Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-11
FROM PLAINS TO CABINET
Achievement OF BALLlNGER
New Secretary of the Interior Was a
Cow Puncher in Southern
Kansas

SPOKANE, Wash, March 10.-From
to the position of secretary of the in
terror is far cry, but that is the range
of the career of. Richard A. Ballinger
OF the state of Washington. former
commissioner of the general land office,
ex-mayor of Seattle and until recently
vice president of the Alaska Yukon
Pacific exposition, who was in Spokane
a few days ago on his way to Wash
ington, D. c., to join President-elect
Tafts cabinet A remarkable coinci-
dence is that he succeeds James r.
Garfield his classmate in Williams col
lege, who afterward made him general
land commissioner.
The interesting phases of Mr.. Bal
lingers. frontier career are being told
In his own words. He said:
I'VE were living at Virden, ILL.,, and
in 1873, when | was 10 years of age,
my father, who had served through the
Civil War, being mustered out as
colonel in the Third Illinois regiment,
took up d soldiers homestead near
Larned, Kas., and as that was then In
the heart of the cattle country, l soon
became a cowboy.
A Battle with RattIers
"On one occasion it was necessary to
take ride of rs miles across the plains
to Larned, and l was compelled to pass
the night on Rattlesnake creek, which
was properly named. Before l could
go to sleep 1 had killed three rattlers.
my most memorable experience as
rider on the plains came when a wild
horse got the better of me. That was
at Spring creek. l got the thong rope
over the animals head all right, and
managed to get him up to the snub-
bling post, where the horses are brand
ed. Gradually | worked up to the un-
tanned animal until I was within ten
feet of it, With a motion as quick as
lightning-so it seemed to me-the
horse raised itself on its hind legs and
struck me to the earth. When / came
to the horse was gone and | needed
medical attention.
while / was on the range / rode 70
miles every Sunday to recite Latin to
the steward at Fort Larned, where
several companies of soldiers We're sta
toned. My ambition was to go to col
lege as soon as l could, and l spent
three years at the State university of
Kansas and at Washburn college at
Topeka"
Mr., Ballinger was deputy clerk and
afterward deputy treasurer of PaWnee
county, Kansas, for two years.
Graduate of Williams
Wnlle at WdSnDurn Mf. BalilnSer
met Senator John j. ingalls,. who adj
vised him to take a course at Williams
college in Massachusetts. He did this
and was graduated with the class of
1884, of which James r. Garfield was
member. Afterward he studied law in
the office of S. Corning Juddi Chicago
and then went to Kankakee, Ill., where
he became city attorney.
Later he was city attorney of De-
catur Ala. after which he came to the
state of Washington. He was for four
years on the superior bench of Jeffer-
son county residing in Port Townsend,
after which he went to Seattle. His
term as mayor extended over a period
of two years, and at It's conclusion he
was prevailed upon TO take charge of
the reorganization of the generaltlan
office. "a
Mr. Ballinger is in every way aAali-
fed for the office. as he is intimately
acquainted with forest resources, min
eral wealth, agriculture and irrigation
and conservation problems. as well as
the Indian and reservation affairs Of
the northwest and other parts of the
country, and his appointment is in
dorsed by the people of this state and
of the entire northwest.