New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-05
Food Dictator Has No So
cial Aspirations, Cynics
Have Found
Peerage Offered Him
Expected to Straighten Out
Present Confusion When
Food Bill Passes
By HENRY NJ. HYDE

By HENRY VI. HYDE
Washington, Aug. 4.-What sort OF a
human being is Herbert c. Hoover? So
long as the war lasts Hoover will have
more to say about what We all eat and
what we pay for it than anybody else.
Hoover will be an unlimited guest at
every American dinner table. He Will
be a steady boarder for the period OF
the war in every American home.
Everybody knows something about
what Mr. Hoover has done. Books have
been written in praise of his work as
head OF the c. R. B.-the Commission
for the Relief of Belgium. The story
of his business career has been told,
with its last chapter, prior TO the war,
locating him in London, as mining en-
gineer, with branches in New York and
San Francisco and mining interests all
over the world.
But what about Hoover the man?
What does he look like, talk like, act
like? What are his amusements, what
are his chief faults, how are We all go
ing to be impressed by him when he
walks into every dining room three
times a day until the war is over?
No Conspicuous Feature
II isn't easy to give any clear idea
! Of Herbert Hoover. There is no single
conspicuous feature to hang the picture
on. If he only had long red whiskers,
il he wore his hair long, or had &C
quired a monocle or an English accent
I during his long residence in London,
the job would be easy. But he pos
/ sesses none Of these accomplishments
| or adornments.
He is of medium height, and his
I figure is square and sturdy. he is
I smoth shaven, his face is broad rather
than long, and his features are straight
and regular He looks younger than
his wears, which are only forty-three.
He has a thick thatch of brown hair,
and has not even begun to show
the slightest signs of becoming bald
/ headed.
I Pm afraid one would not turn to
/ look twice at Hoover in a crowd. II
he did he would conclude that here
was a well-dressed, well-to do, good
looking young American business man
his nationality could not be mistaken.
He looks like a Western man-which
he is-and not at all like Quaker
which he also is, by inheritance, at
! least.
Chatting with Hoover one needs
/ listen closely, for he talks in tone
a little lower than that usually used
in conversation. That is not an atec-
tation. There is no affectation about
him. His chief characteristic, perhaps,
is directness. He seems to know ex-
actlv what he wants to do and to have
a good idea of how 70 do it. And he
talks straight to the point. 1t was
direct. straightforward talk, in his low
voice. that Hoover used in persuading
arrogant German generals and naughty
dipnitaries Of the British Foreign Of
fee 10 permit him to buy, ship and dis
tribute food for the Belgians across
barred waters and through lines OF
battle. A.
II is not permitted to interview Mr..
Hoover until after the food bill has
been finally passed and signed, so what
he said may not be set down here.
A Puzzle to Washington
So far Hoover has been distressing
puzzle to Washington. When man
comes down to the national capital the
first question they ask is, What is ne
! after"
| In the case of Hoover they know it is
not money. His salary and that OF each
of his chief assistants-all volunteers
has been fixed at 81 year.
They are equally certain that Hoover
has no political ambitions. No man
would take the thankless JOB of trying
TO regulate food prices, distribution
and consumption, in which he is sure
TO make many enemies and an exceed.
ingly uncertain number of friends, II
he was planning to run for office.
They have no idea that Mr.. Hoover
is in search OF social prestige, for they
have learned that no man is more care
less Of social conventions.
In British social circles Hoover was
known as "the rudest man IN London.
Here in Washington, even when he mas
guests at dinner, he is likely to leave
the table suddenly to telephone and he
not infrequently quits party OF guests
without explanations in order to write
down something that has occurred to
him as worth recording.
But the best proof Of all Is found in
the fact that, his great abilities rs an
organizer being well recognized in
Great Britain in the early days of the
war, he was offered post OF great re-
sponsibility by the British government,
which would have necessitated his Civ
ing I'D his American citizenship. He
declined the offer without the slight
est hesitation. To have accepted 1t
would have meant certain "Sir" before
his name and the probability Of peer
age after the war.
Enjoys Use of Power
There remains to the cynics only the
idea that Hoover enjoys the exercise
of great power, and that he has come
back to the United States now be-
cause the position OF Food Dictator"
will give him free rein. That is the
line of attack followed by Mr.. Reed, of
Missouri, the noisy boy of the Senate,
of whom a man fond of biblical allu-
sions says he never before knew what
was meant by "a reed shaken in the
wind"
Reed says that Egypt is the only
country that ever had food admins
tration like that projected in the
United States, and compares Hoover
with Pharaoh. When the latter got
through with Egypt, Senator Reed de-
clares that the country was all TO the
bad, only, Of course, he did not use
such language.
Something like that is what Senator
Reed expects Mr.. Hoover to do to the
United States. And, now that we
know the worst, it may be admitted
that the food administrator of the
United States does enjoy the exercise
of power. in which he does not differ
from most strong and efficient men.