The Monticellonian., 1917-11-02
sy EDWARD B. CLARK.

By EDWARD 8. CLARK.
 Copyright 1917. Western Newspaper Union9
 washington.-Wh is Col. Edward Mandell House who is to gather war tiafa for the United States government for service on Il future day of peace? This is a question that is being asked by very large proportion of the peo- pie of the United States and in fact If all the allied nations.
 Colonel House does not wear the record of his deeds on his sleeve. 1t is probable that if this unofficial coun- selior to the president of the United States were to be elected to congress the autobiography which he would pre- pare for the congressional directory vonld resd like this:
 Edward Mandell House. Democrat of Austin, Texas: born 1858; elected to the congress. November. -
 Tn this brief. ultra-modest, if you will. way would this Texan be prompted to write an autobiography, justified donhtless from the viewpoint of other men In being extended into many chapters
 Who Is Col. Edward Mandell House. who. until the day when the final order Cease Firing" comes, is to study in behalf of the government of the United States the economic. the geographic. the democratic and the humanitarian problems which the American counsel lors nt the peace table must seek to solve after manner which the people of a great democracy can approve?
 Consulted by President.
 Tn the Washington dispatches some thing like this is read several times year: "Colonel House has been In the city for twenty-four hours as the guest of the president. He will leave for New York tomorrow morning"
 Beyond this the reader gets nothing from the dispatches except the werd that the president and his visitor dis cussed Mexican matters, or European matters. or it may be. but in this lat ter case rarely. political matters.
 The public has known little more about Colonel House than that he is man frequently consulted ny Wood row Wilson and man in whosesHd fnfnt on political. economic and legis- latiSe matters the president puts con ,itience There is sort of il glamour af,out men and things which are mys- terious. It would seem that because af the attraction which mystery has for the people, IS shown f you will in their eluttonous reading ef detee- tive stories and the like. that writers of the news of the day in part have chosen to treat the goings and com ings of the colonel and his conferences with men of affairs as if they were deliberate attempt to hedge them in and hide them from public knowl- edge.
 II is just as possible to get at the truth In the case of Colonel House as II is in the ease of any other man whose dainss are af public interest. II is modcsty not mystery which has been he basic difficulty.
 Colonel House will not tell you that he is n modest man. as l know from personal contact with him. To claim moiesty for ones self is to be immod. est. He does go from his present abode in New York city to Washington Occa- siennly or frequently as the requests may come. 10 give what he can of the cor,lsel of his views" to the president of inc United States. Why should he any more than any other man send q trumpeting herald ahead or band of eymhal clashers?
 He goes to the White House, stays his while and leaves, and because no great noises fill the streets at ap- proaeh or departure. exclusiveness, se- eiusiveneSs and secrecy have been the order of the days words concerning each visit.
 Gives No Word of Work.
 Ii perhaps is not too much to say that if the full record of the results of the conferences which House of Texas has had with Wilson of the United States is to be read it must he sought In some of the accomplished deeds of the present administration. That Woodrow Wilson has been moved To certain courses or strengthened in his purpose to pursue them, hy the counsel of Edward M House is not to he doubted. The impossible task would he to get fsom the latter a definite word concerning the public work In which his counsel has played q part.
 Those who have built up wall of mystery about the man who is study ing matters against the day of peace apparently have not wished to pull down their handiwork The wall can b. demolished by anyone who tries 10 get nj the foundation of the fiction.
 Edward NJ. House lives as open q life as that of any American whose profession or business does not call rttrc Intfn nktu tnAro r., o