Evening star., 1919-02-09

world. His dignified old age was spent
In the study Of history and ethnoiogy.
Paying the national debt was the
twice filed the office Of Secretary OF Of
the Treasury. a distinction enjoyed by
no other man except William Window
Of Minnesota. Mccullough. born in
Maine. was a state banker at Fort
cabinet Of Abraham Lincoln.
The civil war had Just closed and
soldiers were to be paid and huge bills
ilquidated: Within two years McCul-
loch, besides meeting all maturing debts,
e,nl converted a billion OF short term obliga-
tons into long-term bonds. He was a
banker In London after, his earlier SER .
vice In the Treasury, but In 1884 accept
ed his old office In the cabinet Of
Chester A. Arthur. He died on his
farm not far from Washington. =
When Mckinley. building up for his
coming administration, reached the
Treasury he found the man he de-
sired IN Lyman j. Gage. president of
tne tlrst National Bank of Chicago.
Az the age of nineteen Gage was a
clerk in a planning mill. He brought
frank Il. Vanderlip to Washington as
MS private secretary. Vanderlip learn
ca the machinists' trade, but later
ourneo reporter and made the ac-
quuihtahce or Gage. to whom he often
went for financial informal, Gage
Is now living in California and Van
derlip is president of the largest bank
in America
talent for the lucid exposition of
financial questions, Leslie NJ Shaw
took the stump in opposition to silver
IN 1896 and was twice elected govern
or or oI ms state. He was a banker in
Phtladelphia after a service of Ave
years in the office of Secretary of the
treasury while Col. Roosevelt was
President. -
undou btedly the experiences of Mr..
McAdoo. both in New York. where he
tunneled the Hudson river and opero
ated transportation system, and in
Washington during the war with Ger .
many, have fitted him. technically and
financially. for the presidency of any
or the larger railroads. At least three
secretaries of the Treasury were. rail-
road men.
Indeed, James Guthrie who long had
practiced law in Kentucky. was presi-
dent or the Louisville and Nashville
railroad and senator in Congress at
me same time Louis McLane of
Deia ware. who went to sea as n mid
shlpman in the Navy at the age of
twelve, then entered college, studied
law, was elected to Congress (both
branches). was the American minister
TO Great Britain and served both as
Secretary of the Treasury and Secre-
tary of State. acted for ten years as
president of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad.
:, *
Railroadins in those days, in the
higher executive places, was an honor
able calling. Politicians had not yet
learned that, railroad batting was one
of the easy ways of obtaining public
office. Even so conspicuous q patriot
and citizen as was John A. Dix, whose
IF any one attempts to haul down the
American Gag, shoot him on the SPOT
made him famous for all time in his.
tory. thought that he was worthily
employed rs president of the Missis-
sippi and. Missouri railroad, of the
Union Pacific railroad and OF the Erie.
He was Secretary OF the Treasury
when Abraham Lincoln was inaugu-
rated In March. 1861 Ia
And yet In the good old days, as old :
days have always been called, without
elther reason or fact. politicians were
as eager for Office and as unscrupu-
lous with respect to the means they
the so-called evil days that follow ed,
For example: oliver Wolcott, jr.,
Secretary of the Treasury after Hamil-
ton was charged with burning the
building occupied by himself and his
assistants so as to destroy all proof
of the alleged peculations that had
been going on during Washington'S
administration.
The monstrous accusation was car
ried to Congress by the outraged VOL
colt, a man of honor and dist inguish-
ed family. and n demand was made for
thorough investigation A commits
tee OF the House of Representatives.
hostile politically to the administra.
tion, reported, after an unfair inquiry,
that 1t was unable to reach a "cOn-
lecture satisfactory"
John Adams, then President. ap-,
pointed Wolcott a United States judge
and the Senate by a unanimous vote
confirmed the appointment. And the
state OF Massachusetts. showing its
confidence in Wolcott, elected him
governor for ten terms, one right
after the other.
Taking them, then. from first to last,
the polite persons" using the Ian :.
guage of Richard Steele. as printed
in the Taller, who are so public,
spirited as to neglect their own af>
fairs to look into transactions Of state''
have fared when acting as secretaries
Of the Treasury for the American
people up to the general average Of
the rest of mankind.
Copyright, 1919. by James b. Morrow.)