The Washington herald., 1910-06-12

ION, D. c., SUNDAY, JUNE
mediately. Instead Of eonjuring with
stocks. the talent, vigor. and enterprise
of our railway magnates should be CEN
tered upon practical railway manage
ment."
you were the eldest Of nine children"
said. WAS your father a poor man?''
HE had a large farm in Iowa, but
land In my boyhood was not worth very
much. My father IL living yet. re-
NAMED with him until l was sixteen
years old. when I became a student at
college. which was twenty miles distant.
II will scarcely be accepted as the truth.
but from my earliest recollections
wanted to be a lawyer and live in Ne
braska. I kept arguing with my father.
and the summer 1 was sixteen he said l
might enter Tabor College in the autumn.
He raised fancy livestock. and ] helped
him that year at the county fairs. where
he always exhibited specimens from his
fields and pens and obtained premiums.
When we returned late IN September he
had seemingly forgotteIN his promise.
About 10 o'clock one morning while Dig
ging potatoes. l quit my work and went
TO the house Giving the act a modern
turn, I had gone out on strike against
conditions. l told my father l meant to
start for Tabor.
"'When?' he asked.
fright on I answered.
There was some talk. OF course. de-
bate, In fact. and father said he would
hitch UP the horse while l was getting
my personal belongings together"
How much money did you have?"
Less than $50. I remember that after
I had paid a weeks board In advance
and had bought my books that I had
nothing left. / let It be known that l
needed employment. For three years
rang the chapel bell thirteen times a
day, beginning at 6 o'clock IN the morn
ing and getting through al o'clock in
the evening. also did some janitor work
about the building The college author
tiles gave me a room In which 20 sleep
and $50 a week in money. did odd jobs
about town, saving and splitting stove
wood being one of my specialties- 1 was
at Tabor Eve years, reducing my course
year by hard study"
In Debt at Graduation.
What was the state Of your finances
when you were graduated?"
II was in debt a few dollars-having
stretched my credit for a white shirt a
necktie. and a pair Of trousers for COM
mencement. My father was present. After
the exercises were over ne said. as we
walked away: I brought you no flowers.
my son. but here is so gold piece, So
/ paid all that I owed and was free and
reasonably happy.
How did you get the prineipalship OF
the public schools at Leigh, Nebr.?'
'T had written FAR and wide for a
place, but nobody seemed TO want me.
Two weeks before I graduated a tele-
gram asked me TO meet with the school
board of Leigh on June 3. I got there
at 10 o'clock at night, having been de-
layed on the way-dusty. disappointed.
and weary. A director met me at the
station. I wanted 70 wash my face and
comb my hair Come as you are he
said. walking of in tho darkness.
found the other directors In large room,
that was lighted by a small lamp. For
tunately. they couldn't see me; they
could only hear me talk. Consequently
was hired before the meeting was
over"
After two years at Leigh you moved
to Lincoln and took a course in law at
the State University I said.
"Yes. had married meanwhile. and
so I crowded two years into one. work
| Ing eighteen hours q day; but I was
duly graduated. At the law I made no
more than Office expenses at first. The
second year was a little better. possibly.
After three years at the bar. made a
good living. In 1886 I was nominated for
| the legislature hadn't intended, how
ever, to run for Office. My father. a
farmer. abhorred lawyers. Politicians, in
his opinion. were even worse. had
some respect for his prejudices, and
meant to protect him from unnecessary
disgrace. But having been nominated. I
did not decline the honor.
still, I was doubly troubled. First
about my father and then about the Re.
tF~~--"% E-eAApA al tAAcA was 10 NC d1DIA-
ed In ST. Louis. which. feared. might
lean toward free silver. I had been a
gold standard man for several years, and
had freely talked my views around Lin.
coin and elsewhere. A former secretary
to Benjamin F. Butler lived at Leigh. h
publicly argued for the unlimited coin.
age OF silver, and. being an intelligent
/ person, made an impression.
'Instinotively. wanted to combat him
There were no books on coinage at th,
time. and so I read political economy
for light on the money question. Happily
/ found the statement OF Sir Thoma:
Gresham, the English fnancier. thai
when two forms OF currency are in cir,
culation, the better kind will not circu.
late as freely as the inferior kind. I be.
lieved In gold, therefore. before free sill.
yer became the paramount issue in the
country. After leaving the Nebraska leg.
! islature, served three terms in the lower
house OF Congress from the district thai
had previously elected Mr. Bryan. AND
each time / ran, he took the sturnI
| against me. However, we are friends
personally. He visited me the last time
he was in Washington"
| COPYRIGHT. 1910. by James B. Morrow