The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-12-05
BORE DUPLICATE NAMES.

The Hon. Charles Emory Smith. the
postmaster general, and one Of the
most famous after-dinner orators In
the United States. has had three dis
tinct $ significance Each has a history
each a sign hcance, and yet in change
has never been expminad
When Mr. smith came Hom All any
10 take the editorial chair of the Phila-
dephia Press" more than ffteen
years ago. he signed himself in the
good, old fashioned way, Charles T..
Smith, according TO the Ph ladelphia
Saturday Evening POST To his intim-
ates he was known as Charlie" At
that time another Charles Il. smith
was tha president of the Reading rail-
road. and the letter-carrisrs seemed To
Aave a persistent desre TO entangle
each man In the others confidence as
much a. possible The most important
letters coming for the editor were al
ways delivered 10 the pr sldent. and
vice versa The conditions created an
noyauce. surprise and amusement. T.
continued for about "A year neither
man know ng the other parsonallv
Finally one night they met at ban
quot and began a good-natured dis.
cusslon as to what was 10 be done
about il.
The thing is going just little too
far for your own sake" said the edi-
ton tor | am getting more insi.e nsws
about leading stock and Reading in
tcrcsts than you care TO have me
know.
"On the other hand" retorted the
president, as the diners listened with
mcitlment, II am gaining Information
about SKATE politics that probably YOU
might nor care To have ma know"
Just at this time the ed tor was haN-
ing an open controversy with a ccrtaln
politician in Philadelphia and lis edi-
torials addressed 20 that gentleman "A
question were always signed In the
week following his talk at the dim Y
the leading editorial was signed
Charles Emory Smith. ," The change
of signature was imme iiately caught
up by those IN the secret, and the next
day she Albany journal" which Mr..
Smith had edited for several years,
came out with an editorial on some
what the following lines:
We'll, We'll, Ana so our old friend
Charles r.. Smith is now Charles En-
ory Smith All right. Chari Z, Wc'H re
spect you even { you have gone THAI
iclf buA We ElNt you ltlI NdlHlllS tliot
II you ever sign IL &. Emory Smith our
| admiration for you is gone forever
more.
| This editorial from the journal was
republlshed IN the Philadelphia Press
! the next morning and in the foreWord
/ Mr. Smith told of, tn miscarrying of
/ letters between the president OF the
Reading railroad and himself. He told
| the story with great good humOr. ana
| explained that he had signed the cdi-
! tor al with his full name the day before
with malice afOrethought. He want d
! il very much to be remembered that L..
stood for Emory in his name.
The newspaper world copied this edi-
torial widely. and the editor was more
often referred 10 as Emory" Smith
than by any other name. So the sigma
ture STOOD through the days of his IN n
istership to Russia and the heavy poll
teal campaign In which he was SO
emineut a figure.
When h. took up the portfolio of tn f,
postmaster general In Pres dent Me-
kinley's cabinet. one of the first of the
minor duties which he was questioned
about was the signing of his name The
chief assistant in going over the dut es
with him, looked aghast when Mr..
Smith wrote out his full signature.
That viii never do" he said. we
must think OF something better than
that"
But" said MIR. SIN tn, "the name is
surely short and concise. There can be
no trouble with three such lntelligible
words.
1t ls not what JAs d dpartmert muss
suffer- was the answer. but what you
must suffer. Now here is the condition
in a nutshell: The postmaster general
must sign his name on an average OF
1000 times a day. Tn Is 5000 times a
week II you haya ventcen letters In
your name it means that you must sign
1900 letters day, or 100000 letters
week"
Then MIR. Smith began with the aid
OF his assistants 20 try signatures that
would embody mis- name an yet save
| him work. Each letter was disputed
I over ana carefully weighed as to value
as { NJ had been bag OF gold. First
| he wrote il out c. Emory Smith bur
| some one laughlngly said: Don't do
| that OF the Albany journal will never
| have respect for you The newspapers
| would bc Hooded with this Old story be-
! fore the signature had been out q
! week Then he tried Chas l3 Smith,
and again a friend reminded him.
| Don GO that aft = the battle YOU
have Wagcd To ea,abl sh the Emory I'M
your NAME Mr.. Calvin Wells the
publisher of the SPress." who was at
ths council. said. Certainly not. Mr..
smith. The editorial columns of the
Press established your second name
beyond dispute, and YOU must never go
| back on that."
FINALLY The signature was telescoped
down To the one which every postmls-
ter ara lct,cr carrier now knows II
has retained the tiers which IL fought
! for Fifteen years ago. and IL has saved
! The ppstmaster general tho formation
OF 5000 letters a day or over 1855. 900
letters a year
IL is Ch. Emory smith,
ZULU BIBLES.