The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1913-09-25
]. Willard RagsdaIe Of South
Carolina, First Termer, Would
Not Take Orders From Ad-
ministration on Currency Bill.
By HERBERT COREY.

WASHINGTON, Sept. II. - 1t was
all fixed for the currency bill to be
debated formally in the Democratic
caucus. Then it was to be approved.
Then 1t was to be placed on casters
and wheeled through the House. No
one was to say anything unpleasant
70 any one. All were to be good
little pals together.
"J. Willard Ragsdale. Democrat, OF
Florence, was elected to the Sixty
third Congress.
Just that single line in the South
Carolina section Of the Congressional
Directory. No one thought anything
OF 1t. 1t didn't seem significant. Even
IL 1t had occurred to any one that
this Ragsdale person was giving HIM
self mighty little space for first
termer-that being the time when the
average congressman takes up more
room in the directory than he ever
does again-no importance would have
ben attached to it. First termers at.
tract just DIS IluSLl dlbSliNioii lN >ehU-
Gus time as a bound boy at husk-
ing. Ragsdale became a member Of
the banking and currency commit
tee because he is a banker down home.
Then he began to do things. What
ever may be the value of the things
he did. there can be no question that
he did them extremely well. he in
troduced that amendment to the cur
rency bill which provided that loans
might be made upon warehouse re-
ceipts for farm products as well as on
commercial paper. That particularly
got the banking world by the ears.
Elder statesmen sought to set Rags
dale right. Then the patient listen
ers outside the caucus doors used to
turn to each other and wink with
evidences of cynical approval. y
"Whishti" said they.% "Ragsdale
= f.as the floor"
Mounds of shuffles, 'oot tumults,
and evasions always accompanied the
process of taking the floor away from
Ragsdale. For a first termer ne
was not only destitute Of the quality
OF sweet humility. but he was q tao
tician and a rough fighter as we'll. He
has a theory that the fact that he
has spent the greater part Of his life
In the banking business - when he
wasn't practising law-has acquainted
him with some Of the larger facts
OF that trade.
people have talked finance to me-"
said Mr.. Ragsdale, whose only
knowledge of a bank Is that 1t Is
cold building usually coated on a
principal street"
Ragsdale is president Of one bank In
South Carolina, director In two more,
and Is a good-natured man, with a
fighters eye and a warm hand. In
debate he just escapes the charge OF
belligerency. He likes to walk down
the aisle toward the other fellow,
shouting slightly as he comes. He Is
very much in earnest and he is large
large and active-not unwieldly large,
but just large enough to haLdle him.
self well. He began life with no money
to speak Of and now lives at CLUB
in Washington and keeps a large
automobile ready at all hours. .
He didn't intend to kick up shindy
when he came to Washington. He
wanted to support the administration.
It was Ragsdale who secured an in
dorsement" of Woodrow Wilson by
the South Carolina convention pre-
vious to that Baltimore affair after
instructions" had been refused by
handled majority. But he didn't
like the ADMINISTRATORS bill, and be
liked it even less after the admins
tration had snapped a whip at him
time or two. The two South Carolina
senators and the six other congress-
men declare that Ragsdale's all right.
They like his amendment, too.
For q flrst-termer Ragsdale Ger
fainly made q good start. .