Evening star., 1934-12-23
CHAPTER XXXIV.
BY FRANK r. CARPENTER.

BY FRANK X. CARPENTER.
T HEARD last night story about
John r. Mclean, the edi-
tor of the Cincinnati Enquirer,
who now aspires to Senator Sher-
mans place in the United States
Senate 1t was as to how Mclean be-
came the manager of the Enquirer
and how he acquired control of the
paper. The Enquirer was owned by
Faran and Washington Mclean be-
fore John got hold of it. John had
been absent in Europe for some years
studying in the various German uni
versities and when he came back his
father, old Washington Mclean, put
the young man to work doing all kinds
of ordinary work about the counting
room. 1t was his idea that John
should master the newspaper business
in every detail. At the same time he
made young John present of a few
shares of the papers stock in order to
increase his interest in it.
But the boy learned faster than his
father thought. One night at meet
ing of the stockholders of the En-
quirer he took occasion to make
speech in direct opposition TO his
father, delivering strong objections
to his policy. The old gentleman was
both surprised and piqued. Rising,
he demonstrated with John in the
meeting, telling him he did not think
he owned enough of the stock of the
paper to have the right to advocate
such radical changes. John replied,
so the story goes: MY father may be
mistaken about that. I think I own
more of the Enquirer stock than he
does"
Upon investigation this proved to
be So Young John had quietly slipped
out among the minor stockholders
and had bought up their stock un-
known to his father. He then out
lined a new policy for the Enquirer
spent a great deal more money and
eventually made it one of the big
newspapers of the country. His mar
riage with one of the leading society
girls in Washington is a great incen-
tive to his senatorial ambition. Miss
Emily Beale, his wife, has been one of
the closest associates of all the Presi-
dents for years. Gen. Beale has been
one of the chief figures of Washing
ton society and the election of Nc
Lean to the Senate would establish
him on an equal social footing with
his father-in-law.
John Mclean is evidently preparing
to come to Washington to live and
both he and his father, Washington
Mclean, own valuable property here
Within the last year John has bought
whole square of ground in the most
fashionable Of the city, at the head
of Connecticut avenue, within a
stones throw of Blaine's big house,
and 1 see that it has been graded
within few months This plot is the
old Homestead Cemetery, out of which
the skeletons have been taken. Its
soil, however, is saturated with the de-
cayed flesh of hundreds of humans,
and. to say nothing of ghosts. Still
John R. Mclean paid over $50, 900 for
it, and I suppose it is worth it.
The Washington correspondent of
the New York Graphic, who is well
acquainted with Cleveland, says he
has been studying him for years,
and tells me that the people know
nothing of his bull-headed obstinacy.
He believes in civil service reform. +"
says this man, "and I am sure he will
stick to it to large extent. At the
close of his term would not be sur
prised if it would be found that half
of the clerks were still Republican and
only half Democrats"
Office Seekers.
The hotels here are crowded and
Office seekers are thick as shells on
the beach. They make motley-look-
ing crowd, and long hair, red noses
and shiny clothes are seen in all the