Chewing Gum

Representative Percy E. Quin, Democrat from Mississippi, rose in the House to speak. He placed his quid of chewing gum on the speaker's table and proceeded:

"The time has arrived when I feel that I must say something. I am surprised that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Begg) has the gall to get up before the House of Representatives and not only condone but actually recommend this raid upon the United States Treasury. . . . Nobody ever believed that the money of the taxpayers would be squandered in such a manner as that. . . . What will the people who actually go out and toil say? Do you know that there are people in the United States who start early in the morning and work all day long for a dollar, and a dollar and a quarter?"

In his excitement, Mr. Quin pounded the table. His gum broke loose from its moorings and began to roll from side to side, flirting with the edge of destruction. At last, Representative James H. MacLafferty of California rose and interposed: "Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, I wish to state to him that he is in imminent danger of losing his chewing gum."

Mr. Quin often displays himself in interesting ways before the public. Sometimes he carries his lunch to his office. Again he is pictured with his almost-inseparable pipe. When he first campaigned for election he got himself a saddle horse and pair of saddle bags and rode about visiting the farmers in his district.