Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-05-05

KA>N clear. well-discipined mind. He has
WESEo4 an extraordinary command of concise
&4 and effective speech. Without being
in the least effusive. he is a good
mixer. You will find him full of charm Out in
Cleveland he lived in a modest frame house with
his wife and three children. smoked flake tobacco
In 25cent pipe. drove his own Ford, and for
amusement read Greek and Latin books the
street cars" Thus runs article by Rowland
Thomas in the New York World.
1t is interesting to notice." my informant added
that he fs the second of Tom Johnson's disciples
to be lifted into prominence by President Wilson
Brand Whitlock is the other. It is hardly exagger
alton to say that Brand Whitlock. in Belgium. has
proved himself great man. VIII Baker be as
successful in the department? Frankly
much as l like him personally, l 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 .3S-caliber re-
volver may be a perfect weapon-as a revolver
but fail lamentably II pressed into service as a
ssacoast gun! Is Newton d. Baker big enough to
ns secretary of war at time like this? That's
what I'm asking myself That's what the country
IL asking itself. / think"
Naturally those remarks ran through my head
as talked with the 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 as a bachelor because the children
are In school in Cleveland and we don't want to
break into their year" The second time he was
in his office in the war department. the office to
chamber where hang the portraits of all the previ
Gus incumbents Of the Office
On both occasions ! got the same Impression
OF the physical man. Nature. in molding his body,
did neat Job He is q markedly small man. but
in proportion all the way through. His littleness
carries no suggestion of the dwarhsh. His head
is large. but not enough to make him look top
heavy. His hands and feet of moderate size
well formed and muscular. He has a chest big
enough to breathe in a waist which carries no
adpose 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 an orator or actor, mobile yet firm
of lip; the brow Of a scholar; face in general in
which the perpendicular lines Of strength are ac
centuated. manner at once dignifed and friendly
Q bearing which should call attentive rather than
alert-these the characteristics of the outward
man.
His mentality is not easily characterized. l
shall have to try to bring 1t out for in series
of rather detached glimpses. he himself re-
vealed It to me in the course Of our 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
I 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 ef
fectively In speech has been Of great value to me-"
This led to a brief sketch of his personal his
tory. Mr.. Baker was born In 1871 In Martinsburg
w. Va. a community Of 1000 persons. wherein his
father 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 In
a country doctors family, and there were other
to educate" After his graduation in 1893
Mr.. Baker hung out his shingle in Martinsburg to
indicate that he was willing to practice law. as
he puts II, and remained In that receptive condf
tion until 1896. the last year of the Cleveland ad-
ministration, when Postmaster General Wilson
called him to Washington to be his private sec
Rotary. 81 divided my two cases between the other
members of the local bar" he told me- land 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
pagning there, serving four terms city solicitor
under Mayor johnson and two terms mayor
after his chief was deposed. He declined to run
for a third term, and had Just resumed his law
practice at the beginning of this year when hewas
called to Washington.
Returning to topic. asked him to what
other qualities besides his ability as a speaker he
felt indebted for what he had accomplished. He
pondersd that and said: