The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-12
CREELQUITS THEM
. IN CRYPTIC PHRASE
Landing in Hoboken, He Con.
firms His Passage Into In
nocuous Desuetude.
TRUTH RISES IN TRIUMPH
Refusing Fame as Explorer of
Heart of Congress He Lives
on Other Laurels.

on Other Laurels.
8
George Creel. the we'll known author
Of "Quatrains of Christ and Wilson
and the Issues"-the last named book
being published Immediately before Presi-
dent Wilson appointed Mr.. Creel to the
chairmanship of the Committee on Pub
lie Information, in tho Spring of 1917
returned TO Hoboken and at least tenn
porary innocuous desuetude yesterday on
the transport Agamemnon. The better to
place Mr.. Creel in the minds OF the
many It should also be noted that, ac-
cording TO his autobiography in who's
Who In America" Mr.. Creel Is the hus-
band of the noted actress. Blanche Bates,
and, to quote himself further, is the au-
thod OF various pamphlets"
When the ship news reporters clam
bered aboard the Agamemnon yesterday
they eagerly sought Mr.. Creel to get an
interview, knowing full well that any
thing he cared TO say could be printed
forthwith, or without going through the
preliminaries of seeking the opinion of
the highest Federal courts on the ad-
Visibility OF publishing his remarks-Mr.
Creel being the highest authority there Is
in the matter of what should and should
not be printed. Wherefore he was asked
II he cared to make statement
NO." answered Mr.. Creel, 81 am no
longer with them"
with who, Mr.. Creel, with who?"
lx rvhn UnbndV
among the regular reporters seemed to
know was whom. And somebody else
spoke up and said that unless Mr.. Creel's
cryptic answer, II am no longer with
them" was a biblical text for an ad-
dress of moral intention which he was
about to deliver his answer was at the
very least cryptic.
Aroused 10 AIertness. q
This Is news to US, Mr.. Creel," said
some one else, who added no informa-
ton as to what news was news about
what Immediately Mr.. Creel grew
alert
News" he repeated. and turned to
one of his assistants who had met the
liner. II cabled statement from
Brestl Was it not released
No statement from nobody was re-
leased, Mr.. Creel." broke in the youth
who originally had asked the chairman
OF the Committee on Public Information
who he was no longer with them"
Whereupon Mr.. Creel dictated the fol-
lowing:
II am going to return TO private life
The domestic activities of the Committee
on Public Information ended in Deem
Der, and have made arrangements for
the discontinuance of all foreign work
Ny only relation with the Committee on
Public Information from March / will
b. a"
"'Win be-? From March l will be-?
Interrupted the eager youth who nobody
could identify. Say, this is March II
and"
Hush :" shut your trap" "Lettim
finish his dictation, you poor nut -
thus the shooshers shouted the inter-
rupter into silence.
my only relation with the Committee
on Public Information" resumed-and
concluded-Mr Creel, without the eleva-
ton of an eyebrow. will be a nominal
one. In connection with the formal fea-
lures of settlement"
Nominal? What do you mean, NOM
inar 2" What do you mean, settle
ment?' Where do you get this formal
features stuff ?"--thus the questions flew
quick and fast And question piled on
question until finally It dawned upon the
throng OF interviewers that in their en-
element they were putting their inter-
rogations to deck hands, stewards, every
body In the world. whom they were mis-
taking for Mr.. Creel except Mr.. Creel.
Vacuum Unnoticed for Moment.
Mr.. Creel, unnoticed for the moment.
had withdrawn from the group after
finishing his brief statement, thus caus-
no Ill
mendous embarra ssment when they
learned, a moment later, that thew had
peen shooting questions, all Of vital in
terest to the republic. TO Swede sailors
VINO In the tumult OF the moment. had
been mistaken for the sometime head oP
the committee on Public Information.
And-to make matters worse-nobody
present could talk Scandinavian.
When some of the excitement had died
9oWn u was learned that Mr.. CreeI had
hurried ashore and had started imn,A-
diately toward Washington. There MO
mint in the early evening thai nar-
maps he would break his trip at PbiIa-
oelphla, at least long enough 10 srast
MS wife. Miss" Bates, who this week
is playing in "Moliere" at the Rroad
street Theatre. Philadelphia.
Ihe announcement OF Mr.. Creel YES
teruay that he had severed connection
=, - ''o committee on Public InfOrna-
ZION confirmed the truth OF the denial -
the denial of the truth, or the trutb ~
the truth. or something. Of his recent do
rial In Paris of the now seeming tr,Ith
mat he was about to sever connection
with the Committee on Public Inforn,o.
ton" A'''oi MAJ
The day after Christmas last local -,
pers, including THE SUN, printed n das-
patch from Paris that Mr.. CreaI 80.
about to leave the Committee on PubiIc
information-Asl on fy,rsixth cervicaI ~
tcbra-that, 10 be brutal. herea flor t,o
was going to let the country get its newa
ABOUT more or less private world war
as best 1t could.
Truth seems Slow But Sure,
Promptly came a denial the next dav
that Mr.. Creel was going to leave his
committee and the world unchairnanned
Edgar e. Sisson"-so ran the saconJ
day cable from Paris-"Mr. CreeTs nrin-
eipal assistant. stated to-day that the ro-
port that Mr.. Creel was resignInp was
untrue. Nevertheless In view OF Mr.
Greeis own statement yesterday that no
rad quit the committee caused MANY 10
voice the opinion last night that there
must be some truth somewhere in the
original report that he was contemplate
tng a walkout.
Despite the petty partisan ridlcule Of
Mr.. CreePs activities as chairman of tho
Committee on Public Information which
from time to time has appeared In the
news columns and on the editorial paees
of nAwgDaOeTa GinCa AunarIco