Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-09-28


and Misunderstanding years at the
desk, varied only by short vacation
in the mayors Office. @s&s. e. IS
Familiar With Public Affairs.
Mr.. Gray's first work was on the
Tribune, having the city hall and
courthouse runs, which gave him IA
miliarity with the people and a fund
Of information on public affairs and
matters legal and historical, as we'll
as a working knowledge of municipal
government. At the time of the Re
publican national convention in 1892
he was so impressed with the dramatic
and tragic, the total eclipse of the
Plumed Knight, that he literally tore
off a tremendous article on the down
fall of Blaine, prefaced with the lines
from Byron on Napoleon:
"'Tis done. But yesterday King,
And armed with Kings to strive,
And now thou art a nameless thing
So abject yet alive
Reputation as a Correspondent.
When the article appeared great
Eastern correspondents came in scores
to see the rural genius who had beaten
them all, and the New York Times
man and others telegraphed the entire
article to their papers. The reputa-
ton thus established was heightened
by his correspondence from Washing.
ton at the outbreak of the Spanish
American variable, eloquent and Wig.
orous letters which attracted great at
tention.
During his term as mayor he won
a number of triumphs for the people,
one in refusing to sign contract or.
dered by the city council for the pur.
chase of coal because there was an
evident combine between dealers; un.
der Mayor Gray's orders wood and
| shavings were used as fuel at the wa.
ter works until the trust surrendered
Defeats Traction Company Plan.
Another victory of the people was
the heading off of scheme of the
street railway company to charge a
| lucent fare between the Twin Cities;
| the MINNEAPOLIS council had granted
this privilege by an ordinance. Mayor
Gray vetoed the ordinance, which was
passed over his veto, whereupon he Sc
cured the support of the Pioneer Press
| and the st. Paul city council and the
scheme was defeated.
When the smallpox epidemic broke
out. decisive and sweeping measures
| Of Mayor Gray stamped out the
| plague; and another of his popular
moves was his II have-have your
to bring home, in a style worthy OIL
them, the boys of the Thirteenth reg
iment from San Francisco.
Strong Editorial Writer.
James Gray is known, and widely
known, through his strong, fearless
characteristic editorials, which have 9
personality of their own so clearly
marked that people commonly say
''That's Jim Gray's; I can always tel
his articles" His serious articles are
occasionally illumined by flashes o.
native humor. It is of the grave
serio-comic literary type. He is un
consciously humorous while he de
tends himself from the charge.
| An important side of Mr.. Gray's ca
reer is his public speaking, and he'll
| perhaps more widely known in thi.
capacity than any other; as an after
dinner speaker he has made a reputa
ton that has became proverbial, ant
he has handled gridiron dinners will
a Zest, JUNCTION and brilliancy tina
have been pronounced incompatible
by President Northrop and othe1
| we'll known men. The late Governor
Johnson at one of these dinners said
II have never heard, even at thu
Washington gridiron dinners, a fea
ture that compared with it in original
ity Of conception"
! Connected With Church Work.
Mr.. Gray has been prominently con
nected with church work in Minneapo
lis and has spoken from the pulpit!
of score of churches of divers de
nomination, and his address in South
Dakota on "The Layman's Age" ha:
been widely quoted.
| Now, as to the man-and, after all
that is the important thing: Mr.. Gray
is a man of unbounded popularity
genial, and always ready with an ap
reply. He likes people, and is there
fore generally liked; he is what mel
call "a good fellow" and women, "a
splendid man." while politicians style
him "a good mixer"
Mr.. Gray's Home Life.
Mr. Gray was married in 1893 tt
Miss Grace harrington, associate edi
tor of the Times. At Linden Hills
where they have resided for over hal
score of years, Jim" Gray is a sor
of landmark. They have four chill
| dren. You may see him any summer
| evening with a baby on one arm ant
a pail on the other, bound for nearb,
pump; or in his backyard playing
tennis with his daughters or baseball
with the small boys of the neighbor
hood, or, if nothing better offers, NOW
ing the lawn.
To sum up, James Gray is one O.
the people and self-made man. HI
has a natural taste for public affairs
an exceptional knowledge of the stat,
and it's needs. His pre-eminent char
acteristics are common sense, eve1
balance, good judgment and caution