than a recognition of a mertorious case, the
democratic minority would let the world know of it. No such re-
port has ever been made of a Wyoming appropriation.
F. Fl. Barrow.