Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-06
SECRETARY DANIELS TALKS WITH FRANK C. CARPENTER

looking man. I do not mean handsome.
He is rather the reverse Of that. In
deed. he might be called plain. But he
is good looking just as Abraham Lin
coin was good looking. He looks clean
and his closest friends tell me he is
clean, body and SOUL His blue eyes are
bright. his dark complexion clear and
his language is pure and free from
slang. He is a man Of simple tastes and
healthy tastes. He is a family man, and
a picture Of his wife and four boys
stands before him on his desk as he
grinds away at his government job. He
is devoted to his mother. His father
died when he was three years old. and
ing eighty. has been both father and
mother to him all these years. The re-
lations between the two are the closest
He writes to her almost daily, and the
letters she gets are the only ones he
pens with his own hand. He is lover
of his wife and feel safe in saying she
is the better half of his soul. He is a
man Of many friends When his news
paper plant burned down at Raleigh
month or so ago men came in by the
hundreds and paid subscriptions in ad-
vance for ten years to come to help him
out. He is not a rich man and has
never been a lover of money. But at
that time he said he felt like the richest
man Of all the world, for he was "a MIL
lionaire in friends
It is this human side of your Secretary
of the Navy that makes him the despair
of his clerks. When he came into the
department he slashed the red tape at one
fel blow, and now newspaper men. con-
gressmen or plain. ordinary, everyday citi-
zens can get at the Secretary and have
all the time needed for their business.
All that Mr.. Daniels asks is that he be
closeted with his bureau chiefs from ?
Of his time before then is spent In re-
ceiving callers. and it is only after that
time that he gives his personal mail any
attention.
X ::
Nevertheless he does an enormous
amount of business. It is said that Napo-
leon could dictate to four stenographers
on four different subjects at the same
time and keep them all busy. The Secre-
tary seems able to carry on two trains
of thought in the same way. He is often
talking while signing his mail. He is a
swift reader. and his eye grabs a page at
glance. Nevertheless, he knows just
what he Is signing. and he will often stop
and order corrections or have the letter
changed or laid away for some future
time He is an even minded man. He
does not worry and he sleeps well of
nights.
Ny talk with Secretary Daniels covered
wide range. He told me much about
the navy anu his piduS lOI citNdtiuS tHC
men and bringing the service closer to the
people. In response to my questions he
talked also of himself, and 1 will write
of that first
I asked him to tell something about
the Daniels family and where 1t came
from. He replied:
THE name Daniels Is Welsh and the
most of my family came from Wales.
They emigrated to this country at an
early date and settled in North Carolina.
fath To-
father began his life on farm. Then he
took a notion he would like to be a ship
builder. and he went into shipyard and
learned the trade. 1t is rather strange
that l. also. should be connected with
ships after these many years.
Il have been told that your father died
when you were young.
Yes. was only three years old at the