The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-03


measure of my pride in being Kansan
if I could see Victor a congressman
and hear him in conversation with the
swell newspaper men and statesmen,
who think they are something AT Wash
ington On books. and kindred subjects.
Vlctor'S most vicious habits are hard
work and pipe. If the world would
always give him something to do. a bag
of tobacco and some books he would
not be disSa tisfied. The other habits of
modern gentlemen he has not He haA
no more idea of the relative value of a
blue chip and a white one than the man
lnNthe moon He always works with his
coaN OF. He is about fifteen degrees
warmer blooded than the average man
and when summer comes around he is
sight to see in his sanctum. Coat,
vest galluses, and, many times, the
sniit- come off and the sweat at the
roots Of his red hair looks like blood
OF course. with his experience. he can
take any place IN the shop and whes.
somebody gets sick he does not hes
tate to add the night to the days toh
once he said to me that it was his
wish. should he happen to die. his
tombstone should contain simply this.
Victor Murdoch. a hard worker
nave never known harder worker
nor have I ever known a man VINO
could get more work cheerfully out of
others He has wonderful influence
over other employees, and have never
known him to have an enemy in the
office but a telephone. He considers
ance OF an evil spirit. When a man is
planning out a nice sentence and has it
about cOppered, the telephone is sure
to ring and down comes the tiny fabric
of ones thought It rings little
oftener in the Eagle office than in any
other newspaper office in America.
I have never known him to discharge
man from the Eagle office but one
and he came within an ace of hiring
him back again the next day, although
his offense was serious. If there had
been a woman and tears in the affair
he would sure do it. Once, several years
ago. during the panic. it became neces-
sary to cut down the office force. Two
men had to be discharged. It was up
to Victor to do it. They soon appeared
in the office and by way of prelimi-
narieS he started a converse ton with
them. He finally called me into an
other room and said: 4 haven't the
heart to do it. You frame up some
gentle way of informing them of the sit
uation.' I came back to the men and
for some reason they anticipated my
duty and cheerfully helped me out OF
the unpleasant situation.
4 The secret Of his marvellous influence
with his men is this. that he works
with them on an equal footing Re has
never in the slightest degree abused the
privilege he enjoys of being the son of
the editor in chief and owner of the
paper He has never for a moment
thought that he is anything more than
an employee, working on a salary like
anybody else about the paper. He is
I addressed as Vic by everybody, from
the devil" up, and if anybody would
call him Mr.. Murdoch a large per
centage of the force would be liable to
drop dead from the shock of surprise.
Some great man has said: If a man
/ is generally addressed by his first name
he is mighty apt to be q good fellow"
( The statement is very true in the case
under consideration.
Human sympathy is a wonderful
thing. Probably there is no metropoh-
! tan paper in America which prints
/ Eagle. Victor holds that birth and
death are the biggest events in the
chain Of human career. 1t is his policy,
and he holds to it strictly with
must" that a bereaved family must
have the right to express their sorrows
and their hopes through the Eagle 1t
makes no difference who the people are
! The humblest negro woman in town,
if her husband dies. can use the col
umns of the Eagle to tell the public
his goodness in life. The sorrows of
negro woman or of any other person in
humble life are held by him to be as
allied social station. The card of
thanks always gets in and the baby
notice is sure to be there.
AS a story teller, mostly personal ex-
wonderful memory of events although
it is not as strong as to names and
faces as good politician ought to have.
He can tell a story better than he can
write it and that is an unusual trait in
a newspaper man of his ability; and II
/ is certainly a compliment to his story
telling powers. / have known him to
sit on a stool in the print shop on Sun
day morning after the paper had gone
to press and entertain fifteen or twenty
men for as high as four hours a a sit
ting. I don't know that I have ever
heard him tell the same story twice. He
is poetic in his fancies. although he has
never written a verse unless he has
done it in secret, which he probably did
4 in his youth.
He is considerably inclined to vener-
ate institutions and to cling to custom.
I Although he has no UNCONVENTIONAL
/ preference, so far as I know. he is a
staunch believer in the influence of reli-
giOn and will argue to the last ditch
with one who opposes it. He would fight
! to maintain grounding day, April
Fools day, the Fourth of July and
forever be a boy. whether he goes to
I congress or the presidents chair He
usually gets a great many Christmas
! presents and gives more than he can
afford. but he has holy horror of Civ
ing or receiving anything that is useful.
He would rather get q ffty-cent chrome
1 than a $50 oVercoat.
The late Noble Prentis. while work
ing Tor JOHn A MarIln IN the AtchlsOn
Champion several years ago took a no
ton one time to save money and start
ed q bank account. He kept putting
money into the bank for nearly year.
One day he ran short of money and it
is told for actual truth that he had to
ask Governor Martin how to get It out
He was probably fifty Years of age at
the time and never had written a check.
Victor isn't quite that bad. He knows
how to put money into a bank and how
to draw it out, but he doesn't know any
more about how his account stands so
long as it is on the right side of the
ledger, than citizen of Timbuctoo. A
robber could catch him any hour of the
day or night between January and DC
tober and not be able to find more than
two bits in his pocket
Most everybody believes that he is
a college-bred man. He isn't All his