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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1908)
Sunday Bee PART III. HULF-TOIIE SECTION PACE3 1 TO 4. Largest Circulation THE OMAHA DEE. Best IT. West VOL. XXXVII NO. 44. OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 19, 1908. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. JOHN N. BALDWIN SUCCESSFUL ATTORNEY AND ORATOR Son of Council Bluffs Who Rose td National Fame Through Nativfc Ability and Who Achieved Great Success in His Chosen Field of Corporation Law and State Politics ' Omaha JOHN N. BALDWIN was not spoiled by having well-to-do parents, but In spite of what la general!? recognized as a handicap to rising young men, he has succeeded In forging to the front rank la hla profession, and today s recognized as one of the most able men of the American bar. .As bead of the legal de partment of the Union Pacific railroad, having been appointed" as general solicitor of that road in January, 1906, when W. R. Kelly resigned, Mr. Baldwin has txen a most busy man during the last few years. Legislatures in the various states through which the Union Faclflc railroad passes enacted numerous laws for the reg ulation of the railroads which affected every department of a rail road, and the head of every department had to work under new con ditions. These men have not made a new move for two years with out first asking the advice of the legal'departments of the road, so it can easily be seen what a busy life the general solicitor of theUnlon Pacific led since the last legislatures were In session. John N. Baldwin Is a most interesting and agreeable personality. Nature endowed him with qualifications ior mingling with hla follow men. He is a big, wholesouled, jolly fellow, a finished scholar, an eloquent lawyer and a polished gentleman. Fifty years ago he was born In Council Blnffs, la. His father was Caleb Baldwin, one of the ablest lawyers in Iowa and a man of national reputation. John N. entered the law department of the State university of Iowa when quite young and graduated with high honors before he had attained his majority. Aa soon as the required number of years had rolled around he was admitted to the bar and Immediately began the prac tice of his profession in Council Bluffs. Not long afterward he was one of the leading lawyers of the city and was attorney for the leading corporations located or doing busi ness there. By his extensive reading and continuous study, as well as by his natural endowment, he cam to be recognized as one of the best speakers of he bar. tAs such he was called upon to nominate Senator Allison as a candidate for the presidency in 1896, and did so In a memorable speech. He has also been called upon to speak on various other important occasions. Chosen for His Eloquence Four years ago. when E. H. Harrlman wanted an eloquent man to deliver an address on behalf of the Union Pacific system at the f&eeting of the International Railway congress held in Washington D. C, he choae John N. Baldwin. Leaders of the operating and con struction department from aU parts of the globe were present on this occasion. x ( Until two years ago, when he moved with his. family to Omaha to occupy the beautiful home of the late J. M. Wool worth. Mr. Baldwin had always lived ia Council Bluff. He ws married in 1878 to Miss Lily O. Helcomb of Cedar Rapids. They have two children, a daugh ter. Miss Genevieve Baldwin, a graduate of Vassar, who is now en gaged la artistic Wok binding, and a son, John N. Baldwin, Jr., a gradute of St Paul's school at Concord, N. H., and who- la now at tending Harstrom's school at Norwalk, Conn. Although he never held public ofllco and never aspired in that di rection, Mr. Baldwin found time to take an active interest in politics, both national and state. Ho was always a strong republican and was always Identified with what was known as the Gear taction In Iowa politics, baring taken an active part both times when Sena tor Gear was elected. Incidentally, Mr. BaJdwin Is what is termed almost exclusively a corporation lawyer. The . firm of Wright A Baldwin was tho attorneys In Council Blnffs for the Chicago, Milwau kee St St Paul railroad aad also tho Burlington, as well as for tho franchise public utility corporations. Including the gas and electrio light company, tho water company and tho street railway company. Twenty-nine years age Mr. Baldwin entered the esaploy of the Union Paeifie as Its local attorney at Qsuncll Bluffs aad remained with that company conttsumtary ever since. His territory and Juris diction gradually expanded until In 111 8 he was made general attor ney of that read tor Nebraska and Iowa and In conjuncton with Judge W. R. Kelly, then general solicitor, had Joint supervision of dty In 1907. i I W I - ' . ft". , . f - ' . ' . , t, , ' " . ' ... . rendered Impossible to General Dodge by reason of lack of funds." Mr. Baldwin then paid this tribute to General Dodge: "To Gen eral Dodge these were years tensp with stress and strain, heavy with unremitting toil, thrilling in danger, but still he pushed ever forward and onward with the confidence of a conqueror. He was a man of Judgment and common sense, who spared nothing and wanted every thing; a man who believed In action and knew the value of every moment of time. And above all, my friends, actuated by the Im pulse to better his country, himself and his descendants, he tolled with tho.e who overcame this wilderness and converted this 'Great American Desert' into a 'Garden of Benefits,' " His address ended with this beautiful s?ntlment: ''And to you, remaining members of the Army of tho Tennessee, now In the twi light of life. I offer tho sontiment whl'-h pervaded the soul of the Cumaean Sibyl when she presented her books to Tarqulnlus Prlscus, 'As you grow fewer In numbers you bocc me dearer to our hearts.' " Tribute to the West in his speech on "West of tho Missouri River," delivered before the international Railway congress, Mr. Baldwin paid this tribute to the railroads and the men who built them in the west: "The great est single factor or agency In the development of this country and the accomplishment of thofce rorults was the construction and opera tion of railwaya.' The builders of these railways were men who em ployed their genius to find reason and glory in matter. Through these years, tense with their stress and stra'n, heavy with their unre mitting toll, thrilling in their danger, they pushed forward and per mitted nothing to check them until they touchea tho shores of tho Pacific. They were ruen who believed in an age of utility and uten sil and who could not only construct railways, but build cities, disem bowel mountains, yoke electricity and frteam and direct them both as tireless and obedient servants." In closing he eaid: "Let us search unwearledly for the truth and in so dolns we should be willing, If necessary, to walk alone tho stone-strewn path of right, rather than march with triumphant hosts alcng the bread highway of error." Friends of Mr. Baldwin like to tell of his most notable caso which was tried many years ago. An Iowa firm vvas suing the Milwaukee railroad, whVih Mr. Baldwin represented, for 195,000 for a Are lots from a spark from a locomotive. The case wore on until tfco final issue seemed to be a question of veracity between Mr. Baldwin's chief witness, who was an engineer, and several witnesses for the other side, some of whom wore O. A. R. buttons. The case wasl ready for the arguments and. the plaintiff's attorney, Colonel Charles B. Clark, a noted Iowa lawyer, who also wore an army badge, worked on tho sympathies of the Jurors, many of whom also wore the army emblem. When he had finished telling the story of the battle of Antletam most of the Jurors were in tears and Mr. Baldwin said himself he cou'd ee the finish of the case. ' Night came and the court adjourned until morrlrg, v. hen Mr. Baldwin would close the case. Gloom Vanishes in Victory JOHN rj. BALDWIN. i admirable one that It was ordered reread at the reunldn of that so- which move the commerce of the world. He had no maps or charts to afford him Information of the topography of tho country. The ter- the work of the legal department for tho entire system, covering Some of tho passages of that tribute to General Dodge are beau- rltory traversed was designated in text books as a wilderness dedi cated by nature to be the eternal habitation of the savage and the buffalo. seres states. As an orator Mr. Baldwin has achieved a national reputation. Ho first attracted outside attention through his speech as temporary chairman of the Iowa state republican convention tnlS94. In 1896 he presented tho came of Senator Allison at the republican national convention at St. Lous and In 1900 he was nominated as elector-at-large ea the Xbws ticket and stumped Iowa and other western states for MoXQ&leyi and 1M0. ZIotaHo Oratorical Success ytvw years ego, in February Mr. Baldwin won two notable ora torios oooesaos which added to his national reputation. At the In vitation of the Iowa State Bar association and tho State university he delivered tho Marshall day address on the It 0th anniversary of tho Installation of John Marshall as chief Justice of the United States su preme court Judge John J Dillon, who also delivered a similar ad dress Wore tho New York State Bar association at Albany, .pro nounced Mr. Baldwin's address as one of tho ablest of tho sixty de livered on that day in the United States. .s On the ltth day of the same month he was the principal speaker at the annual banquet of tho Republican club of tho Borough of Man hattan, held at the WaldorfnAstorla. Speaking of that occasion, the New York Press said: "Mr. Baldwin differs from the conventional post-prandlal speakers in his defiance of set rules" and creation of new art His vocabulary is litUo less than amaslng In Its diversity and originality. He employs no tricks of gesticulation. Virility Is In his every period, and while the beginning of his speech did not in dicate the strength that was to become manifest as he went on, his peroration was so perfect that the women in the boxes who had come to listen with languid interest were aroused to extraordinary enthusiasm as the 'Roscoe Conkling of the West bowed and sat down." It was In a crowd at Washington on the following day that Sena tor Dol liver took this little shot at the orator of the evening: "John, you got away with us fellows from Iowa In your little speech last night In three particulars. First, you were complimented by the New Tork Sun: second. Senator Depew also spoke highly of it, snd third. It was printed la full on the front page of the New York Tribune. This seems so strange, because that space has hitherto been devoted to valuable matter." So great a hit did Mr. Baldwin mako on that memorable occasion that demands were made for his services from all over the country. The New York papers printed his speech in full, with his photograph, while simply giving passing notice to Senator Depew and other notables on the program. Mr. Baldwin was the leading attorney for the plaintiff In the fa mous suit of James Doyle against James F. Burns, the trial of which consumed more than a month In the federal court at Council Bluffs, and succeeded In securing a verdict of $450,000, which is said to be the largest verdict ever returned In a damage suit in the United States. Mining property in Colorado of the value of over $1,000,000 was Involved, and It was a historic case. Counsel on the other side were Senator Patterson. ex-Governor Thomas and Congressman Smith. John N. Baldwin is a big man. not so tall, but big In other ways. His face ia massive, alert and clean-shaven and surmounted by a mass of wavy, brown hair, which sets off bis high forehead. He has l powerful, deep and splendid voice, thoroughly modulated and en tirely under control. While not necessarily a believer that clothes go to make up the man. nevertheless he believes that good clothes help a man many times and that they are made to be worn, so he is always well dressed. On the 9th of November, 1906, he was the principal speaker at the thirty-sixth reunion of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, held at Council Bluffs, his subject being, "General Crenvllle M. Dodge. JLU address made such an Impression aad was such, aa tirul word pictures. Here is one: "In this time of great national eminence, with happiness regnant in 20,000,000 American homes, with our astral emblem honored and respected throughout the world, with the seat of peace of both hemispheres by the Potomac, with a nation distinguished for ito commerce, its wealth and Its enlighten ment it is meet that we should pause in our onward flight to ac- I General Dodge's Achievement "To'emphaslze the achievement of General Dodge In building tho knowledge with full hearts our love, our reverence, our boundless Union Pacific, I speak authoritatively, officially and with a full knowl- gratltude and obligation to and for our preserver and benefactor edge of the facts, when I say that the present management of the the union soldier." 1 Union Pacific, for the express purpose of shortening the line between In speaking of General Dodge's work In the construction of the Omaha and Ogden and bettering it, if It. were potnible, bad surveys Unloa Pacific railroad, he said: "President Lincoln, fully apprecla- and revisions made and expended millions of dollars in eliminating ting the genius and indomitable will of General Dodge, Immediately gradients, curvatures and tunneling mountains, with no limit as to after the war called him to the task of construction of the Union Pa- time or means, with .full knowledge of the topography of the country, clflo railroad.' He turned his face, recently bathed in the smoke of with all modern appliances, with the services of a corps of the ablest musketry, toward the wilderness, the Rockies and the great Amer- engineers, yet It only succeeded In reducing the distance less than lean desert, and he surveyed and supervlned the construction of that forty miles. And this reduction in mileage was due laigely. In fact, road, then a military necessity, now one of the great railway systems almost entirely to changes in gradients and curvatures which were As Mr. Baldwin was sitting, enshrouded In gloom, arounl tho hotel that evening, all hope gone, the engineer came alens and aacd Mr. Baldwin what he thought of the chances. Mr, Baldwin replied that he thought all those soldier buttons would be too much for his case and that he had about given up hope. The engineer casually remarked that he was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, but never wore his button. Mr. Baldwin began to question the engi neer, and he told this story: Many years before he had come to this country, a lad of 16, carrying a Bible, his mother had given Mm. Not finding work, he enlisted In the union army, and at the battle of An tletam was wounded. A rebel soldier was also wounded and the two lay together. Thinking the Yankee was dead, the southerner took the Bible from the knapsack of the northerner and left the flleld. Years afterward the southerner ran across that Bible and he thought that the relatives of the supposedly dead soldier might be alive and that they would like the keepsake. He'advertlsed in several papers for the relatives of the man whose name he found in the flyleaf. The" engineer saw that advertisement and answered it, getting back his Bible, "Why did you not tell me this before?" cried Mr. Baldwin, all enthusiasm, for he now saw an opening and the light ahead. He Instructed the engineer to be sure to be on hand at the trial In the morning and to wear his G. A. R. emblem. He left the engineer and started to retire, when he met his associate counsel, who asked him where he was going. When told he was about to 'retire the other asked him why h.e did not sit up and study out some answer to make to the noted lawyer's argument As" hs lay In bed that night Mr. Baldwin thought out what he would say to the Jury on the morn. Those who have heard John N. Baldwin well know how he could tell the story of that engineer to the Jury. He In turn brought tears to the eyes of the Jurors, aad when the verdict was returned for tho railroad company those present well knew that It was the oratorical powers of Mr. Baldwin In telling that story of the engineer to tho Jury which had won tho caso. He had told another story of tho bat tie of Antletam. "Trade Excursions" Among Omaha's Big Factories OMMERCIAL TRAVELOGUES" are to bu a new feature of the bimlneu and Industrial Ufa of Omaha wlch promise to culti vate peraonal acquaintance of bualneaa men ai well aa more than a superficial knowledge of the "other fellew'a buainsaa." To know how Omaha waa able to report that the manufactured products of the city were valued at 1220.000.000 and the wholesaling- bualneaa amounted to t8S,048,OX) dur ing the year of 1907 the Commercial club haa devised a novel means in the local "trade excursions." the flrat of which waa given during the last week. The figure look "awful" big when they are reported by the newspapers and spread over .the advertising matter of the Com mercial club and other or? ganlxations each year. They are almost too big to be lieve, but inquiry aa to th" output of aotue of the fac tories and the business of aome of the , wholesale houses verifies them an nually In a general way. The first vielt of 100 bual neaa -men t one of the lurge dry gooda houses, a clothing'-" factory and a plumbing sup ply house was a strong ar gument In fsvor of the fig urea presented January 1, when It. was reported that the wholesair dry goods houses of the city sold $3,575,- . 000 worth of goods; the clothing factories made $300.0(0 worth of "ready to wear" goods and the whole sale plumbing biulneaa of the city amounted to more' thaa ' t.BoOOOO during th year of 17. Now th Commercial club propose to show a many of It members aa will go on the excursion where -every dollar's worth ot bual neaa U don without looking at th private preflt aheet aad cVUl)e4 atatuQaata fur nished the directors and heads of the many wholesale Rouses and factoriea. "Am I my brother's keeper," haa been answered In the affirmative by E. A. Hln richa, chairman of the entertainment com mittee of th club, who will' have the ex cursions In charge. The business men pro pose to familiarise themselves with their "brother's" business to the extent that they will aee and know what other business men are doing In the city of Omaha. The Idea of the local trade excursion did not originate with the Omaha Commercial club aa did the first trade exourslon Into the territory surrounding the great grain market. For a number of years the busi ness men of Buffalo have been visiting the factoriea and warehouses In the city, and taking special train and running out to the busy suburbs and manufacturing towns hear tho city and from which flie mercan tile houses of Buffalo draw a largo part of their supplies. The Buffalo Idea spread. It did not need to meet with the favor of other cities before the Omahans tried it, and vabout as soon as an Omaha business man brought the news of the novel excur sions of the city on the lakes, Commis sioner Guild of the Omaha club Interested the entertainment committee and Mr. Iiin rlchs knew a good thing when he heard about It. The plan Is to take an excursion every two weeks or at least once each month, and see every industry In Omaha and South Omaha, and hope to ae an industry or two at "Ralston" before the trips are concluded. Then It la hoped other will eom 'fast enough to keep the club busy going over the new Industries. As soon aa the Intention of the Commer cial club was announced a score of invita tions poured In to the commissioner. Her are some ot the invitations already extended end which Will be accepted In the moat convenient form necessary for the excur sionist to reach the places of business: Northwestern frelKht depot and terminals. Fairmont Creamery company plamt, ice cream factory and buttermilk cellars. Plant of the American Smelting and Re fining company, which refined $47,100,000 worth of metals in Omaha laat year. Union Pacific Railroad company's shop, where CuuO.OGO was expended laat year In labor and materials tor cars and locomo tive. Breweries (to be accepted In July and August). Bom of th other industries whtab ta - . .... .. . . t .astfc f V , - f , A - .... ' r 1 . ..'-- a. f t t TKADB fcXCt'KSiUtiiJiia AZ.-S1UB UNU'iOJ 8IAIM 8fi-i'iY. CuMANVS iiUlLUiWU business man will investigate consist In a factory where $150,000 worth of whips are mad each yar; where mission and antlqu furnitur oemes from; th bag factory which Makes $1,400,000 worth of sacks and hra blankets, which are dis tributed almost from Greenland's Icy mountains t laala's coral strands; the human horse oellars, which an so goo4 , that th government I buying them for th mule on Irrigation work; th candy shops, which make $1,200,000. worth ot confectionery annually and ar alleged to make $$,000,000 worth of work for the dentists; th planing mill and fixture! house, which make $500,000 worth, ot' window sash and office furnitur an nually, and the new flouring mills, which produce the material lor . Omaha-mad momma bread. Besides th factories, the wholesale house will be Invaded. They Inciud very possible Una, froiS groceries to billiard table and from agricultural Im plement to Merry Widow millinery. , It I; a 'good-natured but studious crowd of business men which makes the excur sions, and th largeat warehouse and factories ar Inspected thoroughly la from one to two hours, though tho aver age time required will probably be lea than one hour. Th first excursion, which looked over two large establish ment, left th Commercial club roofns at 1:$0 o'clock and waa ready to return, to th desks and offices In Just two hours. By showing 100 visitors through an establishment at one those who ar honored with th visit sav much time, as th large number goes through every thing In less tlm than would b required to show on Ion Individual the In and out of th business house or factory. Employe ar disturbed but one for th entire party, and usually not disturbed at all. Besides th advantage gained by whole sale groceries, seeing how calico is stored and shipped, manufacturers of glass win dows, learning how structural Iron 1 mad and handled and consumer learning omethlng about where butter com from, th plan will doubtlea oreate e closer ' co-operation of th business men Of Omaha, who ar last approaching the (Continued on Pag Four J
