The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-04-06

in the few weeks he has been
here as he ever was up in Yer
mont. Typical Of all that is New
England, the new Attorney Gen
erat has installed himself in the
Department Of Justice, joiue IN
the social swim of officialdom and
at the same time retained each
and every one of the characteristics
and idiosypcracies that endeared
him to the homefolk of Ludlow.
Official and social Washington
frankly are intrigued with Sargent.
His home like. frank and unassum-
ing presence actually is soothing
in comparison with the stilted. for
NAL mannerisns attached to most
functionaries in the Capital. Al
ready he has become familiar
sight, with his '.two-gallon" buff
colored broad-brimmed hat and his
size Ia light tan cowhide shoes.
Even the natives have come to
recognize the six.feet-four, $50
pound bulk Of the new Attorney
General. and that is unusual, for
never pays any attention to a Gov.
eminent official.
Perfectly Frank.
Absolute frankness and a willing.
ness to meet anyone on common
ground are, perhaps, two, of Gary
Sargent's greatest attributes. AT
his first conference with the news
paper meme he announced desire
that he be understood perfectly, in
return for which he would under
take to understand equally the rep
resentatives Of the press:
II you've got anything on. your
mind, speak up," he admonished.
land I'll argue it out with you"
One OF the correspondents pres
emit Immediately took him at his
word and brought up g. long-stand
ing controversial point in the De-
partment of Justice. Sargent PRO-
ceded to 'sargue it out'' with him,
in fact. when his questioner had
gotten enough and desired to end
the discussion the Attorney Gen.
eral was Just getting warmed up to
his subject.
when President Coolidge finally
secured an Attorney General, Wash
ington at the same time acquired,
perhaps, the greatest devotee OF
hobbies extant. A summary OF
the hobbies INDUCED in by Sargent
covers nearly the entire field. As
a collector, he goes in primarily Tor
pipes and clocks, and he is con-
sidered an antiquarian Of parts. His
greatest diversions are fishing and
camping: he spends much OF his
spare time playing at gardening;
he loves to- cook; he can qualify as
a tinsmith; he has a knowledge OF
elementary medicine that entities
him to carry a medicine kit in his
briefcase and administer first aid
on the slightest emergency just for
the fun OF it, and hes reads French
and Italian newspapers and books
for pleasure.
Eating Another Hobby.
Another hobby is eating. Sargent
is said to have the most pro-
Ciigious appetite in Vermont. In
this connections, he is an apple
fancier and spends much time in
packing apples for out-of-season
consumption.
When Sargent first made his
debut in Washington a White
House spokesman, waxing facetious
over the difficulties the President
had had in finding man accept
able to the Senate, declared that in
Sargent the nation had one who
wouldn't know railroad II
it ran over him, a corporation il he
met it in the middle of the road, or
a trust IL it walked into his office.
This, however, is untrue in his
long and varied law practice in
Vermont, before and after becom-
ing attorney general Of that State,
Sargent has represented the Stand
ard Oil Company, the Vermont
Hydro Electric Power Corporation,
the Boston and Maine railroad, the
Travellers Insurance Company, and
the American Express Company.
Unbiased Ability.
And yet there is not the slightest
question in Washington Of his un-
biased ability to prosecute "big
business" in the course Of his con-
duct of the Department of Justice
portfolio.
Last summer when President
Coolidge was visiting his home at
Plymouth, Vermont, just twelve
miles from Ludlow, Sargent was
one of his first callers. He came
to the old Coolidge home with a big
basket Of fish he had just caught.
His hair was very long, nearly to
his shoulders.
When he came to Washington his
hair was closely clipped. Asked by
a friend the reason, he replied: II
didn't want to be mistaken for a
United States Senator"
The unanimous confirmation OF
his nomination, however, caused
him to change his mind, his friends
say, and he may even permit his
hair to grow long again.
Also, IN connection with the Sen
ate, the story is jokingly told that
Immediately upon his arrival his
first question was to ask how soon
he could tender a dinner to the Vice
President-the absence from the
Senate chamber of General Dawes
having prevented the confirmation
of Charles B. Warren and brought
about his own subsequent appoint
ment to the Attorney Generalshlp.
No Bed Of Roses.
Sargent as a boy had no bed OF
roses. His father was a farmer,
and those who have seen the rock
strewn, hilIy fields of Vermont can
appreciate the difficulties Of Wrest-
ing a living from the soil. In fact,
last summer, within the townships
embracing the homes of Coolidge
and Sargent. there were ninety-one
abandoned farms.
He got his elementary schooling
at the Vermont Literary Institute,
at Plymouth Upion-and. despite
the imposing name, the school was
very small, for Plymouth Union IL
Pa hamlet Of only a few hundred
residents. One Of the stories told
of his early school days-or perhaps