The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1911-02-16
GREAT men WHOM | HAVE KNOWN
AND YOU HAVE KNOWN MEN LIKE THEM

-. 40 HeW mouse at the local
a'"e. Is it any wonder that every
one loved Mack?
| put, there was more than that 70
'''' ne wasn't afraid to say an en-
"'s'As word to neighbor. That
vas my first paper. | didn't know
'''ueH a9out writing. l made lots of
n'iS'dhes and most everybody let me
"io" tAat they knew it. Mack didn't
= wrote an assinine editorial on
'He tariff, Mack used it as an argu-
.''ent the next time he argued Tariff
III my presence. He always told me
Ne hHeW l had it in me to make L
sitdt success as a newspaper man.
uiah ! know it, but Mack's encour-
'seiiieht helped me to become near
real newspaper man than /
ever would have been without it.
nat was before the day OF boosters.
oot Mack was one-he was one nat
uallr.
but, III what respect was he great?
can feel that you are asking that
question over and over
Well Mack was a mighty level head
ed politician. | used to get lot of
political plots in my noodle. | would
fllsa over and into the back room
VI the drug store and unfold them
TO Mack. Generally he would shake
als head and grin. He never actual
y discouraged me outright, but when
ae shook his head and grinned l be-
gan thinking up something new. If
he grinned and grinned without ever
shake, and finally led the way TO
the c.gar counter and picked me out
Hoffman House, | knew I'd ''struck
lie and that political scheme gen.
orally cut some figure in the next
falls campaign. Oh yes it did? had
ust little one horse paper with
l5out 700 readers, but | want to .ell
Fou they read those 700. Since
hen | have done political work IN
;, me pretty big daily papers and was
tounted a pretty skookum political
eporter, but l never did as good
york as l used to do back in ASH
e why? Because | never found SO
BOD balance wheel as Mack was.
Still, you might know Mack for
ye,rs and never know that he was a
politician. Every man ever elected in
Ostaola county would have gambled
that Mack voted for him, and. | doubt
me much If Mack ever told any of
them different. Politics was, like
charity, one of his secret gifts. He
always gave more toward Fourth
of July celebration and for the lecture
course that came in the winter. He
couldn't sing much sweeter than an
cut-of-tune wood saw, but he fire
quently tried. He never held any town
Oifice that / remember of except
School director, but he always had
"a say in every public matter. Some
way no mayor or councilman ever
Thought of making a move without
discussing it with Mack. 1t would
Dave been just the same if his town
pad been a great city. 1t would have
been just the same if presidents and
had known him. He dldn
know so much more than other peo-
pie but he had way of making use
of what he does know, and, also, he
never pretended to know something
that he had forgotten.
That reminds me: He had sticking
up on the side of his prescription
Case motto, that | am afraid |
nave forgotten but it was something
IKE, BE careful not to forget that
which you never knew" Well, he
didn't.
There, there, | hear you. You
Want me to cut it short and tell you
What there was great about Mack.
Alright. Alright.
Mack was great because he was
out and out what he was-just PLAIN
man He wasn't too good, nor yet al
all bad. He was great just like all
men are great only he hitched his
wagon to a corner drug store in
country village, instead of tying II
onto star. The probabilities are that
you will never hear of him again,
but, that is your misfortune, and not
his