The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-02

and then on q successful daily-which
today has larger circulation than any
other daily paper in Malne-Mr. Ding
ley was writing editorials on economic
topics. The currency, the tariff, the
revenue, the expenditures of the gov
ernment We're his favorite topics. he
studied them from the bottom up. lie
read every book of value that was ever
written on these topics. OF course he
was not long in getting into polltlcs.
First he was sent to the state leSisla-
ture, where he made the acquaintance
and formed the friendship of Mr..
Blaine, friendship which continued
as long as Mr.. Blaine lived. He was
speaker of the state house OF repre-
sentatiVes for several years. More
than twenty years ago he was cover
nor of Maine. In 1881 he was elected
to congress to take the place of Will
liam 2. Frye, Who had been promoted
to the senate He has been in the
house ever since. If he wished to he
could cay there as Tong as he lives.
The Republicans up IN ola Maine be-
lieve in hanging to good man when
they find him, and this fact explains
why the Maine delegation in the house
is the most influential there, without
respect to numbers.
Governor Dingley's work in congress
has been almost entirely confined to
four great subjects, indicated by his
committee service. He has been
member in the banking and currency
committee, the committee on merchant
marine and fisheries, the committee on
appropriations and the committee on
ways and means. He was naturally
fitted for work on every one of these
committees. Their general subjects are
all related. Every phase of the cur
rency system Of the government is as
familiar to him as the columns of his
own newspaper. So also with the mer-
chant marine, and the laws which have
been or ought to be passed in regulation
thereof on the appropriations COM
mittee he learned all about the eXpen-
ditures of the government. There is
not an item that enters into Uncle
Sans big budget that he is not famil-
lar with. on the ways and means COM
mittee he learned where the money
came from, and on the appropriations
committee he learned what became of
il. In this way he had all the opera
tiOnS of the government at his fin
gers ends. With a mind like his,
impelled by hereditary impulses to go
to the bottom" of everything, it is
easy to see what walking compend-
ium of the affairs of the government
he must be by this time. 1t is also easy
to see what a fine, what remarkable,
what an almost unparalleled training
all this has made for a man who is
to be secretary of the treasury.
Mir. Dlngley has had the good sense
to contine himself almost entirely to
his specialties, and his specialties are
those which lead to the treasury de
partment Men have asked me-" said
the governor today, in his Chatty way,
why it was they could not make more
headWay as members Of congress. |
tIl htA q
| member of congress should do Is to as
certain what it is he has a natural bent
| for. Having found it, follow it and
| let everything else go to the dogs
Life is too short, the world too big,
| the human mind too small, for any man
to master everything. Choose for yoa.
| field of labor those subjects which &c
| you offer the line of least resistance
and then go in and master thcn. IN
| this way you will he able to secure the
attention of the house. It is tt,e only
way in which you can DO it. The house
wants to hear from masters. 1t has
no patience with anyone else.
"These questions Of the tariff, the re-
venue, the currency and so forth are al
! practical questions" continued Cover
! nor Dingley. THE man who does not
! know all the history Of such matters il
!
| equipped FOR teaching or leading. With
in a comparatively short tlmC at least 6
dozen men have sent or brought me
plans for solving the currency problem
! They We're quite sure they not only hat
the right thing, but that their ideas
We're wholly new. If they had taker
the trouble 60 read history they would
find that every one of these suggestion,
had been made and tried years ago
and that every one of them had failed
! No man has as yet suggested, so far q,
! know, the Droper solution, but fee
sure it win be found in good time"
1t is safe to say that there is nothins
in the history of curreny experiment,
in this or any other country that Mr.
Dingley Is not familiar with. 1t is saf,
to say there is not single phase OF tn
whole problem as it presents itself a
this time that he does not fully know
These equipments for the work of In
secretary OF the treasury President
elect Mckinley had in mind when H.
sent for Governor Dingley to go L
Canton and talk the matter over. IL
knew very wen that there was no othe
man i'm the United States as well pre
pared, by natural gifts and training il
the public service, for this arduOu
task. Here it was that Governor Nc
Ninley's own experience in public life
his wide acquaintance with public mer
his full knowledge of their capabilities
relations and limitations, stood him Il
good stead. If Governor Dingley doe
not make one of the most successful
secretaries of the treasury we hay
ey en- had, then there is nothing in pre-
vious record. There Is nothing i
form" / know how Major AIcEine
feels about it. He feels that if MI
Dingley is at the head of the treasury