The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-17
. Washington Daybook
BY JACK

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16.-Meet the new
mayor of Washington. He's Sen. Robert
Rice Reynolds of North Carolina and he gets
his title of mayor because he has just been
elevated to Craftsmanship of the Senate Dis
trict of Columbia committee which handles all
affairs of the district in the upper house.
Jul Bob" as most of the folks back in the
Tar Heel state ho him, came to the Senate
the easy way-but not without plenty of splash
and color. If he doesn't bring some of tha
latter to the usually colorless job of being
Washington's mayor, a lot of the natives are
going to be disappointed.
Already there are indications he won't let
them down He has announced for one thing
that he is going to unsnarl capital traffic
and for another, that he's going to hold open
house once a month when Westinghouse can
come up and air their grievances. That is
about like taking on Joe Louis with one hand
and holding off the Chicago football Bears with
the other.
After Bob Reynolds got his law degree,
he launched on one of his many junkets. 1t
was a trip around the world. He took with him
the names and addresses of thousands of North
Carolinians and from every way station, he
shot them back home, announcing that he
was candidate for lieutenant governor. He's
probably the only candidate for any office in
this country who announced from Bombay,
midland he darned near won.
GAVE HIM A START
He came close enough that the politicians
in his home county had to consider him in
spite of his youth. 1t was a Republican county
and they figured it didn't make much differ,
ence anyway, so they filed his name as a
Democrat for county attorney. Much to every
body's amazement, including Bob's, he won.
That job of prosecutor of Buncombe county,
was the only political one Bob held until he
inn nod fropo 'corororotivo obcoI1ritv ipto the
Senate in 1882.
He made the leap by way of an old jaloppy
and a dinner menu from one of Washington's
most fashionable hotels. The jaloppy gave
him the down = to : earth, man from = the
roads background and the dinner menu from
the hotel where his opponent was living gave
him ammunition. On the menu was Imported
Russian caviar, $1.5O." It didn't take Reynolds
long to convince the voters that his opponent
was eating fish eggs at ST.. so a portion while
they were worrying about getting hen eggs at
20 cents a dozen.
That battered car and the impressed appear
ance of his campain later provided back.
ground for one of his favorite stories. The
senator really is a pretty snappy dresser and,
driving to Washington in a pretty snappy car,
he stopped for a soda at a crossroads grocery
store which he had not visited since his cam.
~paigning days. There was a gang around the
cracker barrel. The senator, in his usual bluff,
hearty manner, introduced himself, had his
soda and left. AS he closed the door, he heard
someone say to a man who came in from the
back: Joe, you shoulda been here. There was
a crazy dude in her just now that thinks he's
Senator Reynolds"
HOME STATE BOOSTER
If the vote tally means anything, "Our Bob
gets along all right back home. He should. for
he's North Cardinals No. l booster. He has
J travelled in almost every country in both hemi.