Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-07-09

the caller be the greatest man in his
township or a veritable crank from an
asylum, Mr.. Ryan satisfies and pleases
them all Probably the secretary OF
the interior himself does not realize
what amount of work is done in the
room adjoining his own nor how many
annoy ances are kept from him by his
able assistant. Mr.. Ryan is very popu-
lar with the newspaper men of this
city. Fifteen years ago he was a bright.
chubby, handsome boy and employed as
stenographer by various correspondents
on newspaper row. His first great effort
as shorthand reporter was in 1876,
when he accompanied Mr.. q. L White
to ST. Louis and reported for the New
York Tribune the proceedings of the
convention which nominated Mr.. Tilden
for the presidency. Subsequently he
worked for Maj. John NJ. Carson, of the
Philadelphia Ledger; Mr.. Dunnel1, of
the New York Times; Mr.. Wight, of
the Chicago Inter Ocean, and other lead
ing papers Mai. Carson to-day said:
Zone of the most faithful, reliable
young men / have ever known was lit
tie Billy Ryan He was an orphan boy,
born in the district of Columbia, who
taught himself shorthand and BY his
own efforts supported his widowed
mother and sisters. He was very in
dustrious, always sober and an unusual
ly steady, manly little fellow for his
years. We all became interested in
him, and, realizing the struggle which
he was making for the benefit of his
family, rather than for himself, a couple
of correspondents united with me and
requested his appointment in the in
terror department. Hon. Carl Schurz, at
that time secretary of the interior. APP
pointed Ryan to clerkship in the pen
sion Office under Col. Dudley, and he
passed through every grade in the civil
service by regular promotion for merit
until he reached the important position
which he now occupies, by designation
of Secretary Noble in 1889. He deserves,
because he has earned, success
AS local reporter in this city young
Ryan made the acquaintance of public
men by assignments to interview them.
Clarence Barton, now of Olympia,
Wash, was managing editor of the
National Republican OF this city. and
he always called on Ryan to secure in
terviews because they were invariably
verbatim and absolutely reliable. By
the way, that is the most important
work to be done by newspaper men in
this city-interviewings statesmen and
reporting them accurately. The ac-
QUESTION of acquaintances was cor
relative to the making of friends by
the young stenographer, for he retains
until this day the warm friendship of
leading men of both political parties.
He knows every member, ex-member
and member-elect of both houses of
congress of the present day. and is IA
miliar with the peculiarities and fads
of nearly all Of them. As the guardian
of the door of the secretary he knows
whom to welcome, to whom the door is
open and for whom it is never open.
The public duties of the private sec
retary-that Is, those which are visible
to the general public-constitute but a
portion of the labors of this worthy
young man He takes from dictation
all of the important correspondence of
the secretary and prepares all letters
for his signature, seals and mails them,
and also prepares answers to hundreds
of letters which the secretary never is
obliged to even see or hear of, although
they are addressed to him. 1t would be
physically impossible for the secretary
to personally read all letters addressed
to him The career of this young man
might well be emulated by young men
everywhere Poverty, orphanage and
other discouragements can be overcome
by honesty and industry.
SMITH D. FRY.