Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-10-30
BRUCE
IS The man
Plain Statement Of Facts Con-
tributed by One Who Has
known Him for Years

and heroism, like that of former Gov
ernor Johnson Of Minnesota. The pur
poses to which his life has been given
point to qualities that are highly
praised by every man. The simple
facts reveal a splendid character NOV
ing %steadfastly in the line Of chosen
duty and s~elf-forgetful devotion to the
peoples cause.
A virile Scotchman he is, though
born in far away India. While he was
very young his parents returned ito
Scotland; not long afterwards his
father died and a few years later his
mother died also. At the age of fiji
teen, almost penniless and without a
friend in America, he came to this
country. For five years he was a la
borer on a farm i'm Minnesota.
Becoming convinced that he ought
to secure an advanced education he
entered the University of Wisconsin.
His student days were interrupted af-
ter the first year, however, because
of lack of money; he then put in one
year as axeman with a U. S. survey
ing party. Returning to the university
he made up for lost time and CON-
pleted the four years of college work
in three years time, receiving the A.
B. degree in 1890. Having earned his
way through college he kept right on
the job of equipping himself for serv-
ice. While taking the law course in
the University of Wisconsin, he served
as secretary to the justices of the
state supreme court.
In the fall of 1892 he began the
practice of law in Chicago. He very
soon joined the little colony of work
ers associated with Miss Jane AID
dams at the famous Hull House
social settlement. He lived in Hull
House for several years. AS legal ad-
visor, active attorney and public
speaker he became a tower OF strength
in the settlements many struggles to
remedy social and political conditions
in that part of Chicago. In a notable
campaign against Johnnie Powers,
chairman of the finance committee OF
tine Chicago city council, Hinky Dink
and Bathhouse John (the three bosses
of the deplorable 10Th ward), he was
the leading stump speaker-his COL
league being Honest Jim Gary, a
teamster. This gallant open battle
against odds and thugs really marked
the beginning of the movement for
civic reform in Chicago, for believers
in betterment in other wards were
encouraged to oppose other bosses.
incidentally, it was in this campaign
that he had the gold fortune not to
be killed; during one of his speeches
a heavy wine bottle, viciously thrown
with terrific force narrowly missed
his head.
He was one of the leading workers
for the passage of the eight hour la
Dor law i'm Illinois, the second state
to enact such a law. AS attorney Tor
the Illinois Board of Factory inspec-
tors he successfully argued before the
Illinois supreme court the first case
in which the constitutionality of that
law was attacked. He drafted the
child labor and anti-sweat shop laws
for Wisconsin and after they had been
u%nfavorably acted upon by five legis-
lative committees he personally pre-
scented the issues SO convincingly that
four of these committees reported the
bills favorably.
In 1910 he became a member of the
National Commission on Uniform
State Laws, and at this body's Boston
meeting he was recognized by all as
the leader of the fight for the adop-
ton Of a National Child Labor law;
his advocacy there carried the meas
ure. Because OF his splendid services
on this and similar occasions he has
been the recipient of many enthui-
astic letters expressing praise and
gratitude from such people as Mrs
Florence Kelley and other prominent
workers in the cause.
His scholarly assistance has been
sought by such men as Professor Ely
and President Van Hise of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin; each relying up
on him for authority from the legal
aspect when they were writing books
on economics and conservation, re-
spectively. The National Bar associ-
alton made him a delegate to the
Worlds Congress of Lawyers and
Jurists at St. Louis during the Lou
isiana Purchase Exposition.
In 1902 he was invited to become
dean of the College of Law of the
university of North Dakota. He &C
cepted the invitation and continued
in that work until November, 1911,
when he was chosen by Governor
Burke to fill a vacancy on the bench
of the supreme court of this state,
the appointment being wholly unso-
licited. His fitness for the appoint
ment has been so universally recog-
nized that all of the ADLER laWyeres OF
the state have yielded him the right
Of way for election to succeed him
self; an extraordinary tribute, indeed.
He has been for many years an as.
sociate editor of the Central Law Jour
nal of st. Louis. Scores Of articles
Of merit have come from his pen, APP
pearing in this journal, in Encyclo-
pedias Of Law, in the Law Reviews OF
Columbia, Yale, Michigan and other
Notwithstanding such as the Fo-
rum-in every s. in answer to spe-
cial requests from the editors. His
writings have treated among other
topics, legal reform, which he has Wig
orously advocated, the regulation Of
the employment OF women and chill
dren and the conservation generally
OF both u national resources and
the lives and health Of u citizens.
In the services above mentioned
and otherwise he has been consistent