The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-06
CARTER GLASS ROSE
PURELY ON MERIT
Became Financial Expert in
Congress by Virtue of
Special Talent.
SIMPLE COUNTRY EDITOR
Educated in Public and Pri-
vate Schools, He Became
Expert Printer.

Back in the days when President
wilson had been living in the White
House for so short time that he was
still quite content TO remain In WASH
ington Indefinitely. the new Admins
tration found itself In the first throes
OF formulating a currency programme
which would not make the North too
! peevish and surely would make tho
jolly old South positively ecstatic.
Slmultaneously-the time under dis
cussion was the first half of 1918, or
during Mr.. Wilson's first weeks as
President the expert chroniclers
whose business 1t is to comb the capt.
tai in search of signs of human life
happened to pause one day on tho
I Democratic side of the House close TO
desk occupied by a printer news
paper man from Virginia.
| Since 1902, or for more than eleven
years. Newspaper Man Carter Glass
had held down that particular desk,
or one close to 1t, as the Representa-
tive from the Sixth Congressional dis
trict Of Virginia, although no one in
forty seven States of the Union. and
perhaps not every one in the forty
eighth state was aware OF the fact.
showed signs of Life.
The chroniclers held a mirror close
to the lips of the gentleman from
virginia, and for the first time there
were signs of life. In fact, the film
or moisture on the mirror was posi-
lively pronounced. Currency" was
in the air, wherefore Representative
-la5 A,1
Tor air and. once wholly out in the
atmosphere, to use it fiuently.
The correspondents and other chron-
ic!ers began to take notice. So did
the Administration. And when the
writing gentlemen OF the capital had
thoroughly studied the newly resus-
citated specimen they all gathered
around the doyen OF the correspond
ents' corps. Sam Blythe. and applauded
as Dean Blythe sat down to his used
typewriter and batted out a piece about
financial Legislators in general and
this recently discovered member OF
the clan in particular
He Garter Glass is the one finan-
cial expert" wrote Sam Blythe in
1913. in legislative way. who has
not climbed trees and chartered from
the branches" And for DAYS Mr.
Blythe stayed under cover in order
to dodge the cocoanuts which were
ssvagely showered down in his d.
rectlon from almost every cocoanut
tree in the Washington jungle.
Things Began to Happen.
Things" now began 70 happen to Mr..
UT
had Washington begun 10 learn that
one Garter Glass OF Lynchburg. Va.
had been a Congressional resident of
Capitol Hill for almost dozen years
when the nation awoke 10 the fact
that, still in 1913, he had succeeded
Representative Arsene Pujo tn the
craftsmanship OF the House Committee
on Banking and Currency.
Next II was learned that Repre-
sentative Glass when in his home town
OF Lynchhurg, Va, was a newspaper
owner He owned and still owns the
Lynchbur2 Daily NC,rs, the city's
morning newspaper, and the Lynch
burg Ddilp AdrdncC. an evening paper
Thus IL was seen at a glance Repre-
sentative Glass had" the homo folks
going and coming.
With sigh Of relief Washington
and the country learned shat the new
House chairman of the Committee on
banking and Currency could lay claim
TO right to the job other than the
time honored custom OF boosting a man
TO a committee Craftsmanship because
he happened to hold seniority mem
bership in a given committee. All the
members OF the II Knew Him When"
club in Washington, as soon "a Mr..
Glass became head Of the currency
committee, began TO dig into his past,
present and future: but the probers
had to agree with Dean Sam Blythe.
who was the first to report in print
that Representative Glass had for
years devoted an exceptionally fine
mental equipment TO an intelligent
study OF financial legislation and
finance in general.
He Had Already Arrived.
He wasn't a coming man. it was
learned. He already was there. Be-
fore the year 1913 was far spent one
might have seen his small slight
figure standing erect and telling the
nation what was what in the coun-
try's finance And he says his say
in n delightful Vaginyah drawl.
Peter DUNES marvellous Mr..
Dooley" once said in effect that OPP
portunity knocks at the dure av ev'ry
man vance, but sometimes when tn
man opens tn dure Opportunity swats
him on the bean. AS soon as the OPP
portunity of currency legislation
offered itself to Representative Glass
he opened the door and swatted on
portunity first. William Jennings
BRYAN for some reason or other was
then Secretary of State and therefore
n power in Mr.. GLASS; party; and
Chairman Glass, whose ideas OF cur
rency and finance were. fortunately,
wholly at variance with Dollar Bills,
had his troubles in fathering and put
ting through the Federal reserve act,
but he succeeded,
By this time almost everybody was
asking all about Mr.. Glass-where he
was born, what colleges and univer-
stiles he had attended, how old he was
and other personal questions. Tho
truth came forth.
It was learned. for instance, that
Carter Glass was born. bred, lived,
lives and doubtless always will live
and finally, half century or more
hence, If the home folks shave their