The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-15
JOKES ON TWO STATESMEN
"Ham". Lewis Recalls One on seer.+.r,
when He Was Governor Of Iowa
-Lewls's Bad Break.
Washington Post.

Washington Post.
,GA-Congressman James Hamilton Lewis of the
tel Joke since he came to town upon Secretaryy
OF the Treasury Shaw. Colonel Lewis is great
adm1rer OF the, secretary, who ran twice FOR
governor OF the state of Iowa
During the campaign of the state after the
second election of Shaw was one of the demo-
cratic speakers who were returning from Iowa
and Just preceding US the governor had gotten
to his home town in Dennison." say. CoIonei
Lewis. Through the complications that ire.
quently arise In a mans home county. particu.
larry where he is a banker, the governor lost his
own county. It went democratic
There was little sIrish shoemaker in the
town who had always done the governors work.
bis name was Mike Finnigan. The governor
stepped at the shop and the following converse.
ton tr8nspired :
Good morning, Pat" said the governor.
Good morning, guy'nor,' said Pat. Il guess
must congratulate yez upon yez getting elect.
''Whereupon the governor said; well. am
glad to be elected, but am sorry to have lost
my home county,
"Pat said not word but hammered away
upon the sole of the shoe with more yigor. The
governor, noting the silence, remarked:
You see; Pat, it's hard thing to have
your home go against you, though for purely per
sonal reasons
"Pat was still silent, and the governor be.
coming interested. added: What could you
say, Pat: when man loses the county in which
a new OeIuoCfat1c Sieam gdtnered IN rne race
OF Pat, and he burst out: 'Phat wud OF say,
guv'nor? All OF could say is that it's a dom
sthate."
good joke is told upon Colonel Lewis himself
As was well known here in Washington while
Lewis was in public life he displayed an unusual
amount of information upon many subjects. Al
cx-Speaker Reed was known to say, "there was
nothing scientific political literary that Lewis
did not know enough about to be absolutely right
or always wrong" In science, in medicine, IN
his own profession Of the law, literature and pol
itics. to say nothing of the sciences OF natural
constantly appealed to by members of the house
One day in the cloakroom, where little lunch
was served, Lewis and the late deceased mem
Der, DIR. Stokes Of South Carolina, happened tt
be present. The doctor was member from ar
interior district in the state and had been elected
because Of the universal esteem in which his
patients held him for his high eminence as 8
physician. There were present Colonel Elliott OF
South Carolina, who vouches for the truth of the
joke; Mcclellan OF New York, Foss of Chicago
and De vrees of California. DR.. Stokes and the
others were taking matted milk; Lewis was In
vited to participate. The colonel commenced
to dilate upon the digestive qualities Of matted
milk. He learnedly started out upon all the
elements of acids, lime and proportion Of salts ir
the compound, and the effect chemically 1t had
upon the gastric juices.
DR.. Stokes was a calm, quiet gentleman. tt
all of Lewis essay and homily he spoke not q
word, except to Inject .4of course Indeed, "
II dare say" The others stood about with mani
fest interest In the western congressman's tall
and learned dissertation upon the physician'i
own science. All at once Lewis spied medal
dangling upon the watch chain worn by the doc
tor. He touched it with his fingers and re-
marked: Doctor, that very beautiful medal
Might ask you was that given you for deport
ment Qaughing)? ?"
1t was the doctors time. Every one was In
terested when he quietly said:. mo, colonel.
won this medal In postgraduate course at
New York medical college, out Of class OF
1G6, for the best essay upon the digestive quail
ties Of matted milk
And 10, there it was. written upon the medal
There was nothing else for Lewis to do but wha1
he did do, which was to turn around and say:
Gentlemen, the drinks are on me. What viii
you haye?''