The Atlanta constitution., 1900-08-27
HAIL THE SHIRT WAIST MAN.
By Josi Ohl.

washington. August 2l.--(Spocial.)-The
shirt waist man has been In charge OF
the affairs of state during the creator
part Of tho crises growing out OF tne
troubles in China. With President NC
Kinley at Canton and Secretary Hay up
In New Hampshire, the conduct Of anairs
has been practically In the hands OF wv
men. both of them devotees. In q greater
or less degree. to the new fad. secretary
of War Root sits coatless in his omce
during business hours and when, late IN
the afternoon. newspaper men gather IN
a body for the purpose of being put next
to the meaning Of the days developments
they invariably find the secretary In his
shirt sleeves-calm. cool and collected lie
affects black and white In his shirt waists
does the secretary of war, and Tor the
most part the stripes on these garments
run up and down. Out of his office the
secretary is not so free and easy in his
raiment for he Is never seen about the
corridors of the big building except with
his coat on
Not so. however. the man who. In the
present crisis. is handling the afiairs oi
the department of state. Assistant sec
retary Adee is not only a shirt waist
man. but he Is perhaps the most enthus-
iastic bicyclist in Washington off1ciai me-
ator Tillman in his devotion to the wheel
He goes farther than either of these
statesmen because he does not hesitate
to wear proper bicycling togs. The re
suit is that the spectacle is presented IN
the corridor of the state, war ana navy
building and the secrets of state peihg
carried about by shirt waist man in
knee breeches and white shoes. Wncn
Secretary Adee was constructed. the
fashions evidently ran to spindle shanks'
and tho result is that this eminent stu
dent and dplomatist is little bit shy iii
his underpining.
Whatever lack of attractiveness there
may he at this end. however. is more
than made up by n beautiful suit or GIN
ger-tan whskers. the only ones that nave
ever dared aspire to place IN the JaiheS
Hamiltons LOWS class. Not. however,
that even Mr.. Adee has ever considered
himself worthy a place beside that sar
toral wonder from the wild ana WooiS
west After Lewis was made the Inoio
was DESTROYED and there can be no others.
The assistant secretary of state ilkes hl@
whiskers hut he he's during the last
thirty years. never found time to devote
that attention TO them which alone can
achieve great results His chief. the Hon.
John Hay. has had more time on ms
hands-but that is another story. MT.
Hay Is up I'm New Hampshire and L am
writing about Mr.. Adee.
1t must not be understood that because
Mr. Adee wears knick srbockers. sports a
shirt waist and has beautiful tan whisk-
ers he is at all given over to the friVoi-
tiles of life. As a matter or ract, ne is
a very serious person and is probably the
greatest student connected with the state
department. He is one of the few men
we have had in the diplomatic service
who has been able to stay long enough TO
make himself of real value to the govern
ment. He probably knows more of the
diplomatic history of the United states
than any other man in public life lie
has seen service in many different ca
pacities and has always made a good
record. His first association with Secre-
tary Hay was back i'm 1869, when both of
them were at Madrid
Not n politician and therefore not in
danger of being chosen for "A cabinet po-
sltion there has been little opportunity
for his worth to be recognized outside of
immediate Official circles-indeed, not out
side the state department itself-up to
the present time. which is indeed Mr..
Adee's day In court. With the secretary
of state and the first assistant secretary
away. he has practically free hand ana
th,. dispatches that are passing between
this government and the other govern
ments of the world bear the signature OF
alvey A. Adee." Ii is not to be sup
posed. however that these are the first
important documents he has drawn. As
a matter of fact most of the important
state papers of the past decade nave
either been suggested by him or have
been put in diplomatic language by him.
There is not much danger of Mr.. Adee's
giving away news which he should not.
In addition to being very deaf he has
an inpediment i'm his speech, and the com
bination somehow makes him very hard
man to get next to- Few of the men
along newspaper row have been able to
know him at all well and even his oldest
friends have never been able to accuse
him of being at all prolific In dispensing
inside information He is particularly re
ticent now and the result is that the seek
ers for the truth of the situation have 10
go to Secretary Root. The war secretary.
be II said in his honor. sees no reason for
unnecessary conccalment and talks freely
about those things which he thinks the
public mas right to know.
At the navy department there is the
same condition as prevails at the state
department for Secretary Long IS away
and Acting Secretary Hackett, who Is
new man to his position, Is very chary
about giving out information. Mr.. Hack
EFT is old-fashioned In his ideas and the
advocates Of dress reform have been un-
able to make any headway at all with
him There are shirt waist men in the
navy department, but they take great
care in concealing the fact when they APP
proach either the assistant secretary or
the chief of the bureau of navigation.
Even newspaper men in shirt waists find
themselves rebuked for their carelessness
i'm presenting themselves coatless before
the Macaievellian Crowninshield.
AT the war department the same thing
holds to a certain extent While the
secretary sits in his room with his coat.
if ne has one. carefully concealed behind
the door. Adjutant General Corbin, who
occupies the next office, has proved a ter
ror to the army officers and clerks who
have dared present themselves coatless
in his presence. There have been but
few of these. for the order to get clothed
these few was SO peremptory as TO imme-
diatelv find its way into every nook and
corner of the war department Clerks
work CoatleSS; but the minute they leave
their office to approach any of these Su-
periors. they Immediately find it conven-
lent to make themselves more presenta-
bic.
In the national capital. regarded in
more general sense the shirt waist man
has not been able to take the hold that
he has in some other cities. Down on
the avenue and on other business streets
he is very much in evidence after IL
o'clock I'm the morning and up to or .