The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-03-26
WONDER WHAT INDIANA
SENDS TO WASHINGTON?
You Can Tell What State
Lawmakers Come From
by Gifts They Get.
By Allene Summer
CHAPTER XVI

CHAPTER XVI
WASHINGTON, March EDO
you get cheese, prairie dogs, or dried
prunes?"
Get two official women together
and this question is very apt to cir
culate over the tea cups.
It's the same thing as asking
what State are you from?" For by
the gifts which the constituents send
them may you know the home adj
dress.
Official Washington from the great
open spaces must find real houses
with cellars and garages. not apart
ments for livestock descends upon
them-horned owls, prairie dogs.
beef on the hoof, and even rattle
snakes.
Why do the folks at home send
such white elephants and black rat
tlesnakes? Just to show off the
grandeur OF the state.
From the Fruit Belt
The most envied official set are
those from the fruit belt with their
crates Of apples and oranges and
grapefruit, their boxes of raisins and
grapes, their figs and dates.
Mrs. Herbert Hoover, for instance,
always presents a tea table loaded
with huge California raisins.
Sometimes the constituents come
calling in person with their gifts.
Official women. by the way, may
rank a certain way according to the
State Department and the social sec
retaries, but among themselves they
rank quite differently. Informally,
the ones of highest rank are the
ones whose home states are farthest
from the capital. and those of least
degree are those whose home states
border the District of Columbia.
A Gift i'm Hand
The reason is that those whose
home addresses are most distant are
least bothered with the constituency,
while those from bordering clinics
keep open house continuously.
But, as we were saying. sometimes
the visiting constituent brings her
gifts in person.
Mrs, 3. from a milk and COW State
received such a visitation. Mrs. 3.
was giving a party on the day that
the constituent arrived--a very
swanky party with lobster thermi-
dor. an orchestra, and spun sugar
,-foIats IN the icp cream
The morning Of the party, the
farmers wife arrived. She had
drummed up several hundred votes
in her district for said congressman
and felt no hesitancy in becoming
their house guest. In order to make
sure, however, that she would be
welcome. she brought with her about
2O-pound cheese from the dairy
State.
And 1t Wasn't Mild
"Now. II It had been mild cheese. 4"
said the official lady who told me
the tale, "but II wasn't, and not only
was il not mild, but she was so glad
when she heard l was having a party
that night and We could cut the
cheese. So we had strong cheese
with spun sugar violets, and my
guests pronounced it-behind my
back-the 'queerest party they had
ever attended, 1t was"
When the tired congressman
homeward wends his weary way at
evenfau. his spouse's CHEEKY greet
ing is, "Wen. what did they want
today?" Then he tells the grist OF
the days mail.
Proud Father Started Something
Three-fourths of it was from those
who wanted to come to Washington
and shake the presidents hand Reu-
ben Bland, of Georgia. said TO be the
father of the nations largest family,
who came to see Coolidge, started
trouble for the congressman
Every mail brings tidings Of
The woman with the longest hair
in her State.
The boy with seven toes
The father with the biggest feet