The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-01-29

For six months, which he has described as
SIX %eventful months" he was the editor of a
newspaper in a southern town, whose locality
l shall not give here, because of certain circum-
stances connected with the case. There it was
another crusade against a municipal ring ana
another case of being compelled to edit win a
revolver in the hand and also to walk with a gun
exceedingly handy. The ring eventually was
broken into bits, but meanwhile Mr.. WooHey hau
lost his newspaper.
For a short time thereafter Mr.. WOolley was
the editor of the San Antonio Light in Texas.
Then he went back to New York and entered
upon a really notable career as a magazine writer.
He was sent on many assignments throughout
the country for some of the best magazines III
the United States, and then he became one Oh
the Washington correspondents of the New YORK
World, a position which he held Tor ABOUT t"o
wears. Then again Mr.. Woolley turned to maya
zine work, and in the year 1911 he became tne
chief investigator of the congressional commit
tee appointed to look into the affairs of the Unit
ed States Steel corporation. This committee was
known as the Stanley committee.
Because of it's wide-reaching effects, it is PROB
able that a magazine article entitled Inc run
derers of Washington" was the most notaple
contribution to the news and Information OF the
dav E" which Mr.. Woolley ever wrote. This article
was preceded by an intimation that anyone men
toned and who chose so to do might Kho" Indl
he had recourse in the courts. In other Worus,
the information upon which the article was paseu
was tested in advance. MS IllCI Noo N"
bv the press of the time fearless 1t dealt WIN
some of Washington's big bankers and real es-
tate men and with a good many ofnclals'
Woolley was writing just as he wrote When ne
was attacking municipal rings in smaller towns
of the country. 1t is not too much TO say per
haps, that the article largely was responsible
for a complete change IN the manner OF men ap-
pointed to positions of high trust in the num-
cipal government of the city of Washington lor
Washington in a way has municipal government
being under the rule, of course, of congress- out
having a board of District commissioners as
responsible heads.
In the year 1912 Mr.. Woolley was the editor and
compiler of the Democratic Text Book" and was
chief of the campaign of publicity bureau OF the
Democratic national committee. tie also com
piled the text book of 1914. His political atllla'
tions at this time, however, newspaper men De
lieve, did not have anything to do with MS ap
pointment to Office. His efforts along liberal and
progressive lines had attracted the attention oil
woodrow Wilson. Mr.. Woolley was appointed
first as auditor for the interior department, ar
office which. despite its name, is under the contro
of the treasury department. Then he was glVer
his present position as director Oh the niht' Nv
is filing it.
am writing this article with feelings of per
sonal admiration and liking, perhaps even OF al
lection, for have known Woolley for years. HI
is a tried man. He is one of the newspaper IRA
ternity, and after nearly a quarter of a century o
close acquaintance l know that | can say that III
is an honor to it. Robert Wicklife Woolley live
lust outside of Washington in Fairfax, Va, 1t l
this little town which has possession of the Will
of George and Martha Washington, and som
parts of the bill of rights of George Mason. l
is a good Mace for a Democrat of strongly pre-
gressive tendencies to live.
Mr.. Woolley married Marguerite Treholm o
Winchester, Virginia. They have four children
all girls. The family life is of the kind &C
counted ideal. In the books Mr.. Woolley is pu
down as Robert Wickliffe Woorey, but newspape
men from coast to coast and from the Canada lin
to the Gulf know him much better as Bob"