National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-09-19

How lie Worked iiis way to the Top
A Chat with II Democrat Who Does
Not Approve the Administrations
Course.
New York Tribune
The head of well-known iron.iirm of
this city, who has known John Roach init
mately for the last thirty years, IL Il per-
sOnal friend of his, and Is also Democrat,
said Of the persecution of John Roach the
other day:
"These attacks on John Roach for polit-
ical capital astOund me. ] have known
the man thoroughly and know him still,
and know that every hair on his head Is
honest. have seen him under circum-
stances where he might have made money
aud the temptation would have affected a
weaker manly means not strictly honor
able, but often considered proper In bust
ness but John Roach would have nothing
to do with It. Again, he has done more for
American shipping than any other man; in
fact, II he Is embarrassed to-day II is be-
cause Of his efforts In that direction. He
sank money In his Brazilian line, and he II
left now with an immense shipyard which
he cannot utilize. To show you what kind
Of man he Is, let me give you some of his
inside history.
Passing beyond his coming here at 10 n
| poor boy, and his 'prcnticeship, when he
| was a young man in the employ of the AL
laire Works, he bought one or two sections
| of land, 100 or 800 acres, in Illinois, and
went there to locate his purchase. While
there the Allaire Works failed and he lost
the money he had paid, for he could not
| raise the balance, as the sum due him Ia
pay the rest was owing to him from the firm.
| Young Roach worked his way back to Pitts
burg, Philadelphia, and finally this city by
doing days work, His next move was to go
into business on a small scale with twof fellow
workmen In Goerck street, where he re-
| manned until he bought the Morgan Works.
They could not pay their men, and the other
two were dsheartened What did Roach
doY lie bought them out He had nc
money to pay down, but he paid his mel
their money each week, and finally paid of
his partners. II he could get hold Of Slt
he could make II go further than 500 witt
any other man. He had the faculty of In
spring men with confidence IN his integrity
and could get loans and advances OF ma
terial where other men could not.
"ROach next went into business with hi
brother-in-law, johnson, with the same re-
suit us before lie bought his brother-in
law out because johnson saw nothing bu
ruin before them. With the same indOmita
BILE pluck John Roach went TO work again
lie heard Of fine opportunity to do a piec
of work, but he hadn't the money. 1t wa
at this time that | was first intimately as
ISOLATED with him. Roach went to som
brokers, who declined to purchase for hin
the iron he wanted; so he went directly 1
the firm itself, stated the case in his blum
way, and astonished the brokers by flour
shng In their faces an order from the iirr
for the iron he wanted. BY such strokes
by rising at a. IN. and going to work, b
paying his obligations promptly when due
and by unhinching honesty, John Roac
, built himself up. And this takes us dow
to the be ginning of the war.
! "JOhn Roach had had hard pull !
, building himself up so far; he had rival
7 who became more strongly arrayed again'
I him the higher he got, as always happen
lie had made up his mind to get some GO
; eminent work. But how should he get 1
T lie found himself blocked at Washington
] his opponents; they had given out that
] had no shop and that he was frau,
i What did John Roach dop He went plum
q to Washington and saw Secretary SALINE
4 Z. Chase, whom he had met, Mr.. Cha
g said he could do nothing Il
n him beyond giving him a lett
Il of introduction to Mr.. Lincoln. NJ
T, Roach took il and went to the President. NJ
r Lincoln, rs is well known, could take
Is man in AT glance John Roach had hard
opened his mouth before Mr. Lincoln, WI
held his hand as he shook it, said M
Roach, that is the hand Of wOrkingma
You need say nothing more. win 81
YOU line to Secretary Welles.' Roach, "
know, is a practical mechanic, and If "
have ever shaken hands with him you knC
his hand is hard and callOused from I
manual work he does, or has done, The we
next morning John Roach pl
scented himself TO Mr., Welles a
said Mr., Welles, l have col