U.S. Treasury Secretary Visits Tacoma
Leslie M. Shaw delivers an impromptu address at First Presbyterian Church, urging young men to embrace a 'strenuous existence.'
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Leslie M. Shaw, Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, spent nearly 24 hours in Tacoma. He held an informal reception at the Tacoma Hotel and later addressed a large audience at the First Presbyterian Church. His remarks were entirely impromptu, focusing on the virtues of hard work and the dangers of complacency. He urged young men to have a 'dominant purpose' for their existence, arguing that the greatest happiness comes from achievement. Shaw remarked that the world is a 'one-price store' where one must pay the full price to get the goods. He famously stated, 'I would go one thousand miles to find the grave of a man who died from overwork, but it was easy to find the graves of thousands who died for want of work.' He was introduced by Dr. A. H. Barnhisel, with Senator Foster and other local dignitaries in attendance.
“I would go one thousand miles to find the grave of a man who died from overwork, but it was easy to find the graves of thousands who died for want of work.”
Secretary Shaw's 'strenuous' work ethic reflects the hyper-industrialized boosterism of early 20th-century Tacoma. His comments on overwork—dismissing its dangers in favor of an ethos of constant labor—stand as a stark contrast to modern debates about labor rights, burnout, and the 'hustle culture' that continues to influence local employment discourse.
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