The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-12-14
Rapid Rise of Penny's New
Executive.
POPULAR MAN is STUART.
Began Life With But Two Cents 10
Rub Together; How it All Hep.
pened.

Philadelphia. Pa, Deco. l2.-The sec
ond of American commemorative will
soon have for its chief executive officer
a man who began life with but cents
to rub together as an errand boy, at
time of life when most boys are hardly
more than sarted in tnelr school career.
Edwin S. Stuart, who has just de-
feated, showed under it might be more
properly said, Lewis Emery, Jr.. the can
didate of the reform party, in one OF the
fercest battles for the governorship
Pennsylvania has ever known, goes into
the governors chair principally because
of the fact that he is the most popular
man in the state.
Many republicans had little liking for
those who were Unidentified as leaders OF
the party that elected him. The evils
of Bosses Quay and Penrose had the
effect in recent elections of alternating
manv thousands of voters who are
strongly republican OH national elections.
\ majority of half million for Roose
welt was turned into a minority of 100,
600 when Berry. democrat, was elected
state treasurer in 1905.
Undoubtedly the republican ticket,
with the same political management or
bosses at the helm, would have been
downed again this year but for the per-
sonality of Stuart.
just as soon as the danger became
imminent. party leaders turned to
Stuart as the one man who could save
them.
Everybody knows Ned they said
He's popular with all classes. and his
honesty has never been questioned. Let
us nominate him.
Mr.. Stuart was not, anxious for the
place. Since his retirement from the o,
flee of mayor he has enjoyed the privacy
and home comforts that have come to
him after successful business life, but
his popularity forced HIM to the front
Called to the aid of his party, he could
not refuse. His election followed. Not
only were the dissatisfied republicans
won over, but democrats quit party allie
2iance iii order to vote for him.
This is the man. No one would ever
have expected the boy to 90 that far.
There was nothing suspicious in his
start. His father died when he was a
yomster. leaving without means of sup
port a widow and our children, of whom
EuWn was the oldest.
When only little fellow, at a time
when he should have been getting the
education that is the foundation of the
success of most public men, the future
governor had to 90 out and hunt Job
to help support his mother, brothers and
sisters.
Fate led him to Leary's book store. a
quaint institution even in those DAYS of
the Quaker city, much frequented by bi-
bllophiles, and which. save that it has
expanded looks much the same now as
it did then.
Edwin hungry and eager for work.
presented himself to the proprietor and
asked for job
What can you doy"
Anything was the answer.
If won the place of errand boy at a
salary of 81 a week. Young Stuart not
onl ran errands, swept out the store
and did the chores around the office. but
he also was put OH guard to see that
no books, freely exposed for sale on the
outside, were stolen from the shelves.
Soon old, Leary began to discover that
his new errand boy could indeed do any
thing, and in a very short time his sal
AIRY was advanced.
rs He grew, DOTH IN stature and the
favor of his employer, it was felt safe
to promote him to clerkship. and thus
he went up from step to step until he
was the trusted head clerk.
This did not seem slow progress. but
better was in store. Eventually tbc
$ former errand boy was admitted to part
nership and he finally bought out his
employer ana became sole owner.
This might have been expected to be
the final achievement of a man whose
training had been essentially business
one, WHO was not versed in law, usually
the most easy step to political prefer
ment
In fact, Mr.. Stuart was dragged into
politics, for just the same reason that
all of his successive advances have come
to him. He was so popular that people
sought him out to take places of trust
Before he had been in politics for a
very long time, the proprietor of the old
book store was president of the infuen-
tial organization known as the Young
Republicans. He became so popular in
this post that the Pennsylvania State