The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-08

Mccormick were troubled because they could not bring the'r financial as sociates of the allied nations to see that prosperity and stability could not come to the world until the amount Germany was to pay was definitely fixed. The chaos and distress which followed the failure to adopt the l policy proposed by MT. Baruch testify l to his wise foresight
 | HOOVER, WORLDS ALMONER Food will win the war" was
 sound slogan which Herbert Hoover, | head of the food administration, car
 ried into every home in America. The | President called him to this duty aft l CT he had made an international repu- | tation as the worlds almoner in 1 Belgium. At his behest we quit eat l ing flour bread we ate pork so that | beef and mutton could go to our sol | diers and allies, and Hoover furnished l the scant but sufficient menu for ev-
 cry breakfast and dinner table in
 America. There was no law behind this l self-denial of 110,000000 people The President issued request to the peo-
 pie to follow MT. Hoover's lead, and
 they did it in denying what their ap- | petities craved. This was the severess | test, and the Americans met it. MT. Hoover is different from all oth- CT olmoners I have known What l sentiment he has he suppresses. In executing a policy of help for starv-
 ing people he is so businesslike that someone said he was "as hard as nails.
 After the war he continued his able
 leadership in saving the starving in
 Austria and in the Balkans. and naval | officers and enlisted men kept open | the lines of communication and gave
 such cooperation that MT. Hoover
 told me when I was in Paris that he 1 could not have carried on without the navy
 What is the secret of Mir Hoover? Practically nobody, speaking broadly
 Knew him personally when he came to Washington He is quiet and rather silent except when something that he is deeply interested in makes him talk freely. He writes speech of convincing power, but he has no eloquence. The secret is that he is an engineer and practices his trade or rather profession, in whatever he un- dertakes Only the ore thing he is do- ing interests him, and he has a genius for exciting the admiration and devotion
 of his coworkers. He always outworks everybody about him, and always was evolving new plans for his work MT. Hoover showed a talent for publicity in furthering his undertakings which no man of this generation except Theodore
 Roosevelt has approached.
 NEW BUILDING STANDARD
 The Germans despised American ability to build ships and to send over men,
 munitions and supplies. With us ship
 building had so long been neglected it was no longer a trade, but a craft In
 1914 the President directed the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of the Navy and, the Secretary of Commerce to draft bill to restore to America mer-
 chant marine. It was filibustered to death in the Senate, later revived and
 passed with concentrations which halted it's quick action and large service before we entered the war. But without ship
 yards for the navy had contracted for 1 p per cent of all shipbuilding facilities before the shipping board got Its gait
 what was done by this country in build ing merchant ships set new standard
 Edwin N. Hurley, who was a mem
 Der of the war clearing house, had
 succeeded in every undertaking of his
 life. He is a confirmed optimist and
 brought vision and faith to what
 seemed an impossible task. He and the
 other men who taught us that ships will win the war worked miracles
 They said he spent money to freely
 that ships cost too much and contracts l were. given at excessive prices But
 Hurley got results and his spirit of cooperation and enthusiasm and readiness to cooperate with every agency of government gave him high place among civilian war leaders.
 ORDER FOR "HEATLESS" DAYS Harry A. Garfield, head of the fuel administration, another member. ear 1 nestly believed that the saving of coal and oil was essential to the winning of the war Aside from my respect for his l ability and my personal attachment to | him, which ripened as the days went by. I admired his courage in follow
 ing his convictions. His order of
 January 17, 1918, making certain days
 heatless created a storm of indgna-
 tion. It was the coldest winter in the memory of the oldest nhabitant. Coal
 was scarce and the demand for it over seas iinsistent. How could this be SUD-
 piled? The miners were producing every possible ton under difficult con
 ditions. The people had cut down their allowance until they shivered in their homes. Something more drastic was necessary.
 | On the afternoon of January 16 191S Mir. Garfield came to my office, and his Tense face showed his was no usual
 mission. In few minutes he explained our dire need of coal for ships and for overseas; he said he had talked with secretary Baker and wished to know how l felt about advising the President to issue the "heatless" order which Baker had approved; and to which. after making certain that Garfield in tenoed to reduce civilian consumption for military needs, I gave my approval. After conference MT. Baker made the engagement for the three of us 10 see the President.
 On our way over to the White House told Garfield that what we would l advise the President to do would raise the most violent storm of the war.
 "GO AHEAD" SAYS WILSON
 None of us had any illusions that it would be popular. Vhe matter was laid before the President He met the drastic proposal without flinching. In fact, he grasped the necessity for it sooner than had either of us, and he told Garfield to go ahead, saying in substance: Tt Is necessary, abso- .utely necessary toward our greatest effectiveness in the war Nothing must stand between us and the goal" Garfield issued the order The storm broke. The newspapers, or most of them, ragged the next morning. 'Mr Garfield's stupidity was displayed in Liz type, and editorially he was roasted over hot coal fire.
 F About midnight that night. just as reached home. Tong distance" called me The editor of a great newspaper in New York was on the other end of the telephone line. His paper had given 1 the President earnest and able sup port in his war policies.
 Have you seen Garfield's damn fool order about the use of coal?" he asked. | Yes" I replied.
 What do you think of it?" he asked |