The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-02-03

ed. The colonel retained his letter paper,
but he had printed on his cards: Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipoten-
tiary to Portugal. And Professor John
Bassett Moore, who invented internation-
al law, is now engaged in bordering
whether Colonel Birch is an ambassinis-
ter or ministador. No DENYING, how
ever, that he is colonel!
A close tie exists between Colonel
Birch and Colonel Bryan; for in 1896,
when Colonel Bryan-then private
was running for president on the we'll
remembered ratio of sixteen to one, not
one in sixteen hundred of the business
Democrats in New jersey but scuttled
INTO the high grass, emerging only on
election day to vote for Mckinley.
There were few who stuck. One was
Colonel Thomas H. Birch, also a private
at that time; and it amounted to some
thing for the colonel-in-future's papa
was wagon and carriage maker at Bur
| lington, in that state, and hence a bust
ness man. Young Mr.. Birch went all
over the state with Mr.. Bryan when Mr..
Bryan went over it in that campaign.
Though Colonel Birch was not vet
colonel, he maintained at that time the
neat little side whiskers which still adorn
him, having grown and nurtured them
for the purpose of looking his part. So
time passed on and presently Woodrow
| Wilson came to have place in New
Jersey politics; and Birch was on the
spot.
| When the first of the New JERSEY con-
| tingent got to Baltimore, a week or so
before the convention that nominated
Mr.. Wilson for the presidency, the par
AIDE was led by Ed. Grosscup, the Demo
cratic state chairman, and Thomas H.
Birch, and was followed by a van con-
tanning Birch's wardrobe, which consist
ed at the moment of fourteen suits of
clothes, with socks, spats, shirts, ties
and hats to match, II. H. Birch furnish
ing the complexion and having that
with him, and establishing the Balti-
more-convention record for shifting suits.
1t so happened that in December, 1912.
Governor Wilson's personal aide died,
and when Mr.. Wilson went to Chicago
to make the only speech he made be-
tween his election and Inauguration
Grosscup and Joe Tumulty, who went
along, had Mr.. Wilson make Birch his
personal aide, which at one and the
same time made him Colonel Birch.
The colonel, being a nifty dresser,
dressed the part of colonel niftily, He
bought all the toys, from spurs to SPAN
giles; and he donned the whole affair on
inauguration day in Washington and
added much splendor to the occasion.
But Jim Fielder, who came in as acting
governor of New Jersey, had some per.
lsonal ideas about personal aides and he
picked out his own man. Thus Colonel
Birch went on the retired list automatic.
ally when w. Wilson entered the White
House; but he retained his beautiful
uniform, and he can wear it at the court
in Lisbon if they chance to have a court
there during his ambassinisterial reign
1t was with no surprise that the Demo.
Gratis of New Jersey learned, at twelve.
one p. M. on March 4, 1913, that Colonel
Birch intended to take diplomatic ser.
vice abroad. They knew it. No man
with title, uniform, and the Other
qualifications of the colonel could dc
aught but become a representative OF
this country abroad.
Cuba appealed first. Presently Col.