Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1910-10-13
". g. Douglass, a State Builder

born in Batchtown. ILL.,, in October
1863 His boyhood was spent on
the home farm and he received his
education in the common schools
and in a full course at the business
college at Jacksonville, Ill.
At 20 years of age he came to
the state of Nevada, settling at Vir-
ginia City, where he went to work
in the bank of his uncle, ]. NJ
Douglass.
In 1898 he got into politics and
was elected to two terms as clerk
and treasurer of Storey county.
From that position he was promot-
ed by the republican voters of the
state to the Office he has held con-
tinuously ever since-secretary of
state. The first time he ran for
Orvis Ring were the only republic
cans who succeeded in getting more
votes than their democratic adver-
saries.
His administration of the Office
has been conspicuous for efficiency.
Among the things that his friends
point to with especial pride is the
state library which has been built
up through the incessant enthusiasm
of Secretary Douglass. 1t is the
finest law library on the Pacific
coast, containing many volumes of
foreign decisions that cannot be
found in any other library in the
west Thirty-five thousand volumes
have been catalogued under the
Dewey system. Besides the law IL
brary there is a collection of mis-
cellaneous books of many thousand
volumes.
Since Mr.. Douglass took the office
more than $350,OO0 has been col
lected in fees, all of which has been
turned into the state treasury.
He is largely interested in Com
stock mines. He is connected with
the Golden Curry, the Best and Bel
cher, the Chollar, and the Console
datead New York, all Comstock
producers. He is also the largest
stakeholder in the Comstock Mo-
hawk, a property now in operation.
His especial pride and his most
important venture in the line of pri-
vate business is an illustration of
what may be accomplished in this
state in the way of reclamation. He
is bringing under cultivation tract
of 1900 acres of very rich lands.
He is raising hogs, cattle and horses
and has hundreds of acres of fine
hay and grain on ground that few
years ago was a desert waste. He
secures the water for his purpose
from the Washoe lake, pumping to
height of so feet, from which ele-
walton he is able to water 600
acres. He is now putting in an
electric pumping plant of $50 horse
power, which will enable him to
lift the water of Lake Washoe to a
height of ITO feet, and reclaim his
entire tract of 1900 acres. Last
year he marketed ESQ fat Poland
China hogs, and is going in for hog
raising on large scale.
His interest in ranching and his
knowledge in that line has made
Mr.. Douglass one of the most val
liable members of the state prison
board. This board, as is known,
has purchased a 100-acre prison site
and will erect a new prison build
| ing and lay out farm on which it
is figured that the convicts will be
able to produce enough to make the
Nevada state prison self-supporting
He is in touch with the plans and
work so far carried out and his re,
election to the office of secretary
of state for the sole purpose Of car
rying out his present ideas regard
ing Nevada's prison farm, is of suf-
| ficient Importance to the voters of
the state to warrant their support
of him for this reason alone.