Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-25
WASHINGTON. Nov. 25.


A ToBACCoLESS and non.spitting Con.
gress is one of the possibilities of the
new regime when Miss Jeanette Rankin,
Americas first Congresswoman. takes her
seat in the Capitol, according to information
which is seeping through from Washington,
while congressman. old and new. are ask
ing with bated breath, what will becom"
of the cloakroom manners"'
Now to the ordinary mortal. cloakroom
manners are just sort Of myth They
little know or realize just what is meant bJ
cloakroom manners. But to the Congress-
man they are n very serious matter. The
loss of them is not to be taken lightly when
things are too boresome in Congress itself.
But will the cloakroom manner survive
the arrival OF n woman in Congress?' That
Is question which many anxious men have
been turning over in their minds, wondering
what the outcome will be- They realize that
the presence of n refined iwomanly woman
such as Miss Rankin Is may change en-
tirely their mode of living in Congress.
CALLS HER A GOOD FELLOW
Jessie Hardy Stubbs Mackaye a prom
inent washington suffragst, pronounces
Jeanette Rankin a good fellow. corking
good fellow and normal American girl,
who having sat beside her brothers at the
university, has very much their views,
their psychology. their sociology and their
economics. In speaking OF her and her
effect on Congress. she said: "She is the
best stump speaker in Montana and she
can dance like boarding school girl. and.
believe me, she will lead those Congress
men a merry little two-step when she gets
there"
Congressman already seem afraid OF that
very thing, according to information re-
ceived from Washington. which says that
the men are asking what is going to happen
when the maid from Missoula takes her
IL, ha Ia
fact 1t is already admitted that the man
who said that when she first gets up to
speak 'It will be the most interesting mo-
me1t around the Capitol since Ben johnson
plugged John Shields in the jaw or since
Buck Kilgore. of Texas. kicked the door
in" is pretty nearly right.
CLoAKRooM MANNERS
The reports coming. from Washington
say that the Congressman are realizing sad
ly that cloalxroom manners will have to
be improved. They say themselves they
have been rather free and easy, and admit
that the cloalSrooms have been the haVens
of refuge for those who wished 10 escape
speeches that their colleagues were making
for home consumption.
The cloakrooms were the places to smoke
in, to spin yarns in. to sit around in ones
shirt sleeves in II one chose, and even
TO take off ones shoes in. Sometimes the
august Congressman went TO sleep on the
huge leather lounges Then, too, In the
cloakrooms there were the regular after
noon target matches, with the cuspidor as
the bulls eye. In the past. when Man
ruled the sacred precincts OF the cloak
room and dictated the manners OF said
cloakrooms they were considered the one
place absolutely safe from feminine in
Vaslon. Now. they admit. they don't
know.
Then, too. there are all sorts of laugh
ing suggestions iying around. With the
prospect of a very close division Of the
parties and a merry fight for the speaker
ahip. IL Is suggested that Madame Speaker