The Washington herald., 1918-10-03

Mrs. Bass, one of the indispensables
of that committee.
Mrs. Bass obtained a White House
date for "Ole" and took him over
to the mansion. introducing him. no
doubt, as one OF the progressives of
the Northwest who had helped the
President in the campaign of two
years ago.
The President had heard OF ole
of course, but was not at all pre-
pared to see him carry out before
his eyes some of the things he was
famous for-for instance the ditch
ing of his coat and vest in order
to make himself better understood
by the President.
"Ole" was once a lumberman and
the ways Of politics and public
speaking, or speaking to great folks
are not entirely within his code OF
living. So when he warmed up tc
the subject at the White House he
went on in this fashion:
Il tell you, Wilson, I've been over
to the Capital Issues Committee and
they're only this high" and he il
lustrated with his hand by measur-
ing the distance from the floor
and they've granted the capital tc
the private company and won't give
U.s.
But here he could endure the coat
no longer. wait. he said. 81 hope
you won't mind if I take this Off
And he flung his coat away within a
deft motion.
No, Wilson, It isn't right. ]
want to go home with the permits
sion of the committee for the city
to do the same thing the private
company is doing. And l want your
help, Wilson"
The President, so report hath IT
was sitting down laughing until his
sides ached-and hardly able to say
what he wanted to say when ole
finished.
He finally told "Ole." however. that
he would interest himself in the mat
ter-and he did for the very next DAY
bernard BaruCh showed up at the
capital Issues Committee while ole
was before it, and when the commit
teemen wanted to get "Ole" out of the
room so they could listen to their dis
tinsulshed visitor. Mr.. Baruch insisted
that the mayor stay to the conference
The President wants this done fol-
Mr.. Hansen. If possible to do it," Mr.
Baruch said-and the low descending
sun that day witnessed nothing left
undone by the committee, in this in.
| stance, which could have been done
the next day or the next.
And ole" triumphantly put on his
coat and vest and returned home tc
his folks-and they probably do not
Know to this day Just how it all came
| about.
The State Department naturally
Will probe to the bottom any appar
emily well-based objections and COM
plants with reference to its diplomatic
| ofhcials in Central or South America
And whatever Judgment should be
| meted out to those officials naturally
Will be meted out without favoritisn
or discrimination.
There Is one phase OF the matter
which comes in for suppressed men
| ton which will have to be given at
\ tention some day by American inter.
| ests. This is the charge that German
business men are doing all they car
to undermine our trade relations will
! South and Ceptral-American countrie!
| by pointing to our profiteering meth
| ods. If such methods are in existence
and IL they are continued after peac'
comes, 1t means. of course. that oul
nearby countries will not want to en-
dure the methods any longer thai
they can. They will look arount
where they can encounter less objec
tonable methods and will build u
and develop trade relations with sucl
countries.
! So 1t Is up to American business mel
to see that German propagarSs is n }
fostered- by American metho6 whicl
are in themselves Objectionable am
which the American people. in fact
resent so sturdily in their own coun
4 try. THE OBSERVER.