The Washington herald., 1907-02-10
Newspaper Men in Public Life
None Has Ever Reached the Presidential Chair

coal king, and the newspapers. that he
began active life In newspaper shop,
but he did. and apparently with the idea
OF remaining in the newspaper business
permanently Baer is rs much in public
life and as powerful factor in the af
fairs OF the republic as he would be
were he a Senator OF a Cabinet minister.
Baers father was a Pennsylvania farm
er of German extraction, II the name
means anything. George F. went to dis
trict school, and while yet in his teens
got a chance to serve a printers appren-
ticeship in the Somerset Democrat office.
He served the full three years. and his
work included the building Of fires in the
morning. sweeping out the office, and
keeping things generally in order, as well
as handling pieces Of type. He was as
faithful and logged when merely print
ers devil as he has been since arriving
! so sig1ally as great lawyer and in the
coal and transportation lines. and, be-
yOnd doubt was a good Compositor at his
apprenticeship end
His education was still below the ideal
he had set before him, however, and as
soon as the apprenticeship was over he
left "the case" and entered first, the
Somerset Academy. where he remained
year. and then Franklin and Marshall
/ College. at Lancaster. Pa, as sopho-
more. remaining there also year. Then,
i'm 1861 when nineteen. with his brother
Henry he bought the newspaper on which
he had learned 10 set type. George +.
Baer always has been a hard worker, and
is a hard worker to-day. as most self
made millionaires are; but he never has
worked harder than when part owner OF
that newspaper For on the breaking out
of the civil war Henry Baer enlisted and
George F. was left 10 run the paper
alone.
Now, the Somerset Democrat was not a
modern metropolitan daily. requiring the
services Of as many men as would ill "A
company OF two Of the military to get II
out; but a four-page weekly produced by
the labor of the brother proprietors, with
possibly a helper or two Perhaps they
had a man 60 turn the crank or pull the
lever of the newspaper press when print
ing day came around and 10 operate the
smaller job machine the other days Per
haps they had "a devil" tradition is ST
lent on that point, and nobody dares ask
| Baer about it, but fl is well authenticated
I that the Baer boys used 20 gather the
news write the copy. and set the type
for their own sheet
When Henry went away 20 the war
George F. had 10 do as much as possible
OF the work formerly done by both. He
devoted the daytime TO newsgatheriug
and typesetting and the night to writing
I copy. He did that for a year, somehow
managing 10 study law in odd moments.
But in 1861 he raised a volunteer company
and followed his brother 10 the front.
That was the end OF his newspaper life
lie Joined the Army of the Potomac and
took part In the battles Of the sec0H
Bull Run. Antietam. Fredericksburg, and
Charlottesville
After the close Of the war he continued
his law studies I'm the office of his bro
1 Their, Judge William Bacr. One Of George
F's first cases after being admitted was
a damage suit against the Philadelphia
and Reading road, which he won. This
led to his being made attorney Of the
I road in 1870. when only twenty-e!ght Now
, / he is not only president Of the Reading
Company and its subsidiary companies.
but is famous throughout the land be-
cause of his strong attitude in favor Of
capital whenever it is involved in a dis
pute with labor
- Two AntipOdaI Types.
y The late Nelson Dmgley. author Of the
} present tariff law, so hated by some and
so admired by others. was newspaper
man 70 the day Of his death. but he new
er was a printers devil, nor yet a re-
porter. and he went into the newspaper
business mainly because he thought it
! would help him IN the political career
which be mapped out for himself when
only a boy
DIngIey's paper was the Lewiston CIe)
]
kept a general store and tavern at Au-
burn. Ne. Nelson worked in the store
p and on the farm vacation times. walked
three miles TO the district school daily,
when 1t was in session, taught school al
! seventeen, and worked his way through
/ Dartmouth College, after which he stud
led law before buying the paper. He new
| ct practiced his profession. but-and
b which was remarkable for one who had
, not learned the newspaper business-made
the Journal support him throughout his
entire public career and when he diei,
/ in 1899, left a very respectable fortune
/ behind him, which the paper had earned.
No two men were Of more diverse type
than the late Representative Dingley and
f / Representative Champ Clark, Of Pike
. County. Missouri, who opposed the Ding
LEY tariff with all his might when il came
, before Congress. and IS still member Of
the Lower House Mr. Clark is one of
] the few members Of either house who,
z like the late Amos Cummings have writ
= ten syndicate" Washington correspond
ence.
, Clark's Official biography lays little
S stress upon his journalistic career limit
, ing the reference thereto TO less than
, line of type, but that is probably because
I he had so many other things TO men
: ton He has been engaged in more oc-
equations than most men; among other
5 things having ''cleTked' in q country
: store, worked as farmers hired man,
, practiced law, and for one year served as
81 president Of Marshall College in West
- Virginia That was in 1874, when be
, was less than twenty-five; for more than
a score of years he held the record as
/ the youngest college president in the
! world.
CIark's editing was done upon a small
{ country weekly. He is quaint, awkward
earnest. sanguine, and glowing when he
! talks on the floor Of the House, AMI since
the passing Of John Allen. "Of Tupelo."
{ is. perhaps, the most entertaining OF its
members.
Copyright 1907 by Dexter Narshaul
Dubious Diagnosis.
From the New York Tribune
The late Ambrose /. Thomas Of Chicago
once told story about two doctors.
"To Illustrate my point" he said,
apropos of an advertising error, I'll tell
you about my friend Bones.
Bones was taken III, and his family
physician being out Of town, a specialist
7 was called in
Al - III