Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-14
LESLIE M. SHAW, SECRETARY
OF THE TREASURY

lyceums to get acquainted with the people.
He expects to talk himself into the White
House
There is no discounting the fact that he
Is a good talker. He Is an exponent OF
the art of the glad hand" They say ne
already has the Roosevelt twist down fine
He believes in taking everybody Into
camp" He Is an inveterate 5ollier." Ii
he cannot deal with caller in any other
way he will send him away in good
humor with story. He is good Method
list, temperate man and stands well with
the homebodies
His main characteristic is keen wit
and homely sense of humor. He is shrewd
to degree. His long dealings In mort
cages and country banking has given him
this. reputation. justly, and Is responsible
for the appellation of being the David
Harum' of the cabinet Thus far Wall
street has not taken any tricks at his ex-
pense. He says that fellow who was
raised on Iowa farm mortgages and coun-
try banking ought to be able to deal with
Wall street and he goes against the most
noted fnanciers of the east with perfect
confidence in his abilities to hold his own.
His Early Career.
He is the son of Boardnian Ozias Shaw,
whose father. Ebenezer Shaw, was one of
the earliest settlers and first selectman of
Morristown, VT His mother was a daugh
ter of Jason Spaulding. teacher of some
reputation in the eastern part of New York
state. Boardman Shaw moved to a farm
in Stowe VT, where Leslie NJ. Shaw spent
his minority. Leslie NJ. Shaw was depend
ent upon his own efforts in obtaining an
education, but with characteristic persist
ence went to work He taught school in
the winter and worked in the harvest fields
in the summer Several winters he tramped
all over northwestern Iowa selling fruit
trees and nursery stock. His energy was
wonderful and he was determined to sue
~. cd emit. Of hic So Of
hard work he earned sufficient to complete
his college and professional courses and
was graduated from the Iowa College in
1876. In the same year he located in the
practice of his profession at Dennison
Secretary Shaw Is a believer in hard
work. He has often been heard to say that
these who worked deserved to succeed. For
years he was usually at his office at Z
O'Clock In the morning and remained until
10 at night. His law library is one of the
largest and best selected in the state of
Iowa. He was moving spirit and the
lal gest contributor toward the establish
mt of an academy and normal school at
Dennison, and has held the position of pres
ident of the board of trustees from it's or
ganization. He Is also a trustee of Cornell
College and for several years was president
of the school board of Dennison He is
president of the Bank of Dennison, at Den
nison, and the Bank of Manila, at Manila
Secretary Shaw has always been a sue
cessful lawyer. He was student of law
and deeper student of human nature. In
his practice he made use of the experience
he had acquired in his hard struggle to get
an education He is esteemed by all his
acquaintance in practice as one of the best
lawyers in the northwestern part of the
state, although prior to 1896 he was not
widely known.
Elected Governor.
Up to the time he was elected governor
Mr.. Shaw remained a resident of the little
town of Dennison. Attorneys pitteG against
him In cases speedily found out that he was
made Of good metal He never betrayed
his knowledge of law points or points in
evidence until the right time. and often his
opponent calculated too far on the seeming
Indifference of the attorney who sat on the
other side of the table. When the time
came to make point. Shaw made it. He
struck with lightning rapidity and fire.
qGently his opponent was not prepared for
the blow
Crawford County, the home of Secretary
he had little chance to rise to eminence
locally Although he made speeches in
various ampaigns. he did not come into
prominence politically until 1896. This was
his opportunity and he made the most of it.
He had long been student of the money
question and felt able to cope with the best
debaters of the day. He offered his services
to the state committee and they were ac-
cepted. After he had made one speech he
was in constant demand. In February.
1896. at the beginning Of the memorable
free silver controversy of that year, Mr..
Shaw was requested by the adherents of
the gold standard to reply to an address
made in his town by William Jennings
Bryan. From that date to the end of the
campaign which resulted in the election of
William Mckinley as President he was
kept busy. His speeches made him a ma
tional character. This brought his name
p1 PROMINENTLY before the state, and when. In
the following year. Gov. Drake declined to
be candidate for denomination attention
was directed TO Shaw, and three weeks
later he received the nomination of the
publican party for governor. He was elect
ed Ton the day ne was forty-nine years old
by a plurality of - $40 and a ma jority of
1,176. Two years later he was reelected
by $3.50 plurality. and a majority of nearly
4oOOG. the largest ever given candidate
for governor in Iowa up to that time. He
was selected by the sound money commits
sion to preside at the Indianapolis conven-
ton In 1898, where his address attracted
na tional attention and laid the foundatio
for his national career. At the antitrust
conference in ST Louis Mr. Shaw created
sensation by withdrawing and in his
speech at that lime paid his compliments
to democratic governors who were seeking
t. make political capital out of what had
been represented as a non-partisan confer
ence. Gov. Shaw was mentioned in 1900 for
the vice presidency.
For more than twenty years he was su-
perintendent of one and much of the time
two Sunday schools and he has represented
the Des Moines conference three times in
the general conference of his church, and
was elected such representative for the
fourth time an honor unprecedented in the
lay representation of that church
In June, 1898. Simpson College at In
dianola conferred upon him the degree Of
LII D., which degree was also conferred on
him the following year by his alma mater
He was married December O. 1877 to Alice
daughter of James Crawshaw a native of
England, who settled in Clinton county
while Iowa was yet territory
POLLUTION OF THE POTOMAC.