Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1916-05-05
A MAN.
(From Collicrs.)

We pa iAieSN tiiio slpli liC GU
itor of the London Nation:
Colonel Houses visit TO us. which
has just come to an end, stands,
think, for a landmark in the war. Nc
one has had anything like his chances
of valuin~ the general factors which
will decide the fate of Europe, now
dreadfully in the balance. This is not
Il small function. Save for the con-
fercnceS of the Allies. displomacy has
come to an end over the great field of
Europe. Neither side knows what
the other side thinks; ard the more
mon strain the ear, the more loudly
sounds the roar of the cannon. 1t is
well, therefore, for the world to have
at least one carrier of ideas and in
telligence. Colonel House has i'm
pressed everybody with his sense, pru-
dence, reserve, sincerity, power of
their due weight in the balance of
affairs
This paragraph speaks for itself
the idea that Colonel House is Il
pretty important figure in the world
would be too obvious.
Now lin reading Colonel Harvey's
"North American Review" we find
Mr. Henry Herbert Childers. 1t is
by far the best article that has been
written about the Presidents advis-
er. Apparently Mr.. Childers has more
information about Colonel House than
other political writers have command
ed, partly, at least, because of hav-
ing spent good many years in Tex
as as newspaper man. Mr.. Chill
ders quotes two expressions about
Mr.. House by men of insight. A dis
tinguished American essayiSt, Mr.. L.
S. Martin, says:
"a shrewd, experienced. thoughtful
man, whose interest in life is and al
ways has been politics, to handle the
machinery of it, and get the best re-
suits compatible with the material
offered. The rare thing about
him is his self efraccment and super
iority to vanity. He loved to play the
game, but never thought of the gate
money, never cared to be GRAND
stand player. A mere human
being, like any of us, looking about
for the thing that interest his mind
and made life taste good and finding
them supremacy in politics"
To which an acquaintance of Colo
mel House adds:
81 have known that man for eight
cen years, and watched him play pol
itics all that time; plan and direct;
weigh men and choose between them;
use their talents and abilities when
they had them; put them in places
where they belonged when he could;
put in the next best man when he
couldn't. He always played fair; al
ways wanted the best man, the best
law, and the best principle that he
could see, and never wanted anything
for himself except the fun of playing
the game. You couldn't drive him into
office. He never tried to make Il pen
ny out of legislation. The less he
was seen and heard of the better he
liked it."
Still third quotation. Reference
to Colonel House was made one day
this year in Il public address by Pres
ident Wilson:
81 can point out to you few men
of course l am not going to name
them pow-whom every man ought to
be afraid of because nothing but the
truth resides in them. | have one in
particular in mind whom | have never
caught thinking about himself. ]
would not dare to make a pretcnse in
the presence of that man even if |
wanted to. His eyes contain the pen
etrating light of truth before which
all DISCUSSES fall away"
These quotations suggest Il pretty
remarkable person. Our own guess
is that the public does not know as
much about him as it would like to.
The interest which is provoked by
these quotations is rather stimulated
by a few of the fugitive facts set
down by Mr.. Childers:
ale rose gradually by the most
effective though the most quiet in
fuence in the Democratic politics of
the Southern States. He never has
sought anything for himself.
perhaps the most remarkable
thing that can be said of Colonel
House is that during these four cam
paigns for Governor he never incurr-
ed the enmity of Il single man, never
one heated controversy, never threat
ened, never brow-Ecat, never punish
ed. 1t is safe to say that he never
sought to even up old scores with
anyone, whatever the provocation. If
he ever sought the friendship of n
man, it is not on record. Place and
power were not for him.
Colonel House h; S never tried to
make money. His main effort has
been to keep what his father left him
and to make it productive His in
come des not exceed twenty thousand
dollars. = r
Colonel Houses modcsty almost
amounts to diffidencc. He will not ge-
into crowd if he can help it, and
has never attended a convention OF
any kind, educational, religious or
political. He never wrote a news
paper article, nor until recently has
he submitted to an interview for pub
LEGATION. He never belonged to a
church or order of any kind.
blouse had played his cards, had
worked hard, and was much run down
in health, but everybody thought he
would surely attend the Baltimore
convention. Instead he sailed from
Boston for Liverpool, none too conf
dent of Wilson'S nomination. The
moment Wilson was nominated sent
hime a wireless at sea as he had re-
quested"
An impressive and stimulating pic
ture, even an inspiring one. We are