The Greeley tribune., 1910-10-13
JAMES B. pElECE Is
"EIiCIAL OF ABILITY

Our nrn~,.' Secretary OF state, /
James D. j. 'r. was born August
90. 1SG5, "a WcArthur. Ohio. Tie
received his ."u,auon in the public
schools or @rArthur. His first reg
ular oc' lpa Ii was as a messenger
boy Tor The Columbus, Hooking Val
ley ano I..edo railway, he then
being 3 Years Of age. At the same
tender oge be became telegraph oper-
ator reief agent, and operator at
various points on the Hooking Valley
railway When 2l he took Greeley's
advice and sol his face to the West.
Here e. inferred the employ of the
Santa Fe railway. filling such re-
sponsible positions as telegraph
operate station agent, relief agent
and doing office work for ten years.
In lS9i he resigned the station
agency at Rocky Ford, and engaged
in the newspaper business. He re-
ceived the appointment Of clerk of
the district court of Otero county in
1895. which position he held for IA
years. until he assumed the burdens
OF secretary Of state. He is presi-
dent OF the Winchell-Pearce Abstract
compary, with offices in La Junta.
Mr.. Pearce is a past Eminent Com
mander of Palestine Commandery,
No. %, Past High Priest OF Royal
Arch Chapter No. 90, of La Junta
and ha8 been prominent in Masonic
circles for the past twenty years.
He Is also a member OF the Elks,
Knight Of Pythias, and w o. W.
On October, s, 1888, he was mar
ried to Willie Whitman at Mumford-
vile. Ky Their only child, James
william Pearce, Is years old, at
tends the SChoooI of Mines at Golden
His father, Alexander Pearce, was OF
English descent, and also a printer
and newspaper man. He was q
DemOcratiC member of the Ohio leg
islature at the beginning of the war
and served during that struggle as
lieutenant and captain of Co. d, 18th
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, His moth
er, AUlanda Ward, was of Virginia
Irish ancestry, which called Americ;
ther home for $50 years.
No finer or more deserved tribute
than this extract from the pen o
George Creel has ever been wrote o
a public Official;
''In the office of the Secretary o
State, one James B Pearee is con
duotng the office as though it was ;
private business. The reforms ant
movements that this one man ha:
brOU hit about are as many as re
variable. 1t used to be that the
main Office was also the public rec
ord roOm, people and clerks jostling
pulling and hauling without system
and order; important department:
were inaccessible; everybody had au
thoTity without responsibility; favor
itism and even venality obtained
and lack of system lost the state
money and made for muddle.
MI. Pearce, first OFF, cleaned up.
He arranged all the departments
with reference to their Importance
put chief clerks in charge of them
and ilatly announced that the onice
would henceforth be run on strict
ly business basis. without regard &c
politics or pull.
The man has worked INCREASINGLY
ever since taking taking office. He
has worked honestly and intelligent
ly. Md not only has he saved thou
sands of dollars to the state, but
stands as an adequate answer to the
old lie that the peoples affairs can
not he administered as a business
man administers his affairs.
His stewardship has been honest
and faithful-the people ask no
more,