Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-11-05
HE TOOK A RECEIPT.
And Thereby Saved His Employ
ers Name and Reputation.
How Sunset Cox's Private Secretary
Watched Over the Old Man He Hon
Ored-A Document Which Was Pro-
duced When It Was Most Needed.
Especial washington Lctter.1

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Especial Washington Lctterl
Intelligent loyalty is a rarity. Pub
Tic men require the services of private
secretaries, and the majority of them
imagine that they need machine men,
but in this they are mistaken Senators
and representatives look upon stenog-
raphers as they look upon monographs
and graphophones. but the ADLER men
view these wage workers through diff
ferent spectacles. The late Sunset Cox,
bright. brainy, lovable. companiona-
BILE. and therefore lamented. always
said that a good private secretary was
worth his weight in gold He knew,
for be had one in John D. O'Connor.
The gentleman resides here, and is now
the confidential assistant of the super
intendent of the census. In private
conversation this evening Mr.. O'Connor
said: IL suppose that l am sometimes
presumptuous with the statesmen with
whom and for whom I work, but can
not help it. I'm something of woman
in my methods of thought, for intui-
lions come to me and act upon them
almost invariably. Very often I used
TO argue matters with Mr.. Cox and he
very often acknowledged that l was
right in opposing matters which he
started to accomplish. When he had
dictated letter it would occur to me
either that the letter was not a proper
one to send or else that it might be bet
ter not to write at all; and would say
SO. Generally could give no reason
other than that ! felt it was wrong.
Then my mentor would stop to think.
and he could usually End some good
reason for agreeing with me, although
] could give nothing but an impress
SION"
''Can you give me an instance of your
opposition or suggestion to him?'
''Well. the most notable one. and in q
matter which afterward saved my
friend and benefactor from a great deal
of annoyance, occurred several years
before his death. 1t was in 1884, when
Mr.. Cox was chairman of the house
committee on naval affairs. One after
noon, as he entered the committee room
TO dictate a number of letters, he said:
Here is letter from John w. Rogers,
inclosing q certificate for twenty thou
sand dollars in Pan-Electric telephone
stock. Rogers says that he incloses a
poem. but this certificate is not poem.
j guess that he has made a mistake, as
this is rather prosaical than poetical
He must have intended this for some
other fellow He then dictated let
ter returning the stock. and say
ing that he had no means Of knowing
its value. nor why it had been sent to
him. ] took the letter. in shorthand,
and when he had concluded it and was
about to dictate an answer to another
one Of the bushel of letters before him,
interrupted him with an inquiry as to
whether it wouldn't be better for me to
sake the stock back to Rogers and get
receipt for it. He said no; that Rogers
and he were warm personal friends,
and that no harm was intended by it,
but that it was manifestly mistake. I
told him that / felt that there was some
thing crooked in it, and asked permits
sion to return the stock in person and
get a receipt for it. He laughed at my
but said that l might do
as pleased; and did SO.
THE next day l called upon Mr..
Rogers and told him that had come
to return that stock for Mr.. Cox, and
he said that there was no mistake about
1T: that he had intended it as gift to
MIR. Cox, and that it would be worth it's
face value inside of a year or two. How
ever, he said that if Mr.. Cox did not
want i. / could return it to him. re-
sponded that wanted receipt for it,
whereupon he became almost angry,
and wanted to know if Mr.. Cox sus-
pected his motives. That convinced me
that was right in demanding a re-
ceipt. I told him that Mr.. Cox did not