Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-02-26
THE OTTUMWA COURIEk.


ed, and the counting room demanded
that cut be made in the force, and
the new man had to walk ont. How
ever up to this time his Sc stipend had
been paid in due bills and orders or
restaurants; he rarely saw a dollar.
Des Moines Experience.
The reporter applied to another Des
Moines paper for job and was sent
on the road soliciting subscriptions at
IS per week. Returning from the first
trip he found that the old Leader had
been reorganized and went back at
the SIS salary. Later Mr.. Armstrong
became city editor of another Des
Moines paper at a salary that seemed
princely to him-$15 per week. In
the fall of 1895 the Northwestern rail-
road put on an experimental fast mail
train and Armstrong, with an artist,
went to Chicago to write the story of
the first run While in Chicago Mr..
Armstrong called upon Victor l. Law
son, publisher of the Chicago News.
Mr. Armstrong told the editor that he
was an Iowa newspaper man, and that
if he at any time required the services
of an Iowa representative he desired
Mr.. Lawson to keep him in mind
The Northwestern railroad afforded
the newspaper men every courtesy,
but drew the line on riding on the en-
CINE; there were so reporters; there
could be no favoritism However, Mr..
Armstrong got into the good graces OF
the conductor between Chicago and
| Clinton and as the train pulled out OF
Clinton, and Armstrong climbed upon
I, No
From Clinton to Ames, nearly 200
miles, Armstrong had stood in the
| cab, with one hand holding his watch
| and the other time card, while the
| train dashed off miles in from fifty to
| sixty seconds. Armstrong and the ar
| fist reached Des Moines at 4 in the
morning, and wrote three and half
columns and made pictures before 60
| ing to bed The paper was the only
one in the city to have line con-
corning the sensational run. Copies
! OF the paper were sent to Chicago,
| and within few days Mr.. Armstrong
received a letter from Mr. Lawson's
paper. saying that the paper had no
need for an additional Iowa man, but
that there was position for him in
| Chicago whenever he cared to report
MIR. Armstrong finished the contract
| with his paper, and, in May, 1896,
went to the Chicago Record Within
six months he was doing the local pol.
itics for the paper
To New York for a Newspaper.
In December, 1896, Mr. Armstrong
1 returned to Des Moines and was mar
| ried to Miss Blanche Hogan In 1897
he went to Iowa to handle the Iowa
gubernatorial campaign for the Chi.
cago Record, the campaign in which
the present secretary of the treasury
first came into public prominence
In January, 1898, he again went to
Iowa to report the Inauguration of
! Governor Shaw, returning to take
charge of Chicago politics for the Chi.
cago Record. In August, 1898, Mr.
Armstrong was chosen from a staff
of forty men, without previous hint
to go to New York and assume charge
Of all eastern news and editorial mat
ter for the Record AT that time the
4 New York office was sending from
500 to 1000 words each night. Mr.
Armstrong remained until the sale Of
the paper in 1901. At that time he
had five men in the New York office
and was sending 21,000 words each
night.
Following the sale of the Record Mr.
and Mrs. Armstrong went abroad, re
turning in May, 1901. Mr. Armstrong
went to the New York Herald as
chief of the Chicago bureau, retaining
that position until April Is, 1902
when at the personal request of Sec
! rotary Shaw he became private sec
retary to the secretary
,, General o. l.. Spaulding, assistant
secretary in charge of the bureau OF
; customs having determined to resign
last summer on account of advancing
years and impaired health, Secretary
Shaw began search for just the righj
man to succeed him. About the middle
of December Secretary Shaw reached
the conclusion that he had found the
man in the person of his private secre
tary. And So three times within the
space of four years private secretaries
to the secretary of the treasury have
been invited to become assistant cab
met officers Frank A. Vanderlip now
vice-president of the National Cit.
bank, and Milton S. Allies having beer
promoted in a similar manner by ex
Secretary Gage.
MI. kAlUlSlIOlS coming 10 the treas
ury new and unfamiliar with its varied
and intricate workings, has, within
eight months, proved himself to be in
valuable. He has been quick to Sc;
where weak spots and defects existed
, and not less quick to suggest and in
: augurate the remedy.
Common Sense Reforms.
3 The most notable attack upon tn,
i old good enough policy was the trans
: formation of the old system of handling
S the mail from the slow coach style 0
. fifty years ago to the swift pace o
S 1908 Under the old system letters ar
j, rived in the treasury at o'clock reach
2 ing their ultimate destination any tim
4 between IL and 2 o'clock Now the,
are delivered into the hands of the ad
a dresses at from $40 to 10 o'clock. No
e only that but a convenient and easil,
|. accessible system of reference ha
g been perfected, electric time RECORDING
y stamps have been added SO that tn
s hour and minute OF the arrival of mai
e is indicated upon each communication
The old system of delivering tele