The Washington herald., 1913-01-27

Congressional life is going to be much
more pleasant after the arrival of Con-
gressman-elect James Willard Ragsdale,
young man who has made right smart OF
money as lawyer and banker and
is going through life actuated by a noble
impulse to try to make things brighter
and gayer for those with whom he Is
thrown. Having amassed a reasonable
amount of stocks, bonds. ChatteIs. and
negotiable securities, he now desires to
put part OF il in circulation, and what
could be any more fair than that?
Ragsdale is likely to forge to the front
entertainer of the next Congress. taking
the place so long held by Representa-
tive Mckinley OF Illinois.
In view OF the approaching special
session OF the new Congress, Ragsdale
came to Washington a week or so ago
to sort OF look things over and find
what the duties of a Congressman are
While standing in the hotel lobby the
day after his arrival. he was introduced
TO several agreeable strangers. As soon
as the introductions were made, Rags
dale leaned over TO the one nearest him
and said. casually:
Mr-er, ! didn't just catch your name.
but the fact is / am giving little
theater party this evening, and l am
wondering il you wouldn't care TO join
US
The other man said that he would be
delighted. and where should he meet his
host?
'Oh. why not come here and have
dinner with me?" suggested Ragsdale.
Bring your wife, of course
Then he. turned to another pleasant
looking new acquaintenanCe. This one
couldn't come. he said. because he had
some guests to look after.
But why not bring them alonG?'
promptly suggested Ragsdale. Well all
have dinner here together, and II will be
much more jolly
So il was all arranged.
The dinner and theater and nice little
supper afterward all fitted right in with
Cousin Ragsdale's scheme of increasing
the circulation of our national currency,
and he was entirely free from gloom. In
fact he wasn't much more than through
his breakfast next morning till he was
busy trying to bring little sunshine
into the lives OF another squad OF new
week. and II is said that he dispensed
more good cheer in that time than any
body who has struck town in a long
while with the possible exception of
Santa Claus. It cost him mebby several
hundred dollars. but why should man
fret agout getting shet' of few sor-
did dollars when that Is THE very thing he
has started out to accomplish. As
banker he has found that the flow of our
currency is altogether too sluggish, and
he pants to remedy the difficulty. His
spent rapidly enough, everything will be
all right.
We have looked into the proposition
from every angle ourself, and have about
determined that Ragsdale has hit the
nail on the head.
Ragsdale has his clothes made without
padIocks on the pockets and is said to
work his fountain pens and checkbooks
in eight hour shifts.
tightwad in the whole sixty-third Con-
gress.
Considering still further the subject Of
superlatives. jefferson NJ. Levy, Of New
York, owner of Monticello. is the most
easily kidded member of Congress.
Levy is the owner of a lovely fur over
coat, said TO have cost $4,000, and he is
as vain about the garment as a bride
is about the fluffy lace things in her
trousseau. During the discussion of the
measure relating to the taking over
of Monticello by the government, on ac-
count of it being Thomas Jefferson's
old home, number of Congress-
men gave Levy funny reason
for lining up in behalf of Mrs.
Littleton and voting against him. They
told him that If they voted with a man
who owned a $4,000 overcoat. they
wouldn't dare return to their districts
for fear of being mobbed.
And Levy believed it.
Last year Levy said at dinner one
night that he was going to take a num-
Der of Congressman and newspapermen
down to Monticello to show them how
nicely he was keeping up the old place,
and how much money he had spent on
IL from patriotic impulses. 1t was noted
that Levy didn't specify any particular
date for the triple simply made 1t one
of those some time" invitations.
For nearly a month after that one or
more persons went to him each day
and asked seriously when the trip was
going to be. As the proposed jaunt
would have involved considerable ex-
pense, close observers imagined that
Levy actually lost weight during the
time the talk of the thing was kept up.
S.n,tor Watson of West Virpinia will