Morning journal and courier., 1888-12-17
WHO LICE REALLY IS,
The Man Who VIII Help Mr. HarrI.
 son to Run she Country

Indianapolis Letter to the Chicago Tribune
 Elijah W. Halford, who will probably stand between the public and the coming President for the next foue years in his ea- paeity as private secretary, is man of more than ordinary ability in many respects. He is self made, having gradually worked his way up from the station of printers "devil" to the managing editors desk. About thir- ty years ago he commenced to learn the trade of printer in job office of this city under the tutorship of 8 man who was an artist in his way, and from him ''Lige," as Halford is familiarly called, imbibed certain ideas he has carried about with him ever since. He developed into good "jour," but did not stick long at the case. After hustling about for the fugitive item for a number of years he became news editor and then managing editor of the Journal of this city, with which paper he has been connected since be- fore the commencement of the war, with the exception of 8 short time in Chicago as man. aging editor of the Inter Ocean and few periods of rest while the Journal was chang- ing ownership.
 Besides his newspaper work he has devoted considerable time to the study of political and religious matters, 8 queer combination to be sure, but one which suits his peculiar temperament. He has been known to preach sermon for some pastor who was suddenly called out of the city, and then rush down to the office and dash off leading editorial full of five syllable adjeetives that struck terror to the heart of a political opponent. The next day perhaps he would be out in the ru- ral districts somewhere trying new lecture on Europe" or the "Great Northwest" upon the unsuspecting and unofending citizens before tackling the more cultured audiences of larger places. In this connection his friends tell the following:
 MT. Ralford is man who likes tidiness, and it is safe to say that the applications for in ay mn aipry afa will lose considerable value in his eyes. He prizes neatness in all things, and will have it wherever he is or will know the reason why. An old printer says that his likes in this re- speet amount to almost hobby. It per- vades the whole newspaper office from cellar to garret, and this is borne out by the fact that tramp printers have refused to 'fsub" in the composing room because the "regu- lers" put on clean white shirts each day. Every "comp" has a ouspidor alonside his frame, and the foreman is continually on the ragged edge for fear piece of waste paper on the floor will meet the managers eye. He is said to be able to see an error in handful of type half way across the room, and lead out of place marks lessening of esteem for the makeup. Neatness has al- ways characterized the style of headlines and arrangement of matter in his paper.
 Like many other good men, he has a weak. ness. He can clothe his language in all manner of forms, from the delicate su9ges- tive phrase to the adjective denunciation that falls with the weight of a trip hammer, but when he comes to transcribe his thoughts on paper he fails to produce anything but 8 jumbled mass of scratches to the uninitia- ted. His chirography is bad. In this re- speet he is studious disciple of the late Horace Greeley and Mir. Bloss, of the Gin cinnat Enquirer. The postmaster here has an expert clerk to decipher the addresses on his letters, and even then they are frequent ly returned for want of better directions" When the type writer wave broke over the West he invested in one of the machines and practiced on it for 8 while. The new come printers immediately held a jollifca- tion meeting over what they thought was their emancipation from the thralls of the Greek, while the old timers, who had been getting rich by setting double leaded "takes" of Halford that nobody else could read, were dcwncast and Respondent. He pounded away on the typewriter for month or two, and then fell back into his old ways. Short ly afterwards a new man got sheet of his copy that commenced and ended in the nid- dle of a sentence. He took it to his case, studied it for five minutes, turned it around two or three times, and then, walking over to galley of ''pi," picked up a handful and put it among the newly set matter, marking it to correspond with the number of the ''take" he failed to read. He then put on his coat and walked out of the office, no doubt thinking if the editor sent in "pi" to read he should be accommodated with the genuine article.
 These are some of the stories you hear about the news room of the office where "Lige" has long been known, but if General Harrison provides an interpreter with each of bis eecretary's letters serious trouble may be averted. His more intimate friends say, however, that his bad writing is due to the fact that his thoughts flow so much faster ia han frev in hia f0 keep up with the former he sacrifices 8 graceful result of the latter. However that may be, there is no denying that when his articles are printed they look like the work of jurist who carries Webster about on his pencil tips. The consensus of opinion here to-day is that General Harrison has made 8 wise selection, but the idea also predemi~ mates that MT. Halford will be more of 6 confidential adviser to him than mere sec- retary. With Benjamin, 6 Levi and an Elijah at the helm of government, lovers of Biblical names ought to be satisfied.