Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-01-26

| pen to live in Denver at some time
since 1880 and have pretty extensive
knowledge of the rank and file of the
movement. Some time you'll meet him
in better world than this If you do
your duty while in this world; there's
no doubt about his getting there.
Now let me tell you about the other
fellow, and l won't tell you his name,
either. If you can guess it, all right,
but don't waste a postage stamp ask
ing me to say whether your guess is
right or not.
In January, 1887, 1 went to Chicago
and started labor paper, which
called the Chicago Enquirer. There
wasn't any particular reason why
should stick to that word Enquirer, but
l did it, nevertheless. For about six
months l owned both the Denver and
Chicago papers, when l sold (O the for
mer. In Chicago went through the
same experiences that had been mine
for six years in Denver, but the misery
didn't extend over so long a period or
l probably wouldn't be alive to tell the
tale today.
LII ptDltlllDtI, 1900, ulltI StNtTdl
sinking spells, interspersed with tenn
porary rallies, l found myself face to
face with the hardest proposition of
my career as a labor editor. You see
the labor men and women of Chicago
were not so foolish as the little party
which had backed me up for so long in
Denver. Another attack of the "blue
DEVILS" and a bad one this time.
AS / sat alone in my little shop a Wis
itor entered. This was man not un-
known to fame though, truth to say, he
was one whose greatness was the result
of thrust. He was not born that way,
nor had he achieved greatness. He was,
or thought he was. a social reformer Of
a certain school, and-now don't sneer,
for l am telling you the truth-he was
the nominee of the adherents of that
school for president of the United
States.
In the course of the conversation be.
tween my visitor and myself he made
known that he had called to secure the
support of my influential @ journal in
his candidacy for the chief magistracy
of the nation. There was nothing to do
but to tell him the truth about the finan-
cial condition Of the paper. This l pro-
ceeded to do. Informed him that there
was nothing left to me but a mort
gagged plant, that my money was all
gone and that l had nothing left upon
which to realize, that all of my wife's
little trinkets had gone to the pawn
shop and that all she had left was a
gold watch which l had given her as a
Christmas present some years before
and that she and had been tempted to
pawn that to get out one more issue of
the paper.
My visitor remained for half an hour
Or more, and as he was about ready to
go he remarked:
II guess can let you have the money
to get out another issue, and something
may turn up in few days to put you
on your feet again."
Full of hope in q minute-my beset-
ting sin in those days-I jumped to my
feet and cried: "Will you? Bully for
your
But in the next minute you could
have knocked me down with a feather,
for this savior, not only of my poor
little paper, but of the enslaved and dis
inherited toilers Of the land, turned to
me and asked, with the caution of the
ideal Shylock:
"Have you got the watch here"
He wanted me to put up my wife's
watch as security. Did do it? you ask.
My oldest child Is carrying that watch
today, and l don't think he would be
If it had ever gone into the hands of
the gentleman who wanted to be presi-
dent of the United States.
The Chicago Labor Enquirer never
appeared again, and Benjamin Harri-
son was elected president. There may
not have been any close relationship
between these two facts.
l hope you'll meet this man in bet
ter world, too, and, as he didn't reach
Washington, he has chance.
JOS. r. BUCHANAN.