The Robesonian., 1918-05-06
LUNdBERTON CAROLINA MONDAY. 6,
MCLEAN GIVEN OVATION.
Welcomed Home BY His Townsmen
Appointment on War Finance
Board Confirmed By Senate-Honor
Came Entirely UnsOught.


Came Entirely Unsought.
The appointment by President Will
son of Hon. A. w. Mclean of Lum-
berton as one of the four directors Of
the gigantic United States War FL
nance corporation was confirmed Sat
urday by the Senate without opposi
tion and Mr.. Mclean left for Wash
ington last night, having been advised
by telegram from Senator Simmons
late Saturday that Secretary McAdoo
wanted to organize the War Finance
/ board today. Only one other member
of the board, Mr.. w. P. G. Harding,
was confirmed Saturday, confirmation
of the other two members, one from
New York and the other from Chi
cago, Being held up pending investi-
cation of their bushes competitors,
according to Washington dispatch.
When Mr.. Mclean arrived home
Saturday morning over the Virginia
from New York, where he had been
ever since it was announced in Wash
ington that President Wilson had ap-
. pointed him one of the directors OF
: the War Finance corporation, heI
found a large crowd of his townsmen
, at the station to welcome him and toj
give some expression of their ap2re-
ciation of the high honor that had
come to him and through him to the
e town.
This spontaneous demonstration Of
t pride and good will was so unexpected
+ to Mr.. Mclean, and so palpaDiy SIN
cere, that it is small wonder that he
was visibly touched by it.
J. Mayor Jas. D. Proctor, Messrs. 5.
f Mcintyre, A. E. White, L. R. Varser,
! K M. Barnes, H. E. Stacy and }; a;
f Sharpe boarded the train at the ~,
q above town and when they descended
+ upon Mr.. Mclean you could have
knocked him down with a feather. He
J. looked the least like a man who ex-
h pected public demonstration you
ever saw. He did not seem con-
r. scious that anything to warrant any
n such doings had happened. He looked
# It like he was not guilty. And when it
m was broken to him that a crowd was
{, waiting for him at the station ano
,d expecteding a speech, he looked like
n. he wanted to run away. ,
When the train backed up to the
union station Mr.. Mclean was es
corted to the rear platform. The
crowd greeted his appearance with
hearty cheer and Mayor Proctor I'M
mediately launched upon the neates
at little speech you ever heard; so en-
lie tirely apropos was it that theecroWt
re wanted to hug the mayor, too.
cn "Iumberton," he said, has been OF
the man of Robson county and Nort
ne Carolina for 141 years (to day al
es most, yesterday being the munlc'pa
IS birthday, but it remained for ou
e distinguished citizen to put it on tn
ed man of the United States. Every
lis hodv knows. now, where Lumberto
9w is" He spoke Of the pride with whic
IL his fellowtownsmen had watche
lily Mr.. McLean's career "The newsps
ia ners have been most complime1
is tary." he said. 'One paper said
an was the greatest honor that had con
ief to North Carolina since Josephl
ole Daniels had BEEN appointed Secietai
), a of the Navy. 1t is more than that
'le. the mayor declared, sit is the greaa
acl I est honor that has ever come TO u
md State. There are dozen Cabin
ais, members. but only four directors
ian the War Finance board
OF Mr.. Mclean assured the crowd III
uld this welcome was an unexpected al
OF an anpreciated honor. "Lumbectoa
nef not given to public demonstrations
ian he said. "and 1 had not dreamed
snch q thing. would rather ha
the confidence and good will Of t
c;t;zens of nv town." he declars
ethan to have the plaudits OF the y
ton" !,
I'm, The nomination, he warned, n
not been confirmed, and the demo
stration might be premature, put
crowd plainly locked its con1loen
He said the papers had neen zee co .;
,be- plimentary, and the Only thlng II
hu a criticism he had seen was IN
nor. New York Sun, which had compia
W. ed that the big men IN the DIG cal 1
ohm had been overlooked and Iney pieS ~,
,.a.,, oal,, man from a little unknown TO
lev n;v in North Carolina. But you ca
ald !. expect much from The Sun.
. ssiI' D The work of this board IS so
11 = +ensive and important sa1d Mr: II
~. H. lean. that it filled him with mlsg
ocrl va mos. It made him shudder to tn
49, 49, Of it's tremendous power IL
WIZ finance every industry essenIlal
carving on the war, every bank,
n,.;. erv railroad. There are half DO
l1A'' CORPORATIONS of this character IN
Countries at war, but in no other co
trv has such power been given.
n. said he told Secretary McAdoo :
If It we're not for the fact that
ence- LID IL o;1,e him onportunity to rem
bac- oa,o 49, service in the war he would
d by sH,ae e1;, fo,. he would not give up
The ellil., S :, Iumherton for any Office.
tests WI W., Mr. Mclean reached his
ram e:oo 10 found perfect deluge of t
gi-en liz 'seas ,e and letters from promir
Y af- gro, gla,ni n MANY different States {
Y the ir,eu n.,.a+,,1a+ino Ia him on his appointn
g the ss,,d sd'at a~nrassinp their qualification
rns," ia; a;lu eiao+;on for this important of
rn'ng It is we'll known to Mr.. McLe
cises, intimate friends that ne never So' s.
> and this position or any other: 1t IT
been known only to lew ol
friends that he has been offered Q
inner Govern Government s positions Of hi gh h
u snd large responsibility, but has
elm cI;ned them. He only accepted
rvice3 position, which was entirely uns9u