The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-06-25
H0,u Jeanette
Rankin Seems
While o., Job
(Erom The Nation.)

his recent address to the House. what
he meant. doubtless. was to throw In
a slight pause after the "Ladies"--a
deferential acknowledgement Of the
presence of the multitude Of wom-
en- in the galleries: but the pause, II
| any, was so nearly indistinguishabl
that an enthusiastic suffragist who sat
near me whispered: He recognizes
Jeanette Rankin as embodying the
whole seN!" And well he might; for in
| spite Of her unusual position and sur
roundings. she remains the typical
| woman from top to toe. The top is
| especially prominent. crowned as it is
| with a mass of brown hair slightly
| streaked with gray, worn Ia
| Pompadour in fashion that en-
| phasizes its abundance. The next
| most noticeable feature is the nose,
which is large. straight in outline.
and fairly dominates the face, par
| ticularv in profile. The chin stands
out well. but is round. and reduced In
conspcuousncss by a fullness of the
checks which extends down to the
line of the jaw. Her small. rather
slight figure. clad in well-fitting gar
ments which rumor credits her with
making with her own hands. adds to
the thorough feminine effect The "
shaped opening at the neck, and the
use of lace and tulle wherever n man
would use flat linen stiff with
starch. differentate her completely
from the background against which
she is projected in her daily work.
Strangers visiting Congress look for
her before asking to be shown Champ
Clark and Uncle Joe" Cannon--a dis
tinction in itself; and almost invari-
ably their first remark is one OF SUR
prise that she has nothing Of the
Amazon in her appearance. Her face
is mobile, her motions are 1.-the. and
her manner has all the vivacity COM
portable with her obvious seriousness
of purpose. Her voice has not. up to
the hour of this writing. received
real test Of effectiveness in hall
notorious for its bad acoustics when a
debate is in full swing; but her re-
sponses on roll-call, while distinct
enough for all practical needs. lack
the ringing quality which arrests at
tention in this tumultous body.
Next to her masculine makeup,
what astonishcs most new observers
is the manner in which Miss Rankin
is treated by the men among whom
she is thrown. Not even the cowboy:
Of her home state-a class who hide
Il rare strain of chivalry behind a
rough eNterior--could manifest more
respect for her womanhood than these
rough and tumble congressman. In
any situation involving precedence,
everybody stands aside for her to pass.
During a session she Is seldom or
never alone: some man takes a seat
beside her and falls into a whis cred
conversation. or she seeks out one
whom she wishes to consult about Il
pei ding measure, and soon their heads
are close together. In two respects ct
least she is setting an excellent cN-
ample to her colleagues: in prompt and
regular attendance. and in keeping
track of what is going on. II amend
"lents are coming in thick and fast,
as often happens when the bill under
consideration is one which the House
is ready to accept in spirit, but wishes
to modify in form, she keeps a pad and
pencil always in hand and conscien-
tiously jots down the proposed changes
in phrascoiogy. From the present out
look, it would not be surprising if her
| influence produced a real change in
the behavior of the house in more ways
than in mere personal gallantry; for
the rudest of fighters can hardly fail
| to take note of the presence of a wom-
an among them, or to be reminded of
| the fact if momentarily they forget it.
or CpurSc il iS npfortupatc that Niua
Rankin's first important vote on the
| floor should have been one in which
she could not with an easy conscience
| voice the prevailing sentiment of her
| own district or of the country at large.
! for her attitude on the war issue can
never be expunged from the record
| however earnestly she may, devote her
energies hereafter to the national
cause. Whether she was vsibly and
audbly overcome by her emotions a
question on which much stress is laid
in certain uuarters-we may leave the
historians to decide among themselves.
Male lawmakers have OCCASIONALLY ex-
hibitcd emotional weakness under
equally trying conditions. without pro-
| voking invidious comments on the ca
/ pacity of their sex as whole. Miss
| IAhhtiH having happened 10 ne tnS
| first and only woman in Congress
when the war crisis arose. 1t Is far too
| soon 10 draw sweeping conclusions of
| the wisdom of our latest suffrage en-
| pertinent. \ pleasanter thing to re-
| r'rmber is that, in a state which gave
| the Democratic presidential ticket n
| vote 30 per cent larger than the Re-
! publican, she carried as a Republican
one OF the two representative districts
! by a plurality Of more than six thou
sand and with a campaign eXpendi-
| turc OF less than seven hundred doll:rs
| Although sufficient mention has been
| mad" already, perhaps, of Miss Ran
KIN feminine appearance, 1t would be
a pity to pass over, in this COnncctio
her ardent love of children and her
| attraction for them. Several members,
| trading on a traditional courtesy of the
| House, brought with them to the re-
ccltion in honor of Baliour the young
| folk of their families. and some of
| these speedily made their way to the
Lady from Montana and took possess
| sion of her. She had them sitting in her
lap or smuggling against her while the