THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, JUNE 8, 1913.
r ..rxi, u i i
keiirer in
Omana Man Has Held 179
Elective Jobs and Has Been
in Public Service 55 Years.
OMAHA, June 5. The champion of
fice holder of the United States
has Just resigned because of old
age and increasing deafness.
His name Is Eben K. Lon, of Omaha,
and during "jis life time he has been
elected 179 times, "and I never yet
asked any man to vote far me," he
says.
Long has been a candidate 180 times
and he was never defeated but once,
and that was so long ago that he has
almost forgotten the incident. Many
of Judge Long's offices have been in
fraternal lodges of one kind or an
other, and others have been city and
county affairs. Fifty-five years ago he
was elected to his first political office
and not a year has passed since then
that he has not drawn a salary from
the public. But long before that time
he was elected to office in fraternal
bodies.
Judge Long, who is now 87 years old,
has been a justice of the peace in
Omaha for the last 21 years, during
which time 10.240 cases have been be
for him for trial. Scarcely an election
has been held in Omaha in the last
half century but that the name "Eben
K. Long" has appeared In the list of
Republican candidates. And when dur
ing "off years his name was not on
a political ballot, it always got en
rolled as a candidate in some order to
which he belongs. In fact, his average
for the 87 years is just a trifle over
two times each year.
Judge Long was born in Newbury
port, Mass., in 1S26, and while he says
he expects to live to the century mark,
ho was compelled to resign office a
short time ago because of poor hear
ing. "I'm only 87 years old but some
how I can't hear like I once could," he
ays, "and for that reason 1 resigned
as justice of the peace." So, for the
first time in more than half a century
Judge Long is without an office.
In 1855 Long emigrated to Cincinnati,
and from there to Omaha, where he has
lived ever since. However, long be
fore he left Massachusetts he was hold
ing office in the Masonic fraternity,
and having gotten the office habit he
has kept it up ever since that time.
While in Massachusetts Judge Long
states that he had the honor of riding
on the first train that ever ran over
a completed railroad in the United
states. That was the old Boston &
Lowell, and he was a passenger on the
first train that ran through from ter
minal to terminal.
While living in Cincinnati Judge
Long held office in different lodges
Old Aq
e m
Afterwards he was elected to the school
board, where he served for 17 years,
two terms of which as chairman of the
board. Then in 1S91 Mr. Long was
elected Justice of the peace. He held
this position until last month, when he
resigned because his hearing was fall
ing. "Elected 179 times and never asked
a man to vote for me In my life. Ain't
that a record?" says Judge Long.
The name "Eben K. Long" has become
such a fixture on Republican ballots
that party leaders say they will be
lost without it on the ballot for this
Spring's election. -
New Type of Consul
and fraternal organizations, but It was
hot until after he reached Omaha early
in me ous mat ne was elected to pub
huts and Indian tepees. Judge Long
was elected "City" auditor. But when
he came up for re-election he was de
feated by Charles Goodrich. That was
L?"lce' . I feated by Charles Goodrich. That wai
When Omaha was a collection of mud the only defeat he ever suffered.
Lewis R. Freeman went to the Orient
a good many years ago and there met a
consul at a certain city whom he found
to be typical of the older type of man
In the consular service of the United
States throughout the world uninter
ested, inefficient, and a political spoils
man. On a later trip Mr. Freeman
found the service vastly improved. By
contrast, he has pictured the new type
n me new consul in the same city in
cuina, as follows:
I He was a young man who had come
into tne service by way of Peking, after
completing the course at the legation
as student Interpreter. He was a grad
uate of a Western university and had
settled upon the consular service as
definite career.
The exigencies of a hurried schedule
allowed us only from davlfirht tdi
at this port, and during that time at
io.. a mi uozen receptions, tiffins and
similar functions had to be got through
with, included among which, it may
be Interesting to note, was a short trip
Ly special train over a part of the line
ui ranroao regarding which I had so
vainly sought information at our con
sulate six years before. That enthu
siastic young consul was In evidence
a.1 every turn, now answering questions
regarding the trade outlook or open
ings for capital, now asking for sugges
tions and advice on ways to make his
efforts more effective. Finally, in the
interval between a gala tiffin at a
Buddhist temple and a reception at the
Tennis Club, he gathered a dozen of us
together at the consulte and there.
In the same room in which I had so
signally failed in my search for a few
crumbs of Information six years before,
he gave us facts an figures with
mimeographed notes on the most salient
points concerning various projects of
Interest in the hinterland. Among
these were included detailed descrip
tions of Important coal and iron depos
its. This particular young man's enthu
siasm was no flash in the pan. as I
fully satisfied myself by careful in
quiries. I learned, for instance, that
not only had he gained a thorough
knowledge of the province In which his
consulate was situated, but that he
had also, at his own expense, made a
trip to the Philippines to study trade
relations between his port the point
from which most of the Philippine Chi
nese have emigrated and the islands
of that archleplago. He had published
the fruits of his investigations locally
in Chinese also at his own expense
with the result that a steadily increas
ing improvement in trade between the
points in question has been effected.
Lcalli and the W
illicnairc
4 SyfjoAo LyAJQise CoarAaocer.
T was after dinner that the visitor
I came to Anthony Croesus, mysteri-
ously and unannounced. Whether he
entered by way of the window, or
whether he slid down the chimney.
Anthony never knew. Certain it was
that he drew a chair up and sat down.
He never even knew that the visitor
was there until he heard a sepulchral
voice say:
"Anthony Croesus, I have come to
you."
And then he looked up from his cof
fee, over the glittering candelabra, the
vases of rare orchids and roses, and
saw a thin, cadaverous face above a
black cloak that hid the visitor's en
tire figure.
"All!" said Anthony Croesus. "Who
are you? And how did you get In?"
"I am Death," answered the visitor,
"and I have been waiting here for you
for many years."
Croesus, the millionaire the man
who had made his millions by the sweat
and lives of his slaves In the dark coal
mines, grew pale. He looked about him.
at the table with its white cloth, and
the disordered, remains of a fine din
ner, a half eaten peach, and the sucked
skins of the finest hothouse grapes
he looked about him and saw the pic
tures on the wall, and wondered wheth
er he were dreaming, or whether it was
true that the gloomy, black visitor at
the foot of the table was Indeed
Death.
"Well?" said Death, after a pause,
his shrunken lips curving in a smile
which was meant to be pleasant, but
which succeded only In being hideous.
"Oh, well," answered Croesus, In an
offhand manner. "What do you want
here ?"
"It is not a question of what I want,
but whom I want," replied Death, with
a nice distinction that was not lost on
Anthony Croesus.
"Look here," said Anthony, 'It's no
use being unpleasant about It. Let's
talk it over." He reached for the ci
gars. "You'll have one, I hope?"
The visitor shook his head.
"Thank you. No. I make a rule never
to smoke when I am working. And, as
for being unpleasant, Anthony Croesus,
It Is difficult for me to avoid being so.
Er, I suppose you're ready."
"Well, you see er Mr. er f he
paused, and then said: "What am I to
call you, by the way?"
"I am usually left unnamed," re
plied the visitor.
"As you wish. Well, I thought we
might talk this over." He smiled win
ningly. "By all means. I shall be happy to
hear what you have to say." .
"Of course," continued Croesus, "you
know that I am a millionaire."
"I am aware of that fact."
"Now. speaking as a business man.
Mrm. Bowler Found Him With His Head Renting on
Over the Tablecloth.
His Arms Outstretched
don't you think we might make a
deal?"
Croeus had all his life viewed things
from the business point of view, and
he had driven many a hard bargain, so
that it was only to be expected that
when he was face to face with Death
he would endeavor to bring his commer
cial brain to help him.
"That depends," replied the visitor
cautiously. "However, I will listen to
you."
Croesus frowned for a while in deep
thought and calculation. Then he said:
"Will $50,000 be sufficient?"
"What for?" asked the visitor In sur
prise. "Oh, come, come," replied Croesus. "I
suppose $60,000 is worth having, and 1
mean that if you go away and don't
bother about me there's 150,000 in
your" he glanced at the visitor's cloak,
and continued softly "I was going to
say in your pocket, but I am not cer
tain whether you have any."
"What's the good of $50,000 to me?"
asked Death gloomily. "I can't do any
thing with it."
"It's a nice little nest egg," suggest
ed Croesus. "You never know. You
may want to retire, some day, from this
work. You could Btart yourself In a
good business of your own. Undertak
ing would suit you," he added, with a
happy thought.
Death shook his head. "No." he said. "I
can't entertain anything like that. It
wouldn't do. I should have all you
people with money trying to buy me
off."
"Oh! but look here," urged Croesus,
"we needn't say anything about it. Be
sides, I want to live. I want to do some
thing good before I die."
"Ha! Ha!" laughed death. "'I'll war
rant it's the first time you've thought
of that. I generally find people are des
perately anxious to live and do good
things when I come to see them. Why.
he said, changing his tone to one of
severity, "you've lived these 60 years a
life of meanness and cruelty; you've
sweated the lives out of the men who
worked for you; people have starved
that you might have money, and you've
never done a good action, a kind action,
or a generous action during all of the
years of your life."
Anthony Croesus grew serious and
silent. "Look here," he said, "I don't
mind admitting that part of what you
say is true, but give me another chance.
Let me pay $50,000 and live, say, a
year or two longer. That's $25,000 a
year."
Death was unyielding, and Croesus
pleaded and prayed until Death said
irritably. "Very well, then, give mo
the money and I'll go. Perhaps I may
be doing the right thing."
Croesus was wildly grateful. He
could not find words enough to thank
his visitor, and he went over at once
to his writing desk and took out his
checkbook.
CHARLES DANA GIBSON'S PICTURE-STORY "A WIDOW AND HER FRIENDS"
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SHE IS DISTURBED BY A VISION WHICH APPEARS TO BE HERSELF