Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-06-30
WALTER WELLMAN TELLS
OF CORTEUYoU'S SUCCESS

80" NiSIh' SItnOgrdDher, q
b ookkeeper u mechanic. a salesman,
a wagon driver? Make up your mind
that you are going to he the best
clerk, or the best stenographer, or the
Dest boohkeeper. or the best in what.
ever line you are there Is in the shop.
1hat Is the road to success.
That is the road George Bruce Cor.
tetyon Travelled. Ten years ago and
that is a mighty short time -Cortel.
you was stenographer and confiden.
tial man 10 Fourth Assistant Postmas.
Ter General Maxwell at Washington
When Maxwell came into office he
found Corteiyou here Maxwell was
Democrat and Democrat who be.
IieVes tina. To the victor belongs the
sNpplls- Corlelyou was a Republican
tnd expected TO be fired-that is. 10
be transferred back to a mere clerk
snip. as he was under the protection
OF The civil service rules In fact. he
had arranged his transfer, and Man.
Wei had picked out The Democrat he
intended putting in Cortelyou's place.
1t Glanced that this Democrat was
not then in Washington and could
not gel there for couple of weeks
SO Cortelyou worked ON with Max.
well Before the fortnight was over
Maxwell turned To COrtelyou one day
and said
W ould you like to stay here with
me indefinitely"
"Of course | would"
We'll, you stay, The fact is Cor
telyon. don't know how could get
along without you"
And Cortelyou stayed.
As the months rolled by Maxwell
was so much delighted with the quiet.
sldllful. rapid work OF his secretary
fell into the habit of boaslng about
The department that he had the best
sienngrapher iu the shop He crack.
ed up Curtelyou 10 his brother otii-
cials and 10 Bisssll the postmaster
general Finally Bissel tried to gel
Cortelyou into his own office, but Max
well raised such a row about IL that
he was forced TO drop the idea
One day, not long after Bssell was
1t the White House President Clevt.-
land remarked that he needed AT
other stenographer. and hat he want.
ed good one. Could Bissell help mia
out?
The fat postmaster general laughed
Mr.. Cleveland asked him what he was
laughing about
Why" said Bisscll. Il was just
thinking what a good joke it would be
on Maxwell He has a stenograpner
he's always Dragging about-says he
is The best IN Washington and won't /
let anybody take him away. OF course.
Mr. rresindcnr. OF you wanted this
man"
What's his name?"
"COrtelyou'
Send him down to the White House
tomorrow
And Bissel went away smiling over
the joke he had played on Maxwell.
When Corteiyou started in at the
White House it was as stenographer
to President Cleveland. He wrote II %
Presidents letters. After day or two
Cortelyou thought it best 10 offer a lit
tie explanation to the man whose con
tidential work he was doing. so he
said:
MIR. President, perhaps you thinit
am a Democrat But think 1t no
more than right to tell yon that am
Republican"
Il don't care a damn what your pol.
iiics are replied Mr.. Cleveland, "as
long as you do your work well and are
loyal to your chief"
About 1882, when he was a slender
STRIPPING of 10, George Cortelyon was
a student in the New England Con.
seryatory OF Music. II was lis ambi
ton TO be a musician President
Chester A. Arthur visited Boston
about that time, and young COrtelyou
had such an admiration for Arthur
that he was one of the crowd that
met the President at the railway sta
tjon. His enthusiasm got the better
of him apd led him 10 run through
the streets Sy, the side of the presI.
dents carriage-Thfpugh the commons
and down Washington street 10 the
hotel. In the carriage with President