Evening star., 1909-01-25
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

DOy1S1 lace, with a
healthful color and clear eyes. The cor
ners Of his mouth turn up, which denotes
cheerful disposition, and his quick Wig
orous step, denotes good physical con-
dition. He never hurries. but is never
slow: his manner Is affable but dizni-
fled: he never laughs, but there IS a smile
on his face most of the time. He has a
keen sense of humor; he tells a story WELL
but does not pose as a wit. He dresses
with great care, but his garments are
quiet in style and color. He is fastidious
about his hands. and is altogether one
OF the best groomed men in Congress- He
is always approachable. but people are
never familiar with him; he is democratic
| in his manners and habits, but never
common or vulgar
Senator knox's biography is not one Of
those stories of the attainment Of wealth
and high position from poverty. 1t Is
rather the story of a man who made the
best of his opportunities. His parents
were people Of means. though not wealthy
as wealth goes nowadays. He always
had comfortable home, never went to
bed hungry and was surrounded with
good. wholesome family influences His
father was cashier of bank in Browns
Vile, Pa, and was able to give his son
college education and good start in
life What success the latter has since
had he won for himself.
He was born at Brownsville March e.
lSa'. His education. after his common
school days. was obtained at Mount Union
College: Alliance, Ohio. where he was
graduated in 1872 While he was a stu
dent William Mckinley was prosecuting
attorney of Stark county, and Mr. Knox
heard him speak often at the college lit
erary society. Knox studied law with
Fl: B. Swope at Pittsburg, and was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1875 The following
year he took the only political position
he ever held until he went into President
Mckinley's cabinet-that Of assistant
United States district attorney for the
western district of Pennsylvania. He
resigned to devote his time to private
practice.
Senator Knox is always willing to talk
OF his early experiences. This is his in
teresting account of how he happened to
learn the printers trade:
While attending college | got ahead of
my classes, and, at my fathers sugges-
ton. went into printing Office for a
year. He had learned the printers S trade
and believed if did so I would know how
to spell and punctuate and would have
some knowledge about composition. I got
a place on the Brownsville Clipper
weekly paper scarcely larger than a hand
kerchief / learned to set type, to write
the news of the town. as well as rural
editorials, and to pull the old Washington
hand press. / did everything from keep
ing the books to sweeping the floor and
NdsullS lic foHtIS OHiS one otnef eA-
perience Of my life was more useful to
me than the year l spent on the Clipper
1 am sure I could go into printing Office
today and set type.
After, L was graduated from college 1
obtained cIerkship in the Brownsville
bank. My father had died. and what
property he left went to my mother. 1t
was necessary for me to go to work. I
remained in the bank year, received
500 and saved 5000. which was enough to
n Of MO
my way through into my profession. I
lived on So month for two years. l
sought place in the bank to earn money:
but. better than money, / entered into
the most valuable experience of my life
learned how to meet business men.
learned all about bookkeeping and COM
mercial paper and how and why notes
and drafts 60 to protest. After I began
to practice law never had to call on a
bookkeeper to explain entries trial bal
ances or the technical details of his ac-
counts to me. / could study a set of
books and understand them. Every young
lawyer can't be clerk in bank. but he
should obtain a thorough knowledge of
the underlying principles of business and
Of bookkeeping. The more he knows
about such things the better.
The senator sometimes tells how he
had a narrow escape from inheriting
great wealth. His grandfather was a
Scotch-Irish clergyman who rode the cir
cult In western Pennsylvania. eastern
Ohio and Virginia until he was eighty
years old. The first Methodist church
erected in Pittsburg was built with funds
collected by him. The venerable preacher
had saved a little money from his meager
salary and decided to invest 1t in real
burg were offered him, and he finally se-
Iected one lying south Of the Monongahela
river. which Ia now worth about as much
as 1t was when he purchased 1t. The
tract he rejected is now covered by the
business portion Of Allegheny City
In building up a practice Knox was
spared the hardships and anxiety that
yers He secured a good clientele from
the start. and having won the public con-
fidence. his practice grew with the pass
ing years until the firm Of Knox & Reed
was known as the most prosperous at the
Allegheny county bar. and their fees
were reckoned in hundreds of thousands
of dollars. While Mr.. Knox has been at
torney for men of large means. his cor
poration practice has been limited. He
has been friend and companion OF
through him became attorney for the
Carnegie Steel Company. He. however,
had no part in the formation of the
United States Steel Corporation. Nor
was he ever counsel for the Pennsyl-
vania railroad. During the debate
the rate bill in the Senate two years ago
the senator from South Carolina referred
to him as a Pennsylvania railroad lawyer.
Mr. Knox did not get excited; nor did he
show any indignation. He merely rose
from his seat and said quietly and with
good humor:
when I was practicing law in Pitts
burg / often thought that the Pennsyl-
vania railroad was making a mistake in
not retaining me in its litigation, but that
corporation evidently took different view
of the matter. and I have never repre-
sented it during my professional career.
either permanently or temporarily, di-
rectly or Indirectly"
Mr. Knox was recognized as the head
of the bar Of western Pennsylvania when
President Mckinley invited him to enter
the cabinet as Attorney General and he
ceed John w GrigEs. His record in that
office was full of activity and results. He