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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 1903)
10 i ' . t- : r . - Mr' MR. AND MRS. OROROB PIXL.KT OF AIN8WORTH. Neb., WHO EECENTLT CELEBRATED THEIR GOIJiEN WEDDING. John Weaver (Copyright, 1908, by Guy T. Vlsknlskkl.) 1CV WHirPINflTOM mn uv Dl from London and turned back I furxtn tn become lta lord mivor. John Weaver ran away from Eng land and turned not back again. to become, mayor of what ta known an the most American of America! big cities Philadelphia, Hla la a remarkable atory of. auecesa that la all the more pronounced bee hum he ia the first Quaker City execu tive to give satisfaction to all classes within the last twenty year. "My boy," aatd the elder Weaver to John, When the latter waa In hi sixteenth year,' "now that you're getting to be a man, 1 wish you'd decide on what you're going to do and then at-ttle down here," "Hut I don't want to atay in Eugland," waa the reply. "Chances are better In America and I waul to start 'life there." The father, English through ami through, ' took a decidedly different aland. "You are to stay right here," waa hta ultimatum. But the boy waa not to be deterred by any paternal command from his ambition to go to America and carve out hut for tune. He set. to work to earn aome money o that he would not have to start out empty handed, and when he had a small turn together bo quietly decamped one day., made his way to liverpool, found a ahlp that would carry him over for a song and aet call for the land of his boyhood'a dream. : ' "- That waa twenty-seven years ago. Two year ago the republican organisation, .of , Philadelphia waa looking around for a , Si liable candidal for the office of district attorney. The-man then the Incumbent waa persona Ron grata; he had placed ' Senator Matthew Stanley -Quay in the pris oner'a box and tried hard to convict him. The teaders consulted long about this and that prominent" lawyer, but without result." Finally, when the aolvera X)f the problein, were beginning to despair. Mayor Samuel 11. Ashbridge's director of pubtio safety, A Ira ham L. English, who waa r also cora modore of the Philadelphia Tacht club", "of- fered a suggestion. "One of the enthusiastic members of the yacht club Is a lawyrr of the name of Joha Weaver," he bvsan. Who a John Weaverr" asked lb mayor. Well," replied the director of public safety, "he'a a pretty decent sort of fol low a'nd he haa a law office downtown somewhere. But he baau't taken much In terest! in politics and 1 understand that's the kind of a man we're looking for to nominate for district attorney." "Know anything else about hlmT" asked the mayor. "Why. yes. 1 believe he teaches) a tibia cttota up In T1oa.M The mayor thought a moment.' THE ILLUSTRATED DEE. V A Modern Dick "I guess we'll a tell Durham about Weaver," he said. ., Several ' days later three men sat In the . cabin of tho yacht that floated the pennant of the Philadelphia Yacht club's comma- " dore. . . . ...... "1 think we've found the man for dUtrlct attorney," aald Mr. Ashbiidge. "Who is he?" asked Israel Durham, loader of the republican organization. "John Weaver," said the mayor. .; . "Who's John Weaver?" alkod Mr. Dur ham in unfeigned astonishment. ."Why," spoke up Mr. English, "he's' a member of the Young Me.i's Republican club and" of the yacht club and oh, yes, by the way," he "teaches a bible class up in' Tioga, and" ...... He waa Interrupted by Mr. Durham. "Weaver ia our mail,", he declared em phatically. "He'll be the, next, district at-' toruey. His Sunday tchool record wili sat- . isfy a great part. of . the oppodlli n by. prov ing to It that we -can do what It, says wa can't or won't put up a respectable man. . And' you know, "unless we divide the oppo sition it will be powerful" The candidate waa found; the next thing was to learn, whether he ...would run. . To that end a deputation of political -leaders looked In the city 'directory to get the bualr ness address of John Weaver, lawyer,; and - later -introduced 4heiusc4ves to him Jn an unpretentious office In the. lower ' part of the city. Than they, utterly, astounded him . by offering him lh.' nortinatiijn. It, was some time before .he could.. make rply.,. When he did. it waa to say:" "I will' accept the nomination, and," ha added, "I will do my duty aa I see it If - 1 am elected." John Weaver's friends and acquaintances say that it haa been his unswerving allegi ance to the principles lA do his duty hm he sees It that has advanced him sMccvaslvcly from grocery boy to dry goods clerk, to T stenographer In a 'law office, to the bar and to ftte mayoralty': Be that as it may. . . the. leaders of the republican party, upon his acceptance, let It be known that the man the party would nominate for the office of district attorney waa named John - Weaver. - ' "John Weaverr' said Philadelphtans. searching their memories. "John WeaverT Who's John Weaver?" In a day the whole city waa a king the. question. "Who's John Weaver?" and newspaper men and other eeekera after political information were hunting high and low for John Weaver. "-It's a Joke.", said some, and "John Weaver's a myth," said others who had been unable to locate - the new star on the political - horizon. Meantime. John Weaver went about as usual attending to a comfortable, but not a record-breaking law "iraMe ' and in CECIL A.ND LJNUS KINDLE Y. TWO PROMISING YOUNG OMAHA VIOLINISTS. Whittington structing his bible class In the Tioga Bap tist church on Sundays. "."'. ,When Weaver wua at last located and pictured ' and Interviewed and It took somo time the fuct' came out that he was a naturalised Englishman.' The political, leaders had not known that they knew very little of the man and many of them were alarmed. "What will the Irish voters In the town think about that?" they asked one another. But the three men who had found him stuck to him, and so Mr. Weaver was nominated. Then men high -in the councils of the party went to him. "Of course," they said, "you'll not take the stump. The . office has always been looked upon as a seml-Judlclal .one and your opponent, the present occupant, who la running on the Independent ticket, holds that attitude." . ' "Gentlemen," said Mr? Weaver, "I'm go ing on the stump. 1 don't care what other men have done who have run for the of- . flee. I believe it is a good thing to let the ; people see their candidate, and I'm going to make speeches." ' . . ' Thtt leaders retired, discomfited. Mr. Weaver went before the public, . and , his , plain, brief 'talks j caught.' Even -In the Irish districts he as well received; so. much so,, in .fact, that ; when; the Irish heard that an organization, :wlth- antl-. -Catholic pendencies, was supporting the -leading opposition candidate, they went In a body to-Weaver's support, -and virtually : elewU'd hitn by their 60.000 votes. - - Almost as soon, as -tie had assumed office -with the declaration that he would act un hampered by any consideration except that of the public welfare, his words were pot to the test. A coterie of men who had been Indicted for ballot box stuffing, and had suffered exile under the previous dis trict attorney, returned to town and sur rendered. ' ,"Ah, ha," said the men wno had op posed Weaver. "We told you so. We, knew he'd be finnd In glove with the poli ticians who hauled htm from oblivion," Several weeks later, when the trial be gan, and his critics read how the "ma chine district attorney Is vigorously en- , deayoring to' convict 'the indicted machine leaders,'" they changed their views. The papers that had bitterly opposed his elec tion declared that "lift Is the right man In tho right place." and even when the pris oners were acquitted there was only praise for the prosecutor. It 'was a remarkable winning of public' opinion, bat the .trial resulted In a 14J more remarkable thing. While It was go; log on, the republican leaders wore busily enKaged trying to decide upon a successor to Mayor Ashbiidge. "lxok here." said one leader, when the trial was at Its height, ".'whal"we',re looking ' JSamtoxbar St. ttWX V ff - REV. J. U PinLMPS OF t.AT'REU Neb. GRAND CHANCELWR Oi' NEBRASKA KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. for is a-man who will unite all the warring elements and stop the -ndependent move ments that .have been k course of worry for the last four years. The man that can do this Is John-Weaver. If you don't believe me, see what the opposition Is saying about him.". . ; ; i Mayor-elect Weaver got back from England .about a week before his Inaugra . tion. . He went Into the court room, called : the-case of , the four Indicted school com missioners, saw to it that the jury was.. not tampered with, fought the case with all hia might, convicted his met), and .three daya later waa Inducted into the office of mayor. He has shown the. same determined aplrlt in the- mayor'e-.-cbaljr- and- that ia why all" Philadelphia is praising him. In-cldently,- he recently reveaied-'lt to. Gov ernor Pennypacker,- of Pennsylvania, to, the latter'a discomfiture..- . A vacancy occurred by reason of death on the bench of the court of common pleaa of Philadelphia county and the governor put forward a candidate in the person of a noted Quaker city lawyer. The mayor had not forgotten that Robert von Mos chiisker had given him able assistance wkile he was district attorney and so the mayor backed Mr. von Moschsisker In The governor was surprised. "Why. he's too young for tlue bench," he said. "I lint, a man of mature years, not a boy. VAs4 I want Mr. von Moschsisker," re-nl'.-VJl Vr Weaver. '."and I'm aolna ta v have him." Robert von Moschsisker waa nominated. He Is now one of the youngest Judges) tver ciecieu m Aiurnui, v
