The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1912-08-22
RAGSDALE THE man.
SKETCH OF HIS CAREER BY LIEUT..
GOV. SMITH...HIS LIFE An
Open BOOK.

from his boyhood and observed with
approval his energetic and manly eff
forts to accomplish something and
at the same time merit the conf
dence of the people, it gives me
pleasure in this sketch to endorse
his candidacy as representative from
the Sixth Congressional District in
the halls of our National Congress.
For this position he is admirably
fitted, and is conducting campaign
with Jealous determination and at
the same time on a plane that is
winning approval and merits the
victory apparently in sight:
Returning to the thriving little
town of Timmonsville after he had
discharged a soldiers duty in the
Confederate army, Capt L R Rags
dale married Miss Ellen A Byrd,
daughter of DR. ] E Byrd. and con.
Quoted large mercantile and farm
ing interests there. In the trying
times of '76 he was consplc uous for
his services to Wade Hampton and
democracy; his property was de-
stroyed and his life sought by negro
Republicans. His barns, outbuild.
|ings and store were burned, but he
never faltered and shoulder to shoul.
der with the men of old Darlington
county, he fought until Democracy
was triumphant, Hampton was Gov
ernor and the white race had driver
the negro office holder and carpet
Dagger from power. Shortly after
wards he died, leaving a widow and
four children, three girls and one
boy, James Willard, the subject o1
this sketch, then six years Of age
To his mother and sisters, he has
been and is a devoted son anc
brother.
Willard attended the public schoo
in Timmonsville and when in 1882
taught school there he was one ot
my pupils. He was one of my schol
ars until he was about seventeen
years of age when he left schoo
and went to work. He worked un
til after the youngest of his sister:
had graduated from college and ther
took up the study of law at the
South Carolina University, where he
met his wife, the youngest daughter
of DR. ES Joynes, now Professor
Emeritus of that famous institution
of learning. He has served his peo
pie in positions of honor and trust
and the confidence they repose in
him, the approval they give his work
and the manner he has held theil
trust is best shown by the large law
practice he enjoys, the growth Of
the banks of>which he is president
and the unanimous endorsement that
was given him by the last county
convention of Florence county which
was composed Of men of different
vocations of life, office holders Ma.
tional, State and county-and of pri'
vate citizens who, differing on other
matters, enthusiastically and unani.
mously endorsed him for Congress
from this district.
Mr. Ragsdale has served his coun.
ty in the House and Senate. He
was author of the bill which became
q law forbidding railroad companies
from requiring their employees to
work on Sunday except in cases OF
emergency. He was author of the bill
enacted into law extending the time
to bring suit against the railroad
companies from two to six years.
This was strongly opposed by the
railroad companies and the winning
of this fight was a great victory at
the time. He was author Of what
was known as the Relief System bill
which called for all of his powers as
debater and leader. He was op-
posed by skilled and experienced
politicians, by an influential lobby
and by prominent railroad attorneys
and officials, and the victory he won
for the railroad employees has won
for him their gratitude, support and
confidence. He was one of the lead
ers of the fight for penalty for non
payment of claims by railroad COM
panies and for penalties for monde
livery of freight in reasonable Pc
riods of time by common carriers.
He had charge on the floor of the
Senate of the Lanham House bill in
creasing the number of pounds of
baggage to be carried without extra
pay and of many other bills enacted
into laws curbing the powers of the
great corporations and securing ben
efts and rights to the farmers, to