The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-03
CRANKY DICK CLARKSON.
he IS FROraER TO JIM CLARK
SON, THE REPUBLICAN BOSS.
Dick Boasts That &c Has Never Been
in a Street Car or a Thester and
Has Been Away from Home But
OpCa
From The Chfcnao EernlS.

N oLFe6L Car or 4n6aLor 6uO
Has Been Away from Home But
Once.
From the Chicago Herald.
| DEs MONIES, Feb 1S.-Iowa is the home
Of many odd characters, but the oldest, the
most eccentric, the strangest Of them ali
/ lives right here in Des Moines and his name
| is Clarkson-sometines sffectionately called
| Uncle Dick Clarkson" by the people out
/ in the backwoods who wear soldier buttons
/ 265 days in the year, and only come to
/ town when they draw their pensions or
/ when a republican or prohibition conven-
/ ton is on. Dick Clarkson is probably the
/ most unique character in all Hawkeyedom.
| He is also as we'll known as any man be-
tween the Mississippi and the Missouri.
| Here in Des Moiues, where be lives, his
! eccentricities have got to be old stories, but
the funny things he SAY and does are not
so well known to the people Of the state.
and for this reason they may prove inter-
esting reading.
Dick Clarkson is So years old, yet one Of
the things he delights to tell most is that he
has never in his life set foot in a street car
He is against them, and he thinks, instead
Of being q public benefit they are public
nuisance
In Des Moines is located one Of the finest
capitol buildings in the world. 1t is in full
view Of CIarksons office, and the first thing
he sees each morning as he raises the curtain
OF his bedroom is the gilded dome of ina
state house. TIE building is distant mile
and a half from both mis- house and his
office. This building he has viewed many
times each day for many years, yet 1t is one
of the proudest moments Of his life when
I hu hpv7 hon . h. ION
state capitol lot l have never been inside
the Iowa state house. l never expect 20 go
in it, Why be has so carefully avoided
this beautiful mass Of marble and steel is
not exactly clear, but it is probably because
| he thinks the money put into il was a most
needless waste of Iowa funds. II is too
modern, too elegant, for his taste. He was
heard TO remark once that a 900 struct-
ure would have answered the purpose just
as well.
NEVER ATTENDED THE FAIR.
Every year all Iowa comes to Des Moines
| to attend the state fair. IL is big thing
for the city and the state. The fair has been
held annually for years past and there is
only one person, in Des Moines at least, who
has not at some time or other visited it.
This person is Mr.. Clarkson. He used this
fact as an argument against an eppropria-
ton for the worlds fair. He SAID 10 the
honorable members Of the legislature:
why loot the treasury of the state to
afford little amusement for a lot of fanat-
| les! II tie other states wish to get rid Of
! their money by giving It to lot of sharks
| at Chicago it 10 no reason that we should
do likewise. What do we want OF a worlds
fair? Look at nee. l have never been so
foolish as to spend % cents to see our own
state fair. ! never expect to. | have got
| along very well without state fair and
think you can get along without q worlds
fair" He told the truth and expressed his
sentiments TO dot.
For over twenty years Clarkson was never
out Of Des Moines. He does not tell this g,
for he would ike to say Il have never been
out Of Iowa. A couple of years ago his
brother Jamie, him that tries TO boss
politics, dropped into Des Moines one day
| and almost by force got his brother to take
a trip to Seattle This trip, thinks Dick,
| was the mistake of his life. This is the
| only time that ClarksOn was beyond the
| HAwkeye borders since way back before the
| war, wren his parents brought him from
| their hooser home down on the Wabash
river. He has given it out that he will
! never again be so foolish as 60 leave home
even for single night.
RUNS on SCHEDULE TIKE.
Clarkson is nothing If not methodical. He
| runs like clock work. In the winter time
| he rises exactly at z o'clock He eats his
one route from his home to his office, and
| for almost quarter OF a century he has
never been found Off his beat. At Z 80 O'Clock
| a. III. he turns tie knob OF the door thai
leads to his Office He remains here until
| IL 40 O'clock, when he starts to retrace his
steps of the morning. just as the postoffice
| clock rings ont the hour OF noon he descands
pair OF stairs on the corner OF Walnut and
| Sixth streets. These stairs lead to
| barber shop. The barber who has
| operated on his face for years
says he has never known Clarkson to be a
single moment ahead or behind time. He
| departs from the tonsoriaI parlors at 1915.
| The barber, under no circumstances, is al
| lowed TO take more or less than fifteen min
utes TO scrape his face. He would imme~
! diately lose his Job If be did. At 1926 he
enters the front door of his house and at
! 1870 he sits down TO dinner. He leaves
| home again at 30 and reaches bis office at
! l:5S. Here he remains until o'clock, when
| he takes the same old route home aud STAYS
there till the next morning, when the pro-
| grsmme Of the previous dNy is repeated.
/ With one exception, be was never known
| to attend party, bah, wedding or enter
| tainment OF any kind. The exception men,
| toned was when his daughter was married
/ he serves on no committees, goes Il no oon-
ventions and never in his life was inside of
! theater. lie does not know what stage
! looks like.
! ClaJkson is an autocrat of the deepest
! dye. When you approach him he Iee!s
| that it is necessary 70 make a most profound
| salaam and kiss the hem OF his garment.
/ Years ago. when his paper was about the
only one ont in this country, be ran things
with high hand. He was monarch OF all
| he surveyed One day business man ap-
preached Mr.. Clerkson in his most humble
manner with an al. Mr.. Clark5on SAID the
charge would be $50. The business man
was bold enough to inquire if that was not
a rather high price. 1t was a costly re-
mark. ut will cost you Sl25 now" said
the boss of the shop. And the man had to
pay 1t or go without au advertisement.