New-York tribune., 1918-03-16
Hutcheson of X.
Carpenters
By Ralph Block
By Ralph Block
is tide in the afYs,,.
that throws Soma 80 =, o1 men

that throws some of th.. '" nen
quiet shore as bankers -, p on a
presidents and some as carran. aefs as
the interpreters of society and sconon,s',a Even
terminism would have a hard tim. &C.
just where that tide begins and saying
washed back into the great basin ~ rs
forces; where it comes from in !, 4'peht
cases and why. Whatever its sor.. 'uusi
case OF hutcheson, it made Hutcheson "a. me
penter 1t has kept him carnen..~ car
far as the maintenance of his i,,., ~ 80
life is concerned. The question aro.s '' IN
good view of him is why it d;dn,, oS
him banker or manufacturers aAe
If the tide that leads on - o..
the tide of blood inheritance, Hutcha..., s Is
Scotch-1rish veins have not failed him ~
In his case fortune was carpentry A.a' 'ae'e
it made him head of the three s. ,s 'sast
thousand-odd men who will saw Iau'sa ,aS
whether we shall get ships to ."'seiy
time. Yet decidedly the question III p' IN
because to most men in a social ,,asefS ..I
that puts bankers at the ton cornos. stAeme
unpersuasive. That it was nersnaa;.
heson-persuasivc enough to ,a.s
on from carpentry in a Michigan tna. ''n
the carpentry of a foremans directon.,." "
then up through the various stages ~ h n"iI
leadership to the hcadship of all M sa'0a
penters-only makes more nroforna >a'' 81
question of what it was in Hutcheson s.. Wv.
responded to carpentry SO generously 'A''
A Leader in Looks
he LOOKS like a leader of three hn,a,..
thousand men. He is long-long and l"a..
long in body, long in face, with uoS"s S,''
fexlble mouth and cheeks that how.
habit OF twisting on one side for ns.s..s
emphasis. His nose is long; it is a S.o..s
nose, and If signs count for anything /, ~
plains the caution that has marked ii. y.
fusal to give up anything he has astoS ... e.
and the persistence with which he cont;,.s
to ask But for haze eye that is surns. ,,..'
ingly large and even childlike at roms...
and a genial manner that only int. =.
granite behind it, he might be modor.
factory executive, ranch owner and mast,.
OF thousands OF acres, or, Just little mo,.
sleek, Wall Street adventurer Jnde.d
he might have become any one of the do,.,
things that Scotch-Irish men from M.h;
gan towns have and do become. He e,ectsa
to remain carpenter.
He is forty-four years DID, His es,co.,,
stopped with the common schools br, h..
uses speech with facility and an elast;c;,v
that is illuminating. 1t recalls the Jrisb
strain and the color of imagination th.,
goes with it,
81 read lot," he said "but an educaso,
that stops there is a mighty poor one
Meeting men, working with them is the
thing that has counted"
He scorns socialism, and back Of that
scorn appears to be a feeling that il !:
alien to his own aims: adds nothing TO hi,
chances for fortune. It is a scorn that i,
! common among members of organized H.
Dor. Confronted by request for expans
/ ton of the socialism of English labor, he
vented a generous contempt
Practical Progress
"They are so rouch slower over there thai
we are in everything they do. We move
twice as fast as they do. We act while they
are talking. We take advantage of every
chance to improve our place while they ar
still discussing it." 1t seemed plain thai
it is practical and obvious progress that sp
peals to him; an obvious belief that takinl
thought adds no cubits TO any mans stature
Only action is medicine
He is insistent on the patriotism Of tn
men he commands. But he does not wan
patriotism to be confused with self-beliet
"a man suggested that we pledge our
selves to give up the right of strike in tn
war period. I told him we would on on
condition-that those who oppose US an
are even more active against our right tt
improve our condition than before the wa
cease all operations against US. Woudn'
that be the only fair way? We are stronE
for the war"
There were figures. Liberty bond pur
chases, carpenters in khaki but the infer
ence remained that the carpenters are also
strong for themselves
There are always wheels within wheels
Carpenters and bankers are alike in that