The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-05-05


u YEWTON d. BAKER" had been told
by man well acquainted with him.
Nu rs the kind OF thoroughly good cti-
va zen we all approve OF highly-and
fail to imitate He has lofty ideals
He has high principles He is utterly
: !: :: ! !: : ::
kMa0M sincere. He is simple and unaffected
TX WN both in thought and life He has
M>N clear well-disciplined mind He has
WZZEV an extraordinary command OF concise
~ and effective speech. Without being
in the least effusve, he is a good
mixer. You will find him full of charm Out In
Cleveland he lived in modest frame house with
| MS wie and three children. smoked flake tobacco
| IN a 25-cent pipe, drove his own Ford and for
amusement read Greek and Latin books on the
street cars" Thus runs an article by Rowland
Thomas in the New York World
1T is interesting to notice. my informant added
that he is the second of Tom Johnson's disciples
10 be lifted into prominence by President Wilson
Brand Whitlock is the other 1t is hardly exagger-
alton to say that Brand Whtlock in Belgium has
proved himself great man. Will Baker be as
successful in the war department? Frankly
much as | like him personally | am wondering
whether he will measure up to the job What he
mas done he has done well. But-he has never
been tested out in really big affairs. Has he the
capacity for them? You know a 3Scaliber re-
vover may be perfect weapon-as revolver
but fall lamentaby If pressed into service as a
seacoast gun! Is Newton d. Baker big enough To
be secretary OF war at time like this? That's
what I'm asking myself That's what the country
Is asking itself, think"
Naturally those remarks through my head
as talked with the new secretary OF war last
week saw him twice, once in his modest bed
room at the University club where he is living
for the present a bachelor because the children
are In school In Cleveland and don't want to
break into their year" The second time he was
in his office in the war department the Office to
which one penetrates through that dread ante
chamber where hang the portraits of all the previ-
GUS ncumbents OF the office
On both occasions got the same impression
or the physical man. Nature, in moding his body,
did neat job He is markedly small man. but
in proportion all the way through. His litteness
carries no suggestion of the dwarfsh His head
is large, but not enough to make him look top
heavy His hands and feet are OF moderate size
we'll formed and muscular He has chest big
enough to breathe in waist which carries no
adipose luggage His skin is swarthy, his hair
black and straight A pair of hazel eyes full OF
life, but comprehensive rather than keen; the
wide mouth of orator or actor, mobile yet firm
of lip; the brow of scholar; face in general i'm
which the perpendicular lines of strength are ac-
centuated manner at once dignifed and friendly
a bearing which should call attentive rather than
aert-these are the characteristics of the outward
His mentality is not so easily characterized. |
of rather detached glimpses. as he himself
vealed it to me in the course OF conversation.
Our talk ranged over many topics. We had. for
instance, been speaking of the extraordinary
amount of reading Of standard English authors
he had done before he was twenty years old. and
| asked him whether the familiarity of his mother
tongue thus acquired had not been an important
element in his various successes. He said IL
think that is true Ability TO express myself eff
fectvely in speech has been of great value TO me-
This led to a brief sketch OF his personal his
tory. Mr.. Baker born in 1871 i'm Martinsburg,
w. Va, community of 5000 persons. wherein his
father was the leading physician. He was the
second Of four sons. At the age of twenty, in
1891. he received his degree OF Bachelor of Arts
from Johns Hopkins university having completed
the four years course in three years. Followed
year OF graduate work in Roman law. comparative
Jurisprudence and economics and then his law
course, which he took at Washington and Lee uni
versty completing the two years work in one
year THAT compression" he told me, was done
for family reasons. Money was not plentiful i'm
a country doctors family. and there were other
sons to educate" After his graduation in 1898
Mr. Baker hung out his shinge in Martinsburg to
indicate that he was willing to practice law" as
he puts It. and remained in that receptive condi-
ton until 1896. the last year OF the Cleveland ad
ministration when Postmaster General Wilson
called him to Washington 10 be his private sec
retary IL divided my two between the other
members of the local bar" he told me, and went
In 1899 Mr.. Baker invited TO come to Cleve-
| land. o., as a partner with Foran & McTigue. one
of the city's leading firms of trial lawyers He
went there met Tom Johnson and was magne-
tized; by that association was drawn into local
| politics and had fourteen years of active cam
paigning there, serving four terms city solicitor
| under Mayor Johnson and two terms as mayor
after his chief deposed. He declined to run
| for a third term, and had Just resumed his law
practice at the beginning OF this year when he was
| called to Washington.
Returning to our topic. | asked him to what
other qualities besides his ability a speaker he
| felt indebted for what he had accomplished. He
| pondered that and said: