Good Clean Fun

Representative Robert Fleming Rich, a good and kindly man, a Republican from Woolrich, Pa., needs only a plug hat to look like the drawings of Mr. Prohibition. Off the floor of the House, he is stuffed to the brisket with charity for one & all. On the floor, Mr. Rich is a terrible-tempered Mr. Bang. Each day he arrives for work in a state of condensed fury. Moment the House convenes and the prayer is over, Mr. Rich, bursting with wrath, demands the attention of the House, then explodes. His constant subject is the national debt, his constant refrain, "Where are we going to get the money?" For years Mr. Rich has stuck to his point and that question. The House has become so used to Mr. Rich that members often join in the chorus, roaring in unison: "Where are we going to get the money?"

One day last week, Mr. Rich, grimmer than ever, rose as usual and demanded 60 seconds of the House's time. Members groaned. Grinning fiendishly, Mr. Rich shouted: "April Fool!" He sat down to tumultuous applause.