The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-23
THE BIRMINGHAM AeEaERALD, SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 2a 1918

in transportation schemes in southern cities, he went to New York and ac- eomplshed the then almost unbeheVable feat of successfully tunneling the fiud- son river for electric trains one Of the first men to suggest the scheme-lf not actually the first-was adjudged luna tic, and he lived to see the project an ac- complished fact. His name has been for gotten in the success of the achievement When MT. Wilson, then governor or New Jersey, became presidential prop ability, MT. McAdoo was practically uh- known to him. But MT. McAdoo took leading part in his campaign as vice chairman of the democratic natlonal committee, and much of the time as act
 ing chairman, and also as chairman or
 the finance committee. The President elect chose him for Secretary of the Treasury.
 At the outset of the Presidents first term it was pastime of observers of public affairs to refer to the strong linen of the cabinet" generally speak ing of two or three. It is no reflection on MT. McAdoo to say that his name was
 not then so early included, but it soon became so. It was no secret that the President depended upon his advice and | judgment more and more on affairs [ which ranged outside the treasury. lie soon began taking prominent part III shaping the administrations legislative
 policies and he invariably had the back ing of the President. Rossibly, that
 brought him into the f&ld of demo- cratic presidential possibilities when i they were being discussed, but so far as anyone knows Mr. McAdoo never has expressed himself on that subject, but
 has devoted his attention to serving his chief
 | It has been we'll known in Washing 1 ton that MT. McAdoo, a man of compara- I lively small personal fortunes, has felt
 that sooner or later he must replenish l hfs resources Friends at various times 1 have expressed some apprehension for
 his health for he has been an inde- l fatigible worker and while the duties
 of Secretary of the Treasury in times of world war probably would have taxed | the health and energy of anyone, he did not hesitate to take on the railroad ad- lministration and found time besides to take prominent place in the Presi- | dents councils on other subjects. While on 8 recent trip in the west he fell from
 q horse and broke rib, but his friends say that had no effect whatever on | his general health.
 FACED BIG PROBLEMS 1 Since the European war broke out in | the fall of 1914 Mr. McAdoo's depart
 ment has faced many big economic
 problems. Lately the tremendous Lib- 1 erty Loans, and corrollary problems of financing war expenses, have been | his principal concerns It was MT.
 McAdoo who stood out strongly against | all treasury advisers in May, 1917, and
 maintained that $2,000, 100000 was not too much to ask the American people
 to give in single loan Others argued
 that $500, 100000, or at most $1,000,000, | 900, was enough.
 | As leading builder of the federal
 reserve system, an early advocate of | a great government built merchant ma I rine, and a developer of closer commer- l cial and financial relations between the United States and Latin American re- publics was another subject in which he was interested
 He played q prominent part in pre- pairing the income tax law, which re- placed the tariff as principal source | of revenue five years ago, and in de- veloping measures to permit flexible financial arrangements to tide the na- 1 ton over rough periods of financial his- | tory during the war. He placed gov 1 ernment funds in banks of the west and south to facilitate the movement of crops. and later arranged the distribu- | tion of government funds more uni formly throughout the country.
 OBTAINED SPECIAL LAWS Four days after the European war
 started, MT. McAdoo asked and obtained special legislation to permit the sissu-
 aEce of $50o,000,000 of emergency cur-
 rency through national banks to tide
 the nation over this critical period. He
 also recommended enactment of the
 measure permitting the government to write war risk insurance on ships and i cargoes and lives of seamen and the
 bureau administering this latter took
 charge of paying allotments and allow l Iance checks to dependents of soldiers and sailors and the administration of l government life insurance for these men.
 | MT. McAdoo's department had charge | of the collection of $4,000, 1000, 900 in
 taxes last year, and the raising of near
 ly $lS,0O0, 100000 in Liberty Bonds and War Savings within the last months
 About 000,000,000 in loans to allies
 nave been distributed at his ,discretion
 since the United States entered the war l lie also was the directing spirit of the | capital issues committee, the war hnanee corporation, and other war time treasury agencies.
 MT McAdoo was married May ', 1914, to Eleanor Randolph Wilson, daughter
 Of the President. in the White House They have one daughter. MT. McAdoo
 also has three sons and three daughters by his former marriage. The three sons
 are now serving in the navy.
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