The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-01-29

amount of it, although the salaries paid are in
general way more than fairly comfortable
Robert Wicklife Woolley is one Of the latest
of Americas weIlknown newspaper men to be
appointed to a position in the treasury depart
ment AS someone else has put it, Woolley makes
money than any other man in the United
States. but the personal difficulty is thai he is
not allowed to keep the proceeds of his manu-
faeture He is the director of the mint and every
body knows that the province of the mint is-to
turn out money for the multitudinous of the
people of these United States.
There not many newspaper men in the
country who better known than this present
official of Uncle Sans government. WooIley
looks about thirty years old but he can add quite
number of years on to that and CIV no lie to
the date of his BIRTH He has been reporter,
sporting editor managing editor, an editor, and
writer of magazine articles, and today he can
pick up any of his old jobs and do it justice,
and if the whirigg of politics in time thrust
MIN forth from the portals of the treasury de-
partment he probably and very naturally will
turn to tread in the old accustomed ways
The writer of this has known Woolley for a
good many years, and worked with him side by
side for considerable length of time great
Chicago daily. Woolley was then a sporting edi-
tor. He is an outdoor man, who loves the things
which all fulEblooded Americans love- and. more
over, he knows how to write about them, whether
it be as close finish Kentucky track
IA innings so far" to at the National league
grounds in New York city. Woolley loves sport
for sports sake. but it must not be supposed for
of his time.
From boyhood until this day the present direc-
tor of the mint has been a student of sociological
conditions of economics and of the ways and
means of legislation to get for the people what
seems to the progressive-minded the things which
they ought to have. Convictions that certain
lines of procedure were the right to follow.
and determination to follow them. have given
Robert w. Woolley many strenuous and exciting
hours during his long newspaper career.
1t is not necessary to explain to the people of
the United States what political ring is, nor is
it necessary to explain what invisible govern
ment is. Certain brave spirits in newspaperdom
have been fighting rings and invisible government
for years. and it has made no difference to the
courageous ones whether the ring composed
of of their party, whether the in
visible government likewise tinged with
partisan color of a hue ordinarily deemed adj
mirable by the crusaders. The director Of the
mint is a Democrat. but he has fought Democrats
when they were trying to exploit the people for
selfish ends
Not long after he entered newspaper work the
director of the mint had time of it, which
tested his courage and the sincerity of his convic
lions. not going to mention the name Of
the place where certain thing happened but
unQuestionably the scene of it will be recognized
by many and the details will be remembered by
men who have not yet arrived on the borders of
middle age.
Down i'll the South. and very far in the
South, either, Robert W. Woouey was once
managing editor OF newspaper of prominence
in city of considerable size. The chief editor
OF his paper and the mayor of the town were
engaged in a row, for the mayor, it believed
was connected with a municipal political combi-
nation which as the editor viewed it, was far
from being an institution intended to benefit the
people OF the community. Finally the lie was
passed. and the lie is, was, anyway. sure
fighting word in certain communities
One morning Mr.. WooIley went down to the
newspaper Office and found the mayor of the town
and his son. each with gun in hand, holding the