The Washington times., 1936-04-09
NOW
Hit at Congress
Is ANSWERED
BY A WIFE
BY RELES ESSARY

NoC long ago CnlS co1um
printed a none too sweet lette
from a New Yorker who, havin
passed a winter of extreme diScor
tent in Washington, expreSse
his uninhibited feelings on tn
subject "Official-dumb."
The New Yorker was particl
larry annoyed by members of Cor
gresS. In his letter he describes
an imaginary scene in a night clu
where a congressman tries to vii
the respect of the head waiter AM
push his rock bound wife abou
the dance floor.
Today I have an answer to tina
New Yorker. It's a wise answer
and so I enjoy using it in full:
'Dear Helen Essary:
"The letter which you re-
ceived last Monday from a for
mer New Dealer who had re-
turned to New York from Wash
ingtOn with nothing but ScOrn
and pity for Congressman in his
soul, should not have been amaz-
ing to you.
"There are many people in
this world whose idea of success
and honor is the ability to i'm
press head walters and to wave
largely toward a ringSide seat
and get it, as did the Business
Man described.
"At the moment 1t occurs to
me that there are many small
business men to whom a night
club would be as unfamiliar ter
ritOry as it may be to some Of
the newly arrived Congressman.
at has become the fashion to
speak cOntemptuOusly of Con-
gresSmen. They are all too often
pictured i'm the public press as
being Self-seekerS without ex-
ceeding brains or patriotism,
with their eyes focused only on
the coming elections.
without Congress to jeer at
many bright youths would sit
with blank sheets before them
and some brilliant intellectS
mot 30 youthful would find 1t
harder to earn a living.
However, it seems to have
been the social shortcomings OF
our Congress that so distressed
your correspondent and the
fact that they are ignored by
the hOSteSSeS Of Washington.
So where, asks your New York
friend, is their honor.
did he ever stop to think
that, after all, Congress is a
Representative body. Ours is
. representative Government
and so we have in Congress in
tellectuals, elegantes, sOphista-
Gates and we have also men
who are neither elegant nor
SOPHISTICATED, and who when
they step out to a night club do
not act with the assurance OF
the handful of pleasant peO-
pie who frequent night clubs
and the much smaller group
who are not ignored by the host
esSes Of Washington.
"The wife who prOdS the
husband in the back when he
is out of step on the dance
floor is very likely the only
wife the Congressman ever
had. There is no dishOnOr in
this, although it is not usual in
the groups which your New York
correspondent seems to feel at
home.
perhaps the Congressman is
simple enough to think that he
really received an honor when
his constituents from somewhere
in the sticks sent him down to
Washington to speak for them
In "The Halls Of Congress" Or
maybe he is proud that he has
promised to support the Presi-
dent because the things that the
Government does come very
close to the lives of the people
who live "Out there" and are
more important to them than
having their representative
recognized by a head waiter. A
simple COngresSman's wife like
myself feels such trust a great
honor, even though in the eyes
of your correspondent, her huS-
band does not loom large in
this city Of perSOnageS.
"YOu forget that America is
not made up chiefly of the bust
ness men with dominating night
club manners. Nor even Of peO-
pie with a little too much
money, a little too much play.
time and few too many cock
tails. The trouble with your
correspondent is that he is too
provincial. lie has never met
the really important people.
He ought to get around a little.
(Signed) The Dumpy Woman
Who PUSHES Her Husband and
Who Dances in the Oshkosh
Manner"