New-York tribune., 1920-07-11

!, The direction of his tow head and
.hout, 'Fraidy catw Little Jimmie
vas afraid of the dark.
It seems trivial now, but it was
.ragic for that country lad. The
t.unts hurt his pride far more than
,nv stone bruise hurt his feet.
Finally, because of this ridicule, he
.taeled himself to overcome his fear
of the dark, and in succeeding ap-
narently developed an immunity
against all fears.
Overcame His Fears
Nowadays, when Jimmie Cox is
master Of a fortune that is esti-
mated to exceed $5,OO0,O0O, owns
and edits two newspapers, has been
elected Governor of Ohio three
times and is the Democratic nomi-
nee for the Presidency, the men
who work for him. and his other
friends like to attriBnte his success
b his fearlessness.
Dayton, Ohio, where the cash reg
iners are made and the Wright
brothers first envisioned the aero
plane, was boss-ridden town when
jimmy Cox came to town, and
bought the moribund ''News' with
It's boilerplate columns and feeble
circulation. That was in 1898.
Immediately he started in to pro-
vide the people of Dayton with a
paper with a vigorous news policy.
doc" Loves was the political boss
Of Dayton and "Doc" proved to be a
splendid grindstone for young Cox,
then twenty-eight years Of age, to
sharpen his circulation on. The
municipal government reeked with
graft. "The News" exposed this
mutation beneath headlines that
showed total disregard for the
price Of printing ink.
frequently when Publisher Cox,
who was also Managing Editor
Cox and Telegraph Editor Cox and
Reporter Cox and Advertising So
licitor Cox, appeared at his office
there would be a delegation waiting
for him, heavy-handed friends of
DOC" Loves. If Jimmie couldn't
whip them he bluffed them.
The Last 'sRough Stuff''
About the last of these experiences
occurred when he had just acquired a
private Office, half frosted glass and
half matchboard partition. Jimmie
was very proud of that Office, and
on the first day it was ready to be
used he arrived at "The News" to
nnd a thick-shouldered, scowling
rough neck waiting ''to see" Mr..
Cox. 1t was a henchman Of "Doc"
Loves.
Jimmie led the way into his pri-
Sate office. Some of the old en-
poyees OF "The News" say that as
Me visitor followed him into the sanc-
'um they saw him spit on his hands.
The door closed on them; the en-
poyees waited nervously. Then,
m0ugh no words had been spoken,
'ae News" staff heard the scuffle
=, 1eet and chair overturned.
mere was a crash of glass and
spnnterlng of wood. The rough
Aeck was catapulted through a
"all OF the private Office and lighted
VI sne back Of his neck four steps
=. ,rom the bottom of the narrow
n'snt that led up from the street.
~ oidn't return, but the private
emce was private no longer. 1t was
Just wreckage.
Father Republican
Cox hadn't learned how to run a
newspaper in a day or a week. His
sO'.'.y had background. Neither
,':., asu ne acquired the tough muscles
;. 80. ~ which he bounced the friend
Doc Loves without hard work.
10 begin, James Middleton Cox
nss porn March 81. 1870, on a
=. ,s.al. u farm near Jacksonburg, But
~, ~ county, Ohio. His father was
aDsit Cox, farmer who voted
~ lincoln and his Republican sue
l.ss l.ss0rs' and his mother was Eliza
aeth Andrews Cox.
.h:,. smmie was the youngest of seven
! sa'usen, and, while he was still a
s;,., sSs chap, the country gossips were
=. s,.'s !. plenty to talk about in q suit
/, a.sorce un filed at the county seat
-, 1lD" Cox. Little Jimmie's
H. ssesr went away from the farm.
R., 0'oest sister, now Mrs. John @.
Is rs,' wife Of the postmaster Of
a. asaa,etown, Ohio, went with her.
s =, y Jimmie's favorite to-day.
!, .ae other children were William,
ow conducts : small candy