The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-07-14

I
wagon driver? Make I'D your mind
that you are going TO be the best clerk.
or the best stenographer, or the best
bookkeeper, or the best in whatever
line you are, there is in the shop. That
is ,--e road to success.
| That is the road George Bruce Cortel-
you travelled. Ten years ago-and that
| is mi .yhty short time-Cortelyou was
stenographer and confidential man to
| Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
| Maxwell at washington. When Max
you there. Maxwell was a Democrat.
and a Democrat who believes that to
the victors belong the spoils. Cortelyou
was a Republican, and expected to be
fired-that is, to be transferred back to
mere cIerkship, as he was under the
protection of the civil service rules. In
fact. he had arranged his transfer, and
Maxwell had picked out the Democrat
he intended putting in Cortelyou's
place. 1t CHANGED that this Democrat
was not then in Washington and could
not get there for couple of weeks. So
Cortelyou worked on with Maxwell Be
fore the fortnight was over Maxwell
turned to Cortelyou one day and said:
Would you like to stay here with
me indefnitely?"
"Of course I would
We'll, you stay. The fact is. Cortel-
you, don't know how 1 could get along
without you
And Cortelyou stayed.
A A
As the months rolled by Maxwell was
so much delighted with the quiet, skill
full, rapid work of his secretary that he
fell into the habit of Boosting about the
department that he had the best
stenographer in the shop. He cracked
up Cortelyou to his brother officials and
to Bissen, the Postmaster General Fin
ally Bissell tried to get Cortelyou into
his own office, but Maxwell raised such
a row about it that he was forced to
drop the idea.
One day, not long afterward, Bissell
was at the White House. President ,
Cleveland remarked that he needed an
other stenographer and that he wanted
a good one. Could Bissen help him out?
The fat Postmaster General laughed.
Mr.. Cleveland asked him what he was
laughing about.
Why" said Bissell, II was just
what good joke it would be
on Maxwell. He has a stenographer
he's always Dragging about-says he's
the best in Washington-and won't let
anybody take him away. Of course,
Mr.. President, if you wanted this
mani
whats his name?' /
"Cortelyou.''
"Send him down to the White House
tomorrow"
And Bissell went away. smiling over
the joke he had played on Maxwell. )
A A A !
When Cortelyou started in at the
White House it was as a stenographer
to President Cleveland. He wrote the
Presidents letters. After a day or two
Cortelyou thought it best to offer lit
tie explanation to the man whose con-
fdentiaI work he was doing, and so he
said:
Mr.. President, perhaps you think 1
am a Democrat. But think it no more
than right I should tell you L am
Republican"
IT don't care a damn what your poll
tics are replied Mr.. Cleveland, 'as
ong as you do your work well and are
oval to your chief
A IA
About 1882, when he was a slender
stripping of 10. George Corte1you was
student in the New England Conserva-
DRY of Music. 1t was his ambition to
De a musician. President Chester A.
Arthur visited Boston about that time,
md young CorteIyou had such an adj {
niration for Arthur that he was one
If the crowd that met the President at
he railway station. His enthusiasm
rot the better of him and led him to
I'm through the streets by the side of
he Presidents carriage-through the {
commons and down Washington street !
o the hotel. In the carriage with l
President Arthur was his secretary,
Ir. Phillips, and young Cortelyou. rae l
ng along beside the wheels, looked up
dmiringly at Phillips, and said to him =
elf:
How I would like to be the secretary
o a President of the United States and
ide about with him in a carriage."
AAA
Cortelyou was such a good stenog-
apher and man so jealous and trust
-orthy in all his work, that President
cleveland kept him and liked him.
Then Mckinley came in Cortelyou was
here, and became assistant to Secre-
lrv Porter. He was the best stenog-
apher and man of business on the
Thite House staff, and when Porter's
zaIth broke down it was the most ma
1ral thing in the world that he should /