No one
could tell me; and not until I had visited six different municipal
departments, being referred from one to another, was it explained that,
through my father's naturalization, I became, automatically, as his
son, an American citizen. I decided to read up on the platforms of the
Republican and Democratic parties, but I could not secure copies
anywhere, although a week had passed since they had been adopted in
convention.
I was told the newspapers had printed them. It occurred to me there
must be many others besides myself who were anxious to secure the
platforms of the two parties in some more convenient form. With the
eye of necessity ever upon a chance to earn an honest penny, I went to
a newspaper office, cut out from its files the two platforms, had them
printed in a small pocket edition, sold one edition to the American
News Company and another to the News Company controlling the Elevated
Railroad bookstands in New York City, where they sold at ten cents
each. So great was the demand which I had only partially guessed, that
within three weeks I had sold such huge editions of the little books
that I had cleared over a thousand dollars.
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