The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1906-10-12

would let him. 1t was all very Roose-
veltian. Not In fourteen lifetimes
would such "A cautious president as
Mckinley have made the Winthrop
announcement in the morning and the
same night kicked 1t all over and
made the Magoon appointment But.
at any rate, it stimulated the answers
to the question.
Biggest Man in the Government.
who is Charles Il. Magoon?"
The answer came in punches
Hes the man who has made good
wherever he has been placed"
"The New York Sun says editorial
ly that he Is the biggest man in the
government"
Hes the biggest, best-natured jol-
lier that ever happened. Nobody ever
heard him say an unliind word about
anyone, and he has probably never
learned how to be illustrated"
"He had played golf with the cabi-
net, been a good fellow at the Metro
poitan club and laughed himself to
the front"
"Magoon is large man from the
west, with energy, capacity, industry
and diplomacy. He has made his own
way from the, bottom and he could do
ittagain If you stripped him this min
ute and left him to shift for himself"
And so they went. Nobody accused
Magoon of smallness, either physical
ly or otherwise, and while all agreed
that he was an undoubted success, no
two were in harmony as to how he
had won his prominence.
A brief look into the Magoon per-
sonal history reveals that he was a.
poor boy, born in Minnesota, and made
into college graduate and then a
lawyer through his own labor on the
farm and as a schooteacher. He be-.
gan to practice law at Lincoln, Neb.,
where he rubbed elbows with Charles
G. Dawes, w. j. Bryan and other men
who later achieved distinction, and all
the while the record shows Magoon
was adding to his list of friends. BY
and by, through Dawes and George G.
Meiklejohn, he was made a special
legal employee of the war department,
and for some time was known as the
law clerk of the insular bureau. His
duty was, in fact, to act as legal advis-
er to that bureau, and as the business
of holding alien peoples in line was
new to this government, he found plen-
ty to do in pointing the legal road for
those he served. He was getting $4,-
500 year and earning it, although it
was a fortune compared to the returns
received out of his law practice be-
fore he came to Washington.
His Books Made a Hit.
But Magoon seems to have had plen
ty of days work in him and to have
had faith that therein lay his future.
He ground away and at length made
his mark, after which his rise was
rapid. He had already attracted at
tention to himself by reason of his
radient cheerfulness, his sturdy COM
mon sense and the care with which he
performed his duties. But one day
he turned up with a book he had
written and which was the legal SEN
sation of the hour 1t was "The Law
of Civil Government Under Military
Occupation" and in it he had compiled
all the precedents and decisions and
opinions since Pontius PLATE, as the
governor of a captive people permit
ted the crucifxion of the Savior.
The book settled Magoon's bigness
with this administration. Secretary
Root, himself regarded as something
of a great lawyer, admired Magoon's
1,,1o hot
only come from an intense apprecia-
ton of it. Secretary Taft, also a shin
ing star in the law, was likewise
struck with the ability of the gentle
man from beyond the Missouri. And
lawyers all over the country chimed
in and sent for the new book.
The next heard of Magoon was as
minister to the infant republic of Pan
anna, where his knowledge of what to
do when you are going down a road
for the first time came in handy. Sal
airy $4,000 a year. Then the presi-
dent added to his other duties that of
governor of the canal zone, salary
$17,500 a year, and Magoon was really
doing very well both for himself and
his government, when Mr.. DENLY and
others came along in congress and put
through the consular reform bill
which made it unlawful for Magoon
or anyone else to draw two salaries
like that.
So ended that connection, for the
president is not one to suffer even the
shadow of humiliation to be thrown.
upon one who has been faithful to his
work.
The Man for Cuba.
Recalled from Panama it was the.
intention to send Magoon to the Phil
ippines as second in command, with
doubtless the hope before his eyes of
becoming governor general But the