The Washington herald., 1906-12-16
ROSE TO OPPORTUNITY
Good Reasons for Success OF
George B. COrtelyOu.
EQUAL TO ALL EMERGENCIES
Is the Word which De-
Hcribes His Qualifications for High
POsitiOn-Incidents Showing His
Readiness TO Accept Responsibility
and His Talent for Organization.

The transfer OF Secretary 'Corteiyou
to the Treasury portfolio, after his effec-
tive service as POstmasteT-GeneTal, has
set some of the old-timers to rubbing
their eyes and inquiring what special quail
ihcations this young man. still IN the
early forties, Is supposed TO have FOR
post which has been filed by some OF the
abiest fnanciers Of our history. But IN
this day and generation qualifications are
more a matter Of ability than OF eX-
perience, and the man who has the eXecu-
tive genius can get other people who have
the experience. In short, a Secretary OF
the Treasury need not be banker. any
more than a Secretary OF the Navy need
be an admiral a Secretary of War a
soldier. or an able and brilliant POstmas-
ter-General an ex-country postmaster
Mr.. Cortelyou is an adequate man. That
Is the word which describes him politi-
calIy, socially, and personally He is al
ways equal 10 an emergency.
Il was in the days following the assas-
sination of President Mckinley that the
country began to see what MIR. Cortelyou
really was. Suddenly as the crack OF a
pistol he was called upon TO meet. with
out warning or assistance, an emergency
more terrible than any that has confront
ed an American Of this generation. he
had 10 bear the whole responsibility In
hundred important matters where wise
decision was imperative, and he did 1t all
so quietly, so well. that the shocked and
sorrowing people Of the land saw his ex-
traordinary executive ability as never be-
fore.
Made an Important Decision.
An incident which was not brought 70
the knowledge Of the public until long
afterward, was his decision at critical
point in the Presidents Illness. II be
came u question whether or not an opera
ton should be performed, The operation
might possibly save the life Of the man
for whom the whole country was praying,
or-it might not Mr.. CortelyOu had to
decide. He recalled. with that singular
faculty for detail which is one OF his
strongest traits. a case very similar 10
that Of the President, IN which the opera
ton was necessary. and was performed
and saved the patients life He gave the
word. and the surgeons performed their
work Events proved that nothing could
have averted the result Of the tragedy az
Buffalo: but the incident shows that Mr.
Cortelyou is a man who neither seeks nor
shifts responsibilities-but who is equal
10 il when it is thrown upon him.
When It became necessary 10 select a
chairman for the Republican National
Committee in the campaign of 1904 Pres
ident Roosevelt chose CortelyOu, then
Secretary of the new Department Of Com
merce and Labor. He did II against the
violent protests Of some OF his friends.
VINO thought the work should be done by
a man more active in politics But the
President wanted to secure two things in
the chief OF his committee: executive abil-
ity and scrupulous integrity. He wanted
to win and win honestly. Neither he nor
any one else at the time fOresaw the
phenomenal landslide which was 70 amaze
the country. both he and C0rtelyou fully
expected 10 have a fight on their hands.
Organized Like a Corporation.
The committee was carefully organized.
Every man on it was picked for special
qualifications. It was noted by the puolic
with some surprise that few. If any.
were politicians in the ordinary sense Of
the word. People said that the offices
looked more like thoseo Of a big corpora ton
than a political campaign. Everything
was done with the most business-like sys-
tenn and regularity Card catalogues re-
placed speIlbinders; stenographers were
more in evidence than wire-pullers. Com
ing out of the place one day, two men
made significant comments
''Not much like old times" said one.
No" said the other. different crowd
of men entirely"
I'd like TO know what those fellows are
after" went on the first. I suppose there
must be a graft somewhere, but I don't
see where II comes In.
X was a curious commentary or our
political history
AS a matter OF fact the men who did
the work Of the committee smaller
working force, at smaller salaries, than
In any campaign Of recent years-were
of the new type Of political workers for
! the most part. They were in the fight for
clean government as they saw 1t. There
was hardly a man of them who could not
have made more money elsewhere. Some
were on leave Of absence from Jobs which
paid more than their campaign salaries.
Few were actuated by political ambitions.
The enthusiasm among them was quiet
but genuine. They worked hard, and
every stroke Of work told
Knows How to Pick Men.
he knows now to pick men He does not
attempt to look after details himself; he
chooses a competent man and makes him
responsible. He scarcely visited the offices
Of his subOrdinates during the campaign.
and men were working for him who would
not have known him by sight II they had
not seen his pictures. He chose lieuten-
ants whom he could trust, and then he
trusted them to the limit.
The public quite failed to realize the
far-reaching and careful work which was
done during the earliest weeks of that
campaign-work winch took account of
every possible voter in every part Of the
country. Two instances will perhaps show
the methods by which this was accom-
! Dlished.
a young college man was put in charge
Of work among the colleges Republican
clubs being formed in institutions
throughout the country, composed Of men
who were casting their first vote. They
were urged to allow nothing to interfere
with going home to vote. The result was
a great awakening of enthusiasm for
Roosevelt, among men who were likely to
influence others.
Another incident shows the Chairmans
ability TO recognize a good method sug
gested by somebody else. An old Hebrew
came TO him early in the summer and
asked If he wanted 10 know how to secure
the Jewish vote. On receiving an answer
In the affirmative, he said:
Appealing to Foreign Vote.
DO not make your appeal to the Jewish
voter as a Jew, but as a patriot Arouse