The Press: Wolf! Wolf!

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The Washington Post last week printed a sensational report that started a great cackling among Washington newshens. According to the report, there is a secret list which Capitol Hill's 135 female reporters are supposed to keep of U.S. Senators and Representatives "to stay on the other side of the desk from." Appended to prominent names on the list were such descriptive names as "Garter Snapper"; "Revolving Door Romeo" (he "gets into the same compartment of a revolving door [and] . . . pinches"); "Elevator Lothario"; "Gooser Gander"; and "Desk Athlete" ("He jumps. See him only with your gang").

Almost to a woman, the Washington women's press corps uprose in indignation. They declared they had never seen or heard of such a list, swore that few Congressmen are less than perfect gentlemen, said that the articles had made their work harder by making Congressmen afraid to be alone with them. They were even more curious than indignant when the author of the unsigned stories turned out to be plump, bespectacled Post Reporter Mary Spargo, onetime investigator for the Dies Committee.