Governor Douglas

He was much downtrodden. Of the 220-odd million feet in the U. S., ten million of them daily step on his face. For his features are still printed on the soles of his countrymen, although W. L. Douglas is dead.

William Lewis Douglas, born at Plymouth, beside the Rock, in 1845, lost his father at sea when he was only five. At seven he was apprenticed to a shoemaker. You can see him, "W. L. Douglas Pegging Shoes at Seven Years of Age," between "$7.00 French Brogue for Men" and the "$5.00 Advance Fall Style for Women" in almost any newspaper.

"WEAR W. L. DOUGLAS SHOES AND SAVE MONEY." He pegged shoes for $10 a month for eight years. Then he gave it up and worked in a cotton mill for 33 -c- a day. He served in the Civil War and was wounded at Cold Harbor. At 20, he went West, and in Golden City, Col., set up a retail store, Studwell & Douglas, and advertised with an advertisement headed "INDIANS. If you want to outrun the redskins, wear Studwell & Douglas shoes." After three years, he sold out at a profit and returned to Massachusetts where he worked as foreman in a shoe factory.

"FOR 38 YEARS, W. L. Douglas' name and portrait have stood for quality, for economy and satisfactory service." On $875 of borrowed capital, he set up his own factory, at first employing five men working in one room and turning out 48 pairs of shoes a day. His business grew until he had six factories turning out over 20,000 pairs of shoes a day.

"W. L. DOUGLAS $7.00 SHOES are remarkably good value." In 1887, he was elected to the Massachusetts Senate. In 1890, he was elected Mayor of Brockton, his home town. In 1904, in the midst of Roosevelt's successful campaign, Douglas, a Democrat, was elected Governor of Massachusetts although all the other state offices went to Republicans. He refused to run again.

"WHEREVER YOU LIVE, demand W. L. Douglas shoes. They are sold in 120 of our stores in the principal cities and by over 5,000 shoe dealers." In 1913, he married a second time, his first wife having died. He established the Douglas Eye and Ear Fund for the treatment of children in Brockton, and also the Brockton Hospital. Less than two months ago he was overtaken by what was described as "a pernicious ailment." He went to the Peter Bent-Brigham Hospital in Boston, where he was operated on twice--to no avail. Last week he died. He left a widow, two living daughters, two half sisters, three half brothers, six grandchildren, a nephew, a niece.