Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-28
FORMER GOVERNOR STUART
AN OP7IMIST ON BLRTHDA Y
At Sirty-fre, Popular Phiiadel.
phidn Acts and Talks With En-.
thusidSm OF Youth
Predicts Success for Sproul Id.
miniStration and Is Proud OF
States Response in Var

The people Of England have dubbed
woodrow Wilson the jolly President"
II they saw Edwin S. Stuart today on
his sixty-ffth birthday anniversary they
would surely name him the Jolly Gov
ernor."
II am great optimist." said the for.
mer Governor of Pennsylvania and one
time Mayor of his native city Philadel-
phia), looking as hearty and rosy-faCed
as possible. Never been more so since
| saw Office Boy Wanted. Apply Leary's
Bookstore in Ledger ad when was
fourteen, and got the job, which, in 1876,
landed me head OF one OF the best known
book stores in the country. BY the by,
the only people who ever paid me wages
were Leary. the people of Philadelphia
(when l was Mayor) and the State of
Pennsylvania
81 think the people of Pennsylvania
are in for the best administration they
have had In years. Not for twenty-five
years have they had a Governor so
well-equipped as Mr.. Sproul In these
times of readjustment Pennsylvania
needs great Governor and they are
going to get one. I have known Sena-
tor Sproul for twenty-five years. His
own career. both in business and legis-
lation, spell success for the people in
both Mr.. Sproul has that knowledge of
governmental business as distinct from
ordinary business which not every chief
executive has possessed.
When | was Mayor knew every
Select Councilman by name where he
lived, and what he thought upon every
question, and Senator Sproul possesses
the same intimate knowledge of politics,
pennsylvania is now the greatest in
dustrial state in the Union, and as times
Of readjustment are coming. great
deal must be done TO keep her there.
Our great interests must he taken care
of Gover-elect Sproul understands this,
What would be the condition of the
world now If not for Pennsylvania? one
tenth of our soldiers came from this
State Although not prepared for Ger
man methods of warfare the National
Guard Of Pennsylvania had been trained
so splendidly by former Adjutant Cen
eral Thomas j. Stewart that in efficiency
the men were recognized as the best IN
the United States. And so they quickly
became the best soldiers we had over
seas. | am very proud of them.
when people talk Of unpreparedness
for the war they forget that Pennsylva-
MAS industrial plants and railroads
were splendidly prepared for just such
TaDlu ClldIEe Ill plOuuINlOi 40 Ni'' w.
demanded In fact, our Industrial
plants and railroads were the only
thing in which we were prepared
Whatever results in Europe Pennsyl-
vania and the country are going ahead
Never was opportunity 80 good for
young man. At a dinner of the nine
teen nationalities at the Bellevue-Strat-
ford the other day given to Mr.. Stotes-
bury, Judge Burlington and others for
IL. lA.
paigns, | was much impressed by these
people prosperous and successful all of
them, with their wives and children, and
how they had all worked themselves up,
It was the most inspiring thing l have
ever seen.
"It will take a little while to settle
down: but expect more prosperity
than there ever was. And Europe. whom
we went to help on behalf OF civilization
and humanity. will continue 10 look ia
us for all kinds of necessities, which will