Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-05-29

Leslie, ana now one oil the Ciiy O1ilcals.
| Said Mr.. Sleicher: "Mr. Mayor, II re IS
a newspaper man who wants to look you
| in the eye"
THAT is an easy thing 10 do. =" replies
| the mayor as he turns his face to me,
and pair Of shrewd, honest blue eyes
| look into mine. | study his face as we
| chat, and am more and more surprised
at his vigor and strength as he goes on.
The mayor Of New York is by no means
an old man, and still he is more than
three-score years and ten His eyes a'e
bright and full OF life. His complexion
| is rosy and his face almost free from
| wrinkles. The thick thatch upon his
head and chin contains but few gray
strands, and his voice is as strong as that
Of man OF forty. As he chats. thihk
| OF the enormous amount OF w,rk he
docs, and resolve to get at the secret OF
| his vitality. | ask him as to his habits.
| He replies that he has no habits 10
] speak OF; that he lives simply, works
| hard, and thrives upon it. In reply 10
| my questions he answers that he does
not drink much, although his friends
tell me that he is not averse to a finger
Of good old whisky now and then. He
| tells me that one of the secrets of his
vitality lies In the fact that he neve- wof-
ries, and his assistants say that he sheds
trouble as ducks back sheds water
He says that he always does what seems
right to him at the time, and then forgets
about the matter until it again comes up.
He puts his full force upon the thing
before him. Nothing seems to ruiils
him. a man may come into the office
and denounce the city government. He
may storm at the mayor and say things
which might be considered unpleasant
The mayor passes upon his case then
and there. After he has decided it he
dsmisses it from his mind, and the face
which is turned TO the next caller is as
clear as May morning.
MAYOR STRONG LIKts LINCOLN.
am told that Mayor Strong is very
fond OF humor. He has a homely way
which reminds you OF President Lin
coin. He can see a joke as quickly as
could Lincoln, and he enjoys a funny
story amid the most solemn circum-
stances. People who come before him
are surprise to hear him burst into a
laugh and tell funny story in the midst
OF most serious consultation. Some
OF them cannot understand how ii is il
this love of humor that he rests his
mind. The laugh breaks the strair
which his position necessarily entails
: The mayor is a good story teller, ant
his best stories are the "reminiscences o
his own life, which, has been TYPICAL,
! American one.
4. HOW A COUNTRY hoy CONQUERED NRy
YORK.
. Mayor Strong's liie-story is that OF
, country boy. who came to New Yorl
and succeeded. He was, you know
born in Ohio. His early years wer,
I spent upon farm, and one of his frs
, business ventures was in small store a
, Mansfield. Ohio. Mansfield is now
! town OF twenty thousand people, Whe
! Mayor Strong was young, | doub
, whether it had three thousand; bu
4 among its young men it included som
il OF the brightest minds OF the Unite
! States. One OF Mr.. Strong's associate
: and friends was John Sherman, who ha
a come to Mansfield from school a
Mount Vernon to study law with bi
!. brother Charley. II must have bee
i during Mr.. Strongs mercantile exper
y ence there that Sherman became a car
y date for Congress and canvassed tn
: district, going about with an old whit
:. horse, and stopping at the country eros:
"a roads 10 make speeches. another youn
man was Amos Townsend, who ate
!. ward went 10 Cleveland aid made bi
4 fortune there. He was sent from Clev,
y land to Congress, and was tor years on
4 OF the soundest advisers of the republ
!. can party. think that Townsend an
"a Strong were partners at Mansfield. Al
a other man who has done much since l
y lett that part Of Ohio, is General To-
70 Eckett, who is now the president Of Il
~ Western Union Telegraph compan
4 During my chat with the mayor, aske
~ hun how he happened 10 leave Man
81 field. He told me that he was ami
"A tious, wanted to see some thing OF Il
~ world, and concluded 10 try New Yor
y, He began his work here as a clerk, r
-, ceiving at first hundred dollars
!, month Then he was sent out West
n collect bills Tor his firm, and he succee,
- ed so well that his salary was increas,
=, right along. In those DAYS there we
"a no collecting agencies. The merehan
N. came to New York to buy their good
a, and as they usually purchased on tm
IL the wholesale dealers had TO send the
h, collectors out West to get the none
~ They sent them much us they nov ser
~ drummers out TO sell goods. Your
II Strong soon got large acquaintance
- Inc NGSI. Tie WAS EOOl mixer, al
W was so popular that it, is said that |
would often take dinret with a man
the evening or go 10 church with hit
d. the man knowing that he would the ne
p; day appear against him in a LAVISH
~ He did SO well, in fact, that he was SOC
y, able to go into business for himself al
al he is now one OF the rich men OF Ne
a York. He Is. | am told, worth cousi
"a erably more than million dollars; an
~ in ADDITION to big commission bushes
~ he has other interests of many kline
81 When he was elected mayor he was OF
:. OF the directors OF the New York II
81 Insurance company president Of Il
'O Homer Lee Bank Noss company, Al
y the confidential adviser of other instit
~ tons. Before he took the office, no
~ ever, he said to his aisoeiates OF the d
sk fsrent boards: Gentlemen, for the ne
~ three years you will have 70 get aloi
" without my aid am now in the Ell
W ploy of the city OF New York, and W
y have 10 work Tor them" Mayor Stroi
~ has carried out this resolution
70 His commission business is manag
81 by his son, Putnam Bradee Strong, al
"a the mayors whole strength is devoted
nv The city.
eF NEW YORK WILL LEAD THE WORLD.
he asked Mayor Strong few quesio
CHI about the greater New York. He So
he he had no doubt but that the city won