Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-19
I Southerner Honored In the
Department OF State.

-HE Presidents appointment and the
Senate's confirmation Of Mr.. Nor
man II. Davis as Assistant Secre-
tary of State is a source Of keen satisfac-
ton to all who have followed his d1stln-
guished record of national service, and espe-
cally to his wide circle OF friends In Geor-
gia and the South. Early in the war Mr..
Davis put aside his large business interests
to become one of Secretary McAdoo's vol
unteer and highly valued aids in the Treas
ury Department. His grasp of International
finance and general conversance with the
European situation made him q particularly
competent advisor on loans to the Allied
Governments and matters Of like import.
Authorities credit him with what has been
pronounced "the best bit OF finan cierin G
done in Europe during the war" AS the
New York World relates it, He was sent
on a mission to Madrid to see what he could
do with Spanish exchange. which was then
strongly against us. He visited the King;
the Cabinet arranged to borrow two hun
dred and fifty million pesetas; and exchange
Immediately went back to normal"
Shortly after this he was sent to Poris
as special representative Of the United States
Treasury, and while serving in that capacity
was designated, along with Herbert Hoover,
to represent the United States on the newly
established International Food Council. Mr..
Davis was also made member or the SUI
preme Economic Council, being associated
with Bernard M. Baruch, Edward N. Hun
ley Vance Mccormick and Herbert Hoover.
AS the American member OF the Allied
Armistice Commission he accompanied Mar
shall Foch and others on the historic con-
ference that brought hostilities to close.
AS American Finance Commissioner and Of
fetal financial advisor for the President and
for the United States delegates to Versailles,
he participated in sessions Of the Supreme
War Council and also of the Peace Confer
ence. His, indeed. was an important part
in the framing Of the Treaty's financial pro-
visions. The distinction of his work was
reflected in his subsequent appointment to
membership on the Preparations Commission.
On his return from duties abroad. he was
assigned the responsible task Of winding up,
as far as was practicable, the United States
Governments foreign fiscal affairs, in which
capacity he acted as Assistant Secretary of
the Treasury. 1t was from this post that
he was called to the assistant Secretary
ship Of the Department of State to succeed
Mr.. Frank l.. Polk, lately resigned. Though
eager to return to private life and resume
the personal business interests which he SO
long had forgone, Mr.. Davis deferred to the
Presidents earnest wishes and accepted the
State Department appointment. A rare
honor it is, and one Of which he is alto
gether worthy.
Among Americas war workers and war
winners there was a quiet, rnassuming, I'M
heralded group of men vino gave freely and
with cheerful sacrifice talents without which
the Allied victory might never have been
won and certainly would have been sadly de-
layed. Executives, engineers, scientists, stu
dents of big business problems, doors of big
business deeds they were; men refreshingly
free from the cult and cant Of politics, finely
Indifferent to those outward shows which
many covet as "honors," wishing only to do
what they could for their country, and car
ing for no reward save opportunity to serve.
Ii the inner and larger history of our part
in the World War could be written, a most
engaging chapter would have to do with
those keen minds and loyal hearts, those
masters of difficult tasks, those business
alplomats' OF whom Norman H. Davis, native
Tennessean and Southerner to the core is an
admirable type.