The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-01-29
Interesting Article About
Doughton Appears In Post
Article Entitled, He'll Take
A Bite Out OF You" At
tracts Attention

The Ninth District Democrats
have twice resisted, with success,
Hon. Robert Lee Doughton's at
tempts to retire to his farm at
Laurel Springs and trade horses
instead of political ponies, says
recent article in Saturday
Evening Post written by Gerald
Movius about our beloved ''Mr.
Bob" Doughton of Laurel Springs.
The Ninth District has been vot-
ing for our Congressman for 81
years.
Hell Take a Bite Out of YOU
was the title of MIR. Movius' story,
in saying you might as well get
acquainted with the fellow who's
going to take such a painful bite
out of you next year" Upon Mr..
Doughton's rugged shoulders will
fall the burden of drafting legis-
lation to raise the billions of dol
lars necessary to help finance the
war.
AS chairman of the important
house ways and means committee,
Mr.. Doughton will steer an un-
precendented tax bill through
that body. which, in its broad
scope, will deeply touch the
pocket hook Of practically every
American.
"They put a hoe in Bob's hands
about as soon as he was able to
keep both ends of it off the
ground at the same time, and he
was teamster of the family almost
as soon as he could hitch up his
own rompers by himself" wrote
Mr.. Movius. "If the Baptist con-
gregation in Laurel Springs did
not see the Doughtons on Sun
day, there was talk of sending
broth and jelly, because obvious
1y someone was sick"
But for the most part, the Sat-
urday Evening Post story tells
many anecdotes about Mr.. Dough-
ton: of the time he chomped on
an apple while his political op-
ponent, famous for flashly dress
and flowery oratory, became flu
stored while delivering an ad-
dress; of when he took matters in
his own hands when a dealer in
Fayetteville tried to 'do him OUT
of $500 for a pair of horses; of his
reply to President Roosevelt after
Father Franklin addressed a let
ter to Dear Bob" in which cri-
ticisms were made of the tax bill
then on the eve of passage in
committee; of the appreciation
meeting given for the congress-
mans thirty years of service at
the Rowan county courthouse on
December 80, 1910.
The magazine article pictures
Mr.. Doughton as a man who re-
tires at 8 p. m. to be up and about
before 6 a. M, who reads all his
mail and personally answers ev-
erything except routine inquiries,
who has "a snorting contempt for
neglect of duty and detail" who
believes farmers ought not to ask
too much from the administra-
ton, who pays what he owes to
! friend or foe, who is strict in his
trading ethics and expects others
to be likewise.
Explaining his frequent trips to
Laurel Springs, the article quotes
Mr.. Doughton as saying, IT can
sort of walk around and see to il
that the boys aren't working too
hard"
"a gentleman of color recently
employed by Uncle Bob knows all
about his habits on the farm, .
wrote Mr.. Movius, "Can Mr.
Bob pitch hay as fast as I can?
He defended the family honor
'Lawd, Gawd, yes. Man, Mr.. BOZ
can cover me up clean before ]
gets begun. "
But the friends and acquaint-
ances of Mr.. Doughton in his
home county Allegheny know
all about his characteristics, and
probably could tell many more
interesting anecdotes that were
not in the Post story.