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Show Twit Cf 1 1 !L? iSp if " VM " Mi : );! VII An Intimate Pen Picture of Miss J eannette Rankin Presented by a Reporter for This Newspaper Who , Was Sent Especially to Interview Her After Her Ele ction to Congress An Intimate Pen Picture of ? " . , , Miss Jeannette Rankm . "vvl Vs' , v, Presented hy a Reporter -for t r ' V' V. rf''1 ' 1 K Tins Newspaper Who ; 1 ' ' 'V:;: '"r.X as Dent -especially to ' ' ",'1 "' --v - vk ,- - - Interview Her After - , - . 1 . N , u?:vl . .v W. I tj ri , r V ' - : y ' - - ' - t - . ,v rler .election to 'uondress vf N - . ' . , "Miss Rankin rose to meet me. x Instead of a Junoesque type of woman, l J , " ' " . ' ( X I' J " I' ' ' ' 1 saw a slender creature with a wealth of soft, curly hair, a pair of wist- r rx !V " ' s 'v- '5,'' ' f"""? 1 t . ful dark eyes, and an expression that radiated the joy of living. The 1 s ' . s r s ''p r . ' ' ,V f 1 hand she extended in greeting was small and slender." 'A " v " 7 A ' " " l f tS.tsif M I, ' f ' ,J' , tl ' - a" J' 1 By BERT LENNON. chon-y nucl Lome.v. A stono fireplace adds - ( 4 ' 1 - . V''"1- " " 1 to (he easiness of the living-room. V t ' ' " ' " s fJ'Vr HKN' a certain politician It was in this room that I met Miss ' " ,''( 'ff ' ' " ' 1 . N , 1 v ft ' 'V -i WTrTlf (male Bpnilel-' be,,nl Rm. The fireplace was plied hign with f ' f '! 1 , " ,; ' ShUt'It', '"iS ' " Q JJ hat Joa,me" Kaul:in i'lnzing logs, and before it in a comfortable V-? a t'"' "',,, i , t ,sw t W" W''',f-rf' J' ( IV hn1 hP e'eC,Cd t0 C0D" chair sat the congresswoman-elect, 'i..,',,, . . ? J .U """ mm"-- l- A ' L grcss-tbe nrst woan reading a number of congratulatory mes- '''"''''" A ' sU iU the Ho"se 0t ses- The hour was unconventionally v "4 MM . ,"" 4 k M W &3di -' ca- jate for ca,lers-it wa, after 9 ocioc, in fy f - , j C4 marked, (iisgn&rcaij . ti,e cvening. f-',i ""m,i"ff I, 'i ''w LJ Xd "A Montiuni suffrn gist right out of the ... c ,, , . T . . -', ,J ' I j , , , , , ... JIiss Rankin rose to meet me. Instead J M cattle country. Suppose she packs a 44 .T . , ''if " f "Miss Rankin rose to meet me. Instead of a Junoesque type of woman, I saw a slender creature with a wealth of soft, curly hair, a pair of wist-. wist-. ful dark eyes, and an expression that radiated the joy of living. The hand she extended in greeting was small and slender." By BERT LENNON. f"$Vp iJK.V a certain politician Mr (male gender) heard "BT W that Jeannette Kamiin W l' Vi J& n:u' oe elected to Con-y Con-y V ffi Rrcss tue '"'st woman SE3 " a s h i n gton lie remarked, re-marked, disgustedly : "A Montuna suffragist right out of the cattle country. Suppose she packs a 44 six-shooter and trims her skirts with chaps fur." Of course, he didn't believe that. He was merely trying to ridicule die idea of a womau "desecrating" hy her presence the sacred halls of legislation. Women policemen, police-men, yes; women doctors, yes; women lawyers, law-yers, umm-m. yes; but. women congress-men" congress-men" appalling! Had Montana voters pone plunih crazy ! What sort of a joke wore they putting over on the rest of the nation ! -. "Xo .ioke at all, politician, male gender," Montana voters answered. "You're due for the surprise of your life." And no doubt he Is. s Comes of Fightin' Stock. Going back to the sarcastic reference to a '-J t six-shooter and skirts trimmed with chaps fur," I must confess that though reports re-ports said Miss Rankin was Dot a "wild and ' wool'y" feminist, somehow I visualized her as wearing low-heeled shoes, a starched linen collar, and always a business suit with pockets: yes, and as possessing a low, vibrant voice, imitative of her masculine compatriots in the .mid of politics. With this mental picture before mo. I wont to Montana to get a "close-up" of the congrcsswoman-eloct. As the train carrying carry-ing me westward wound its way through the mountains, sturdy minors and ranchers came aboard until, before we reached Missoula, Mis-soula, the smoking car was filled with them. The presidential election was a secondary sec-ondary topic of conversation between tobacco to-bacco "chaws" and puTs on stale-smelling pips they talked of Jeannette (every one out there knows tier as Jeannette) and of her "'hiiuces" to make good at Washington. "JeanneUe'U make 'em sit up and take . notice." said a grizzly rancher. "She comes ' from fiL'h;:n' stock, she does, and carries a kk-k in hT arLz'incnts." "It's 'bout time we 'liven up Congress a bit." declared a minr. "Jeannctte'U make up for a lot o doad timber." .' Xo wond-r ray idea of Miss Rankin's "mannNhm's" lok n Ormcr root. Rci'Jiaics Joy of Living. Nost i i :i a! ih l;i of the Jumbo mountain moun-tain in M'Mul Manila an o Id-fashioned house, willi wcalhcr-bcatcn gables and long panel windows an uiiattraetivo'nlaeo from the oui.V.o; but within all is bright and cherry and homey. A stone fireplace adds to (he coziness of the living-room. It was in this room that I met Miss Rankiu. The fireplace was plied high with blazing logs, and before it in a comfortable arm chair sat the congresswoman-elect, reading a number of congratulatory messages. mes-sages. The hour was unconventionally late for callers it was after 9 o'clock iu the evening. Miss Rankin rose to meet me. Instead of a'Junoesque type of woman. I saw a slender slen-der creature with a wealth of soft, curly hair, a pair of wistful dark eyes, and an expression that radiated the joy of living. The hand she extended in greeting was as Small nilH cUnla. ao a So this was the "fightin', sUin-'em-alive" politician who had been swept into office on a tidal wave of popularity who had been elected when all ether important candidates can-didates on her ticket had gone down to defeat de-feat who was being hailed as the Republican Repub-lican leader of her state ! I was too surprised sur-prised for words. "Just as Nature Made Me." "Ton- expected to meet an entirely different dif-ferent looking woman, I kDow," said Miss Rankin. "Every one does. Really, I bate to disappoint people, but it can't be helped. I just have to be as nature made me. Perhaps," Per-haps," and she smiled, "folks will learn after a while that femininity and suffrage con go together." Miss Rankin was called to the telephone. "Isn't she a real person?" said her brother, Wellington Rankin, a prominent Montana lawyer. Pride shown in his eyes. "Just as sweet and lovable as she can be and as tender and as sympathetic. Why, when she was on the tump, speaking for the protection of childhood, state and national na-tional prohibition, and other important planks of her platform, people only saw one side of her nature the political side. "Some took her arguments for a better citizenship with less salt than they did those of others but with salt, nevertheless. But they didn't know Jeannette as we at home here know her. Her life is devoted to the cause of mankind and good government first, last and all the time. The rich and the poor, the high and the low, will always get a square deal from my sister." And She's Not Red-Headed. Xo, gentle reader. Miss Rankin is not red-headed. Xeither is she a "Titian-haired goddess." as one eastern newspaper described de-scribed her. Fler hair is brown, plain brown, and fast graying, although she is one of the youngest persons ever elected to Congress. She is slightly above the average in height, walks gracefully and abounds in health and vigor. She is not pretty, but no one would call her plain. Tier great heart and keen brain irradiate a face that other- Miss Jeannette Rankin of Missoula, Montana, the first woman elected to the United States Congress. She comes of "fight- ) Ij ing stock," as they say in the Rockies, but whether at home or under the strain of directing a campaign for suffrage f or social reform, she is "just a normal American girl-sweet and lovable and intelli3entand, above all, sympathetic." wise might be called merely ordinary. She has a strong sense of humor, but seldom tells a joke. She is loyal to her friends; as for her enemies well, they do not worry her. In Missoula they say that Miss Rankin can cook for a fifty-man logging crew without with-out mussing up her bonny brown hair. Her father was a rancher and a lumberman, and on many occasions the congresswoman-elect congresswoman-elect prepared meals for hungry woodcutters. woodcut-ters. They always demanded second- and third helpings of her cooking. She makes her own hats. When she has money she buys pretty but inexpensive clothes, and wears them well ; when she has no money to spend on adornment she makes her gowns over and they look like new. Washington, say her friends, will he proud of her. t'nlike most women in public 'ife. she greatly enjoys a moderate amount of social relaxation. A well-known Montana politician told me a story that showed the fighting spirit of Miss Rankin. I do not vouch for its authenticity nnd, of course, Miss Rankin could not. be expected to discuss it. She's not fanning political embers of dissension. Outwitted Politicians. "The Republican leaders in the state didn't like the idea of a woman being elected to Congress," said the politician. "They would just as soon have had her go dowai to defeat. Consequently, in mapping out speaking itineraries for the leading candidates can-didates on their ticket. Miss Rankin was given dates rhat would have brought her in contact with a small percentage of the voters. "She went to the state committee and said : 'Gentlemen, I'm either going to speak where the other candidates speak, or I'm going to map out an independent itinerary. I'll go before the voters and tell them that I've been discriminated against. You'll be doing them just as much of an injustice as you'll Im? doing me. Po yoa think they'll stand for that? I don't!' "Of course, gentlemen. I'd inc.ch (refer (re-fer being Hooted m aiy platform of national na-tional suffrage, child welfare, t.friff revi- Here s tke Answer to Man Wko Said Vote Would Unsex Women PERHAPS you remember reading, several years ago, the following opinion opin-ion of Dr. Max G. Sfhlafit, an eminent psychologist, who looked aghast at the "dire" effects of woman suffrage: In this stressful age we are getting ewer and fewer womanly women. They have none of the womanly emotions, none of the womanly sympathies. We are ceasing to be normal. That is why we have this suffrage movement. Suffrage leaders rejoice at the ofijiortunity which the election of Miss Jeannette Rankin to Congress has given them to say, "All wrong, professor, all wrong!" They point to the Montana woman and say: Probably shes more interested in children than in anything else. She is charmingly effeminate and sympathetic. She makes her own hats. She can sew. She can darn. She can cook for a fifty-man logging crew, if need be without mussing her bonny brown hair. She dresses prettily and has a graceful carriage. A womanly woman, with womanly ambitions. HATS OFF to "the LADY FROM MONTANA!" sion, prohibition for state and nation, and greater publicity in cougressioupl records, but if you force my hand I'm going to seek election on the platform of sympathy and chivalry. It's up o you !" And the Republican committee, knowing the rancher's and the miner's love of fair play, especially where a woman is concerned, con-cerned, and fearful of losing out all along the line, gave Miss Rankin a choice itinera itin-era ry. liven so. she was opposed by G. O. P. leaders in several towns; but in these she went ahead with the backing of the Montana Mon-tana Good Government League, kept her own Republican banner waving, and .jade speeches that rallied voters by the thousands. thou-sands. "Let the people know what's going on that's the keynote of my platform," declared the young and attractive candidate. "I'm going to v. iu." she added impetuously. In addition io her speaking tours she or:-anized a telephone roundup. On election elec-tion day her friends called every telephone number in the state and asked whoever an- swered if a vote had been cast for Miss Kankin yet. Miss Rankin has opinions on the tariff and other legislative matters of national interest, but she is keeping ihetu for use at Washington, from the door of the lower House, and for discussion in articles which she will write for this newspaper. "Of course I'll make speeches," she said. "I've been making them for the last eight years for suffrage and for prohibition. However. I'm deeply concerned about social welfare legislation. "I had something to do'with a children's home society at Washington, and I know the needs of the youngsters. That work gave me an insight into ihe needs of babies, children and young adults, aud it Is for them I shall work. Xo, I'm not nervous about going to Congress. I've been working work-ing with politicians and for political matters mat-ters so long that I fe! I'm a veteran in the game." Almost every one in Montana knows -Tennnotie nankin. Those who do not know hor ersonally know her by reputation. Mie grew up in the state, and was graduated from the University of Montana and later from the Xew York School of Philanthropy. To Miss Rankin, more than to any other woman in the state, is due the credit of having won the right of suffrage (or Montana Mon-tana women two years ago. She was iob-byist iob-byist for suffrage in the Xew York legislature legisla-ture at the session of 1912, and had charge of the suffrage bills in the legislatures of Delaware, Florida, X'orth Dakota, aud New Hampshire. Also she worked in the United States Congress during two sessions in the interest of national suffrage. The congresswoman-elect spent the iast winter in Xew Zealand, studying social and economic conditions in what some call the best governed country In the world.' "Call Her "First Lady." - Though the Republican party will not have the presidency next year, friends of Miss Rankin suggest that the elephant claim the honor of having "the first lady of the land." for in her election to Congress Con-gress the old party puts a womau in the most powerful legislative body in the world, and as she will be the only woman to occupy oc-cupy such a position, friends say her influence in-fluence will be far greater than that of a President's wife. "She will have the great prestige of being elected and not retting her high position po-sition through marriage." declared an enthusiastic en-thusiastic supporter of the congresswoman-elect. congresswoman-elect. "Adelina Patti, the .'anions songbird, when ordered to sing before a celebrated queen, sent back the following message: 'There are plenty of queens, but there is but one I'atti.' This seems to apply In the present case. There have been plenty of President's wives, but there is only one Jeannette Kankin." After seeing and talking with Miss Rankin, I quite agree with Jessie Hardy Stubbs Maekaye. prominent suffrage worker of Washington, who said: "Jeannette is a good fellow jus: a normal American girl; young, ntrra.-ii'-o. quick; bright nnd intelligent intelli-gent looking, with a kern, well balanced mind." And. in the words of th grizzly raucner, she Colli'-: '"'!;! 1 1 ' o 1 1 1 : g vork. fCocynclu l?!f,. bi J Kcclo'J |