, 1926-05-12
BY A CONGRESSMAN'S SECY
Monte Warren)

Dut limited TO members OF
SO I'm going to try the newspapers.
Possibly the Branding Iron, which
II once edited and the Laramie Re-
Notwithstanding on which I
worked while studying law at the
University of Wyoming will print
it for old times sake. Hon. w. C.
Deming, Tracy CcCraken, Mrs. Bar
raw and Miss Kendrick have ably
covered about everything from the
Revolution to the D. A. R. onven
ton here last month.
But Congressman Winter has very
generously loaned us his Ford every
Sunday and we've seen Rock creek
Park and Zoo with more wild ami
mails from Wyoming than I've seen
in all the years I've lived there
and we've seen the Tidal Basin with
it's famous Japanese cherries in full
bloom and miles of automobiles
with no n in front seats, parked
along the waterfront. Then our old
friend from the Basin, Don Thomp-
son, Cowboy athlete, when not stud
ing law, runs the little subway train
which hauls senators and u three
year old Betty Lou between the
Capital and the Senate Office so
altogether we've had plenty of pull,
underground and otherwise when it
comes to doing Washington.
I've heard lots of people say
they'd like to go to Congress when
they get ready to retire. That's
what 1 thought too just watching
one gentleman yield to another
from the galleries and reading in
the Record about taking a recess
at five O'Clock till noon the next
day. That was before I tried keep
ing track of a congressman for
a living.
Wyoming isn't as bad but is as
interested as Chicago in the Vol
stead Act, has more interest than
Boston in the tariff on wool and
fears the effect of Iowa corr sugar
on honey. Our people are interest
ed in migration and migratory bird
law. in ex-soldier legislation and in
the Italian debt as in other states
but in addition Wyoming has pub
lie land problems, homesteads, graz
ing n mineral permits, excess
freight rates, irrigation projects
and Yellowstone Park. The real
work in all these matters isn't
ION the floor" which is the name
of what % see from the galleries.
Because of our variety of interests
Wyoming Congressman all carry an
extra burden of committee work.
Senate Warren is chairman of
the important Senate Commute on
Appropriations which gives him a
very persuasive way of suggesting
how to vote on the Powder River
postoffice bill if he wants his own
appropriation bill reported out, that !
is, referred back to the floor with
a favorable report. He is also on
two other Committees Senator Ken
drick is also on the Committee on
Appropriations and four others.
Because his is one of the biggest
congressional districts in the United
States, with a correspondingly large
range of interest, Representative
Winter carries one of the heavist
loads of committee work of any
member of Congress and is usually
trying to attend two or three of
his six committees at once. To
make certain that he would not
have opportunity to spend a quiet
evening at home with Mrs. Winter
and three sons, Speaker Nick Long
worth recently decided to utilize
Judge Winters special knowledge of
public land law making him one
of five representatives on the SEN
ate-House committe on Northern
Pacific Land Grants. Senator Ken
drick is also a member OF this COM
mittee.
Any spare time a congressman
has left owe after attending COM
mittees and sessions he can use as
he pleases to answer about fifty
letters a day, take up matters with
the various departments, frame re-
ports and bills and write his speech
es. Here's where all Wyoming's
congressman help out the Presidents
economy program. Senator Smoot
of Utah who knows all about sta
tistics says it costs $4,000 per page
to print the Congressional Record
or about $500 per day for Blanton
alone. Most of his are addressed
to empty seats and for Buncomb
County whence the word "bunk''