The Detroit times., 1909-03-31
"PECk's BAD BOY"
AN ACCIDENT,
SAYS AUTHOR
FAMOUS HuMoRIsT IN MICHIGAN
TO STUMP AGAINST PRoHl6l.
TIoN-TELLs How He CAME TO
WRITE BOOK.

SO long as the publishers keep
tempting him with advance money on
books 10 be written. George w. Peck
simply cannot stop writing. That Is
the frank confession OF the author OF
"Pecks Bad Boy" Even being goY-
crnor OF Wisconsin did not jar him
from the literary perch which lie won
rs years ago
Il suppose. In a way. am respon'
sible In some part Tor the bad Kids
in the comic supplements of the Sun
day papers" admits ex-Goy. Peck,
genially. But they -cannot sue me
for It no matter how guilty am"
The famous humorist. who Is here
IN the Pontcnartralu prior to starting
out for cries " lectures in the
state on the saloon question, has a
newspaper mans way OF taking about
his writing. Funny stuff Is what he
calls IL.
As he tells Il. the Bad Boy was an
accident. He had gone into newspa
per work In Wisconsin after the war.
In which he served and got to writing
funny stories, the frst being one about
Terence McGrani. who claimed 10
be relative of President Grant That
attracted the attention of Brick Pom
eroy. who took him 10 New York for
three years and then sent him bac6
TO Wisconsin TO edi. a paper
MY boy told me one day about how
another boy had written a letter To
his father, signing Il Daisy" and ask
Ing him TO be in front OF the postofflce
AT a certain hour" says Peck. THE
old chump dressed up and paraded
around In front of the postotiice while
his son kept passing him and finally
made him pay up dollar rather than
have the story told To the boys
mother.
THAT was an awful mean trick,
pa said my boy 1 wouldn't play a
trick like that on you.
Peck thought the story over and
wrote it out II made hit and he
began a series. These grew into IA
book and finally he started Pecks
Sun and brought il TO Milwaukee.
other Bad Boy books followed, and
finally he got SO reckless that he went
into politics and was elected gov.
ernor
He has just returVd from tour o.
the dry" states and dry counties
In other states, ana is very strongly
opposed 10 any further spread Of the
prohibition movement.
Anyone gets liquor that can pay
for it-and, oh. such liquor as somo
of IL is" he says. In Bangor Me.
the boot-leggers sell stun calle'
whisky. and the workingmcn drink it
and then fall over 'paralyzed' IN the
public park. Little children speak 10
you on the street and ask you IL you
want 10 know where you can get
drink and they guide YOU 10 the
'speak-easy.' It brings aboct disre-
gard for law on the part of those
children.
Families there can get more money
out OF having an ioebox full OF beer
than they can by taking In boarders.
They have fast express service. too.
You toll an agent that you want y
case Of beer from Boston and In L.
minutes the express wagon drives
around TO your door with the beer
and il has bill from Boston, too.
I'm the south they still drink
whisky and talk prohibition. The
same men that vote dry have whisky
in their houses. Anyone who mas
dollar can get bottle The colorei
man Is very proud when he gets a
bottle and he drinks what he can ana
invites I'm his friends because he don't
want to keep H. The bottle doesn't
last long Where they can't get liquor,
they use cocaine.
Folks in Chattanooga cot so rich
selling liquor TO the dry territory
that they were willing to forget about
battlefields and war heroes and erect
monuments TO the prohbitlonlsts,"
ExGov. Peck will speak in Boyne
City, Monroe, Ypsilauti and Ann Ar
Dor.