The Washington times., 1921-05-15

TTopdply ninety OUT Oh eveTy nun
dred members of Congress know how
to play poker-or think they do-and
yet no member ever admits In debate
first-hand acquaintance with the
game. Always they say II under
stand that in playing poker" or 81
have been told regarding the game of
poker" and so on.
Again this has just been illustrated,
for now and then a reference to poker
Is needed to emphasize a point about
legislation, or perhaps the debates
turn to the vices of humanity and the
importunings of professional reform
ers.
Congressman Bourke Cochran Of
New York came as near as any mem
Der has ever come to admitting that
he knew the value OF a poker hand
The House was recently talking about
the naval bill and disarmament, Mr..
Cochran being in favor of disarma-
ment Said Mr.. Cochran, in his naive
way:
81 do not know IL I can appeal to
the experiences of gentlemen here, but
there IL a game known among maLy
Americans as poker, and l think II IL
considered among experts in that &C
compli shment a fundamental rule of
poker that the worst hand is not the
lowest but the second best Now. III (,
second-best armament among nations
is like the second-best hand at poker.
Applause and laughterD 1t serves
no purpose except to get Its holder
into mischief and bring him to dis
aster IL not ruin" (Laughter)
The applause and laughter plainly
showed there were men in the House
who knew something about poker and
also appreciation of the truth that
the worst hand to hold in the national
game is one that is just topped"
However, a few minutes later Con-
gresham Marvin Jones OF Texas-a
section where there has BEEN more or
less playing Of draw and stud since
the days of Sam Houston. and before
arose to reply to Mr.. Cochran. Mr.
Jones' remarks indicate that he has
heard of the game Of poker and that
some one told" him about the gen.
eraI object of that indoor sport Mr..
Jones commented:
"The poker story was very inter
esting, but not at all applicable.
From what / am told about poker,
IL Is a game in which you are trying
TO get what the other fellow has.
do not believe that we arm as
lection. We are not trying to get
what the other man has, but we
simply want TO have our own rights
protected and the right to deal with
other nations in a commercial way
And so the colloquy appears In the
official Congressional Record. and II
represents about as much as The
House membership 10 willing to ADM
of it's knowledge of poker.
Not long ago, for instance, when
William Schley Howard was a mem
Der from Georgia, the House was de-
batting a proposed internal revenue
tax on decks of playing cards. Rep
resentative Nick Longworth face
! tiousIy suggested that tax might
be levied against the kitty" There
was a few minutes of guarded dis
cuss'on, enlivened by statement
| by Representative Claude Kitchin, IN
charge of the bill. that he was a
good church member and didn't know
a thing about cards. but he was viii
ling to tax almost anything to raise
war funds.
Eventually. Congressman Howard
arose and with an air of innocence
! and thirst for knowledge said:
at would like TO know something
about the kitty to which the gentle
| man from Ohio referred. i have
heard the term before, but not know
| ing how to play poker. / seek en-
| lightenment. Is there cat con-
nected with the game Of poker?"
| Congressman Longworth gravely
! informed Mr.. Howard that he under
| stood that in some poker games
there was "rske-off' which had
been known as the kitty" from time
| immemorial.
After the debate a newspaper cor
! RESPONDENT who knew Howard quite
I weIl-the same being this writer
sought out the Georgia Represent
] alive and said:
Look. Bill, what is all this stun
about you not knowing how to pla,
poker?"