Evening star., 1924-09-28
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Through his legal connections in
! Lincoln Dawes became interested in
gas companies. In 1894 he moved to
La Crosse, Wis, deserting the law
| business for good in an overnight de-
| clsion. He organized the La Crosse
Gas Company. became it's president.
| then moved to Evanston. Business
men of Chicago. knowing of his work
| at La Crosse and Evanston. kept their
| eyes on him. Samuel insult was
forming his group of public utilities.
| The Evanston company was pur-
chased at fat figure. becoming the
| nucleus of the Public Service Com
| pany of Northern Illinois That was
| Dawes first big financial cleanup.
His public utility holdings alone are
said to be worth close to $4,000. 900.
= 4 \
| In Marietta, when one asks about
Gen. Dawes, one will get biography
of Rufus r. Dawes, the father of
Charles Dawes. The farmer COM
War. William Mckinley had been an
| Army comrade Of Gen. Rufus r.
Dawes. In 1896, though he was only
a young fellow and IA newcomer,
Charles Dawes organized the State
| for Mckinley. and won an indorse-
ment He became the youngest mem
ber of the Republican national COM
| mittees executive body. Mckinley.
elected, made Dawes controller of the
icurrency.
| His characteristic method of doing
| what politicians call raising hell
with things generally" became known
nationally then.
| Dawes personally is very neat An
Illuminating story is told of him dur
ing his administration as controller.
Often there came calls from Presi-
| dent Mckinley for Dawes. When such
a call reached him, he always washed
| his hands and face. He was asked
why, when the calls were very urgent,
| ne took time to visit the washstand.
! We'll" Dawes drawled, 'in Europe
! when one is summoned before the
| chief of the country's administration
| he puts on short pants. fusses up
| generally, and in some places even
puts on powdered wig. Now we
don't do anything like that here But
the least ] can do when summoned by
| the President is TO go with a clean
| face
| When Dawes returned to Chicago he
was inveigled into running for the
| Senate. That was in 1902 He was
numerically beaten, and there was
|
| had been "double-crosSed" by Boss
| William Lorimer. Dawes returned to
| Chicago from Springfield with Malcolm
! Mcdowell, his political manager, and
| j. l.. Pelton. now of Erie, Pa, who
| was then his secretary. The next
morning as Mcdowell walked into
Dawes office he heard some body
whistling merrily. Mcdowell was
cuNous. Who could be so gay in that
/ har r.; -La
| been wrapped in gloom?
The whistler proved to be Dawes.
| We'll. Malcolm" Dawes said in
greeting him, its all fixed, born
overnight"
! What's fixedo" Mcdowell demanded.
Why, the bank-Central Trust Co
| of Illinois," Dawes replied calmly.
| ne Whlstled a few measures, then
! added, We'll have S2,0O0.O00 capital
and a million surplus. Come on, get
| busy"
| In three weeks" says Pelton. we
had raised three times the amount cs
! money required"
Two children were born to Gen. and
MRS. Dawes. son. Rufus Fearing
Dawes. and daughter. Carolyn, now
| Mrs. Melvin B. Ericsson of Evanston.
| while at home on vacation from
princeton University a day or so be-
! fore he was to return for his senior
! year the boy, Rufus. was drowned in
| Lake Geneva That was on Septem-
ber S. 1912. Charles Dawes life had
been built around his son. Dawes ex-
| pressed some of his emotions in a
| tribute he wrote. which was read by
| a clergyman at the funeral
| MY boy was imperious. He rec
ognized no superior on earth. and yet
| was the tender and intimate friend
| of the weak and the humble. / have
! taken him with me among the great
est in the Nation and looked in vain
for any evidence in him of awe. or
even curiosity. He has taken me,
| asking me to help them. among the
poor and lowiy of the earth
Besides his written words Gen.
Dawes constructed another memorial
| to his son.
Rufus and I had talked it over for
| a long time" Dawes said to this
| writer. And his ideas concerned the
building of A hotel in the West Side
district of Chicago, where men are
down. but can be helped out. when
my boy passed. | carried on the work
| he wanted done"
| That work was the construction of
| the Rufus r. Dawes Hotel and the
| organization of the Rufus Fearing
| Dawes Association. The hotel can
care for 500 men a night with bed
! and bath each paying a very nominal
! sum. a similar hotel was built in
| Boston by Dawes.
! We've had nearly 1000. 900 guests
| since the Chicago hotel was organ
! lied" he said.
| In memory of his mother. Mary
| Gates Dawes, he built the Mary Gates
| Dawes Home in Chicago. where work
| ing girls of no parental residence in
| Chicago may have homelike quarters.
Gen and Mrs. Dawes are not So
| ciety folk, don't care a hang for it.
| To- judge by estimates that have been
| made to me of their personal charity
and pension list it would seem that
their principal idea of assistance to
their fellows is helping those less
| fortunate than themselves. But even
| among their closest friends and rela-
tives they do not say what those
charities are.
Their two foster children. Dana
| McCutcheon Dawes. IL, and Virginia
| Dawes, 10. are the delight of the
| neighborhood in Evanston, not alone
because they are naturally popular
| Youngsters but because through them
| the Evanston boys and girls find
| Charles Dawes playmate who-well.
| one youngster from west of the tracks
| who has tramped more than once
| over TO Sheridan road and inserted