, 1918-10-24
Candidate for Secretary of State New,
er Voted Outside OF His Home
Town-Laramie

In calling the attention of the vot-
ers of the state to the qualifications
OF the state candidates. it is note
worthy that w. F.. Chaplin, the Re
publican candidate for secretary of
state has been a Republican all his
life, has spent his years of legal age
within our state where he cast his
first vote in Laramie and has never
during his life voted away from his
home town.
AS a newspaper man of worth and
editor, his editorials HAYES been wide
ly copied and thru his writings he has
become we'll known thruout the state,
and his qualifications for the office
he now seeks are many.
Mr.. Chaplin was born in the city of
Omaha, February 25, 1860, his par
ents having removed to Nebraska
from Illinois in 1865. They were
from New England stock. His faith
ers farm at Omaha is now a city park.
The parents died when the subject
of this sketch was just entering his
teens and he thereafterward. in 1873,
located at Laramie.
At Laramie he entered the employ
of Slack G Webster, who were pub
fishing the Daily Independent, and
learned the printers trade in that
office. In 1876 he went to Chey-
enne and worked for Col. Slack On
he Cheyenne Sun till the fall of 1878,
when he returned to Laramie, going
thence to Green River, where he ran
the local paper for Shafer & Wheeler
for a short time
In January 1879. he entered the
employ of the Laramie Times, and
continued with them until the estab-
lishment of the Boomerang in 1881,
with the exception of a few months
in Leadville in the summer of 1880.
He was the first foreman of the Boom
erang and had a financial interest in
it from its inception till it was sold
to the present Boomerang Publish
ing company in the spring of 1890.
He worked with Bill Nye during all
the time that the great humorist was
in the printing business. After Nye
left the employ Of the Boomerang the
stock drifted into the hands of two
or three people and finally all OF it
was owned by Mr.. Chaplin and T.
l.. Mckee. who owned it at the time
of the sale.
In August 1890 Mckee & Chaplin
established the Laramie Daily Re-
publican and a year later Chaplin
took over his partners interest. Lat
er the stock was disposed of in such
a way as to give w. f. Chaplin, Frank
Spafford and James Mathison each a
third ownership. Mr.. Chaplin has
been the president and editor almost
since he establishment of the paper.
He served as city councilman in the
Second Ward of Laramie in the sos
for two terms and was later. in 1894,
elected mayor of Laramie. serving
one term and positively declining to
accept the unanimous endorsement
of the city convention for a second
nomination. He was a member of the
state constitutional convention in
1909, BiNlh6 pm uAiChNiOh IN
that body to the rights of labor.
In 1898 he was appointed register
of the United States Land office at
Cheyenne and held that position until
he was superseded by Mr.. Will Reid
in 1915. In the administration Of
the land office his only endeavor was
to conduct the affairs OF the people
strictly in accord with the law and to
treat every citizen alike.
If he is elected to the position Of
Secretary of State it may be depended
upon that he will follow exactly the
same policy, bringing to the admin
istration of the affairs of the Office
his best ability and treating all pat
rons, of whatever political leaning,
with the same uniform courtesy.
II is a firm conviction of his that
when the choice of the people is made
at the polls the officer elected be-
comes the servant of the entire pub
lie and SHOULD conduct his office ac-
cordingly.