The Portland daily press., 1890-03-08

as captain of battery spent four wears
IN the service. He is now one of the
greatest lawyers in the west He snent
fourteen years on nisi prius bench, and
LOT many years was chief justice of Iowa.
ne mas at once taken rank in congress-
among the influential members of the
mouse, where he has bright future be.
fore him. w
oue l nave not yet exhausted the list
OF barefooted boys who went out into the
world from adjoining farms in Ashland
county, o., to win success in the various
walks of life," continued the gentIaD
man. Congressman Mcclellan. of Fort
Wayne, Ind, used to wear blue leans
and drive the cows to and from pasture
on his fathers farm in Green township
Now he is wealthy banker, and besides
holding seat in Congress has been on
the bench of his adopted state. The
comptroller of the currency, Edward 9
Lacey, of Michigan, is another Of the
barefooted travellers who drifted out of
Ashland county before the war. He is
one of the most popular men in Michigan,
has been in congress, and will eventually
land in the senate. Thepresent sergeant
alarms of the house of representatives,
A. J. Holmes, was about as poor as any
body could be when he worked on a farm
in Ashland county. He was a good boy,
made good soldier, was for many years
a good congressman from Iowa, and the
members of the Fifty-first congress be-
lieve that his administration of the office
of sergeant-at-arms VIII be so satisfactory
as to reform, for all time to come, the
loose business methods which have hith-
ertoprevailed there.
"The barefoot boys of Ashland county
have not only marched to the front in
business and political circles, but they
have been equally successful in profess
sional life. The newspapers not long
ago contained a statement that Mr.. James
D. Springer, noted railway lawyer of
Minneapolis, had accepted a $50, 900 posi-
ton with the president of the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe. Mr.. Springer has
the reputation in the northwest Of being
a really great railroad lawyer, yet few
men have won success in the face of
SO many difficulties. When his father
started west from Ashland, o., about
1851, it was to better a financial condi-
ton that could hardly become worse.
Springer never had any education, as
the term is generally understood, except
what he picked up in the district schools
of Ashland county, and of the various
places in Iowa where his father from
time to time resided
"In this connection I will add that
back there in Ashland county lives
proud old pedagogue. The now vener-
able and respected George w. Brubaker
has taught school in Green township for
many years, and had under his charge
at one time or another nearly all of the
men have mentioned as having subse-
quently won success in the various fields
of human endeavor. He says Bill ALI
son was the worst boy he ever had, and
that he thinks he fogged that boy about
a thousand times in four years. Still,
the old mans former pupils remember
him with gratitude and affection, for
Senator Allison and Springer and others
whom he graduated from Webster's
spelling book and McGuffey's readers
often stop over at Ashland on their way
east or west to pay visit to the old
schoolmaster.
Zone more instance of the remarkable
series of successes won by barefoot boys
from adjoining farms in Ashland
county," continued the speaker, sand 1
shall have finished my story. One of
the boys with whom Brubaker had a
good deal of trouble was = chap named
STUDIOS. rs : ;,her was a very r .,S"r
man, and young Stubs was a wild,
rather uncouth youth, who liked to run
away from school to 60 down to the
railroad and play among the cars. At
II or IS years of age he caught the west
ern fever, and went out on the Pacific
coast and worked for time as a time
keeper or clerk in the employ of STAN
ford q Crocker, who were building
the Central Pacific road But he had
good stuff in him, and from time to
time his employers advanced his salary
as his knowledge of the railroad bust
ness increased and his usefulness de-
veloped. Finally he was drawing the
handsome pay of $4,000 year, and was
the general freight agent of the road.
In this capacity he was employed
mostly in representing the Central Pa
cltic In the traffic associationsof the coun-
try, and in these meetings he was
brought in contact with the best trained
business intelligence in the world. His
extraordinary abilities were soon recog-
nized all over the country, and two years
ago Phil. Armour, of Chicago, who has
a penchant for hunting out the brightest
men to be found and getting them at
whatever cost. offered him SIS, 900 a year
to leave the Pacific roads and go east and
work for the Chicago, Milwaukee and st.
Paul road. The Central Pacific people
were foolish enough to permit him to 20,
and Stubbs stayed with the st. Paul till
his old employers discovered that they
had lost man whose place could not be
filled, and whose usefulness could not
be measured in money. So they went
TO bidding fr Stubs, and in order to
get the man back had to put up the
Princely sum Of S25, 900 year, which is
the salary which old Brubaker's former
wild and uncouth pupil now draws.
"These are not the only instances /
could give from the farms in Ashland
county of which have spoken, conclud-
ed the gentleman. "Other boys from those
farms have gone poor into the world and
commanded success and distinction. But
think have given examples enough to
show that the people Of the United States,
In picking out men to do its business in
all the fields of thought and action, pub
lie and corporate, business anf profes-
sional, have no prejudice against those
who start barefoot, but give to every
man free opportunity to make the best
that can be made out of life. The condi-
tons which have prevailed believe pre-
vail today, and will continue to prevail in
this country. Neither Socialism, Anarchy,
Henry Georgeism, Edward Bellamyism
nor any other ism or notion will be able
to dislodge from the mind Of the Ameri-
can people that principle which from the
beginning has assigned success to indi.
vidual effort and personal ability to meet
the tests of competition il all the walks
of life"
w. w,