Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-06-16
FIRST NAVY MAN
TO BE In CABINET
SOMETHING OF SECRETARY
OF WAR j. w. WEEKS,

Uncle leu asked huln.
81 didn't hear what you said,
Ruth" answered Uncle Ted. Jack
was making so much noise"
II said that Secretary of War
Weeks is the first graduate of the
Naval Academy to be Cabinet Of
ficer," replied Ruth.
That's right, Ruth. 1t is the
first time in the history of the coun-
f! try and more than that it is the
first time navy man was ever plac-
ed at the head of the army, that is
as Secretary of War"
"Tell us story about him, Uncle
Ted" asked Jack.
Sure, l will. Jack, because he is
a mighty interesting man. Secretary
of War John Wingate Weeks, of
Massachusetts, is first in lot of
things. Besides those things have
just told you he is the first navy
man who ever sat in the United
States Senate and the first navy man
to be voted for for President in a
national convention, for you know
he got more votes for the Republic
can nomination in 1916 than anyone
excepting Charles E. Hughes, who
is now Secretary of State.
Secretary Weeks graduated from
the United States Naval Academy in
1881. That class is famous for its
prominent members. General Bar
nett, former head of the United
States Marine Corps, was member
of the class, as was Senator Weller
of Maryland and Baron Urlu, ia
nous japanese Admiral who is now
visiting in Washington. He didn't
stay in the navy because Congress
passed a law to muster out of the
service most of the graduates of this
class, as there were so many officers
and so few vessels at the time. While
Secretary Weeks is a navy man, he
does not feel lost at the head of the
war department. During the recent
war, when he was a member of the
Senate from Massachusetts, he was
on the Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee, and of course he was in close
touch with the army and its needs"
what does he think about big
army" asked Ruth.
"Well I'll tell you, kiddies, Sec
rotary Weeks is not in favor OF a
huge army. He believes under the
present conditions that we must have
an army, though, and he believes it
should consist of $4,000 men, the
number he recommended to Con-
gress. He thinks that in time some
kind of an agreement can be made
to cut down the great armies and
lnavies of the world and reduce the
tremendous costs to the govern
ments that make taxes so high in SO
many countries.
"The job of Secretary of War is
a big one and hard one and it takes
a man of strength both mentally
and physically. For that reason the
people of the United States should be
mighty proud that President Hard
ing has selected man who fills
both of those requirements. You
know lot of people throughout the
country think that the men who are
running the government in Washing
ton get to work about ten o'clock in
the morning, take two hours for
lunch and go out for golf or some
form of amusement in the middle of
the afternoon. When they think
that they are all WRONG. 1 have
watched these men and know some
thing of their habits.
GAS for Secretary Weeks he does
not wait until the time that the
clerks of the War Department report
in the morning-he is at his desk
every morning at eight o'clock and
many nights it is long after the time
for most peoples evening meal when
he starts for home He doesn't al
ways quit then for many times he
takes some work home to go over
in the quiet of the evening. There
has always been lot of talk about
the fact that if man ran his bust
ness as the government IS run he
would be ruined in a short time.
That theory is rapidly being done
away with, for the men selected by
President Harding to run the affairs
of the country are using real bust
ness methods. Secretary Weeks is
business man and he is running
the War Department with business
methods. Before he was elected to
Congress he was a successful banker
in Boston. He gave this up and, so
far as know, today his only interest
is the interest of running the War
Department in the best way il has
ever been handled,
with the hard work and bust
ness sense Mr.. Weeks is using, it
should mean big saving to the
government"
Doesn't he take any time to play"
asked Jack
"Yes, of course, Jack, he must
get some recreation. Once in a
while he gets away for game of
golf, which he has just learned to
play, and when he has been able to
get away from Washington he likes