The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-03-01
MELLON STEERS
MIDDLE COURSE:
WORKS HARD
Side Lights Upon Ne1u
Secretary of the
s. Treasury.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial to The Argus.)

Washington, March 1.-While
this is q week of farewells to the
outgoing administration, it is also
q week Of expectancy and curiosity
as to the new regime. And while
most of the figures in the new c&bi-
net are known to the national capi-
tai, the unknowns are Andrew w.
Mellon Of Pittsburgh, secretary of
the treasury; Henry c. Wallace Of
Des Moines, Iowa, secretary of ag-
riculture; Edwin DENLY, secretary
Of the navy, and-assuming that
James ]. Davis of Pennsylvania is
to be secretary of labor-well, he,
too, is unknown here. The others
Herbert Hoover, Senator Fall,
former Senator Weeks, Will Hays.
Harry Daugherty, Charles Evans
Hughes-have all been identified
more or less with public affairs
heretofore.
First and foremost Of the new
corners about whom interest GEN.
ters Is the next secretary Of the
treasury. What manner of man is
he? All that has been so far told
is that he is the second richest man
in the United States, or at any rate,
in the front rank Of the wealthy.
But the truth is Mr.. Melons gen.
ius in business has been all the
more remarkable because he has
accomplished things without pub
! licity or ostentati0A-andt the pre-
diction is made that he will prob
ably be the most silent man in the
administration.
Slender and Shy.
Mr.. Mellon is a slender. difident
man with gray hair, and a manner
so shy that it is almost shrinking,
indeed 1t hardly tells you off-hand
that he controls vast financial and
industrial interests. "a W. is
what his empieyesefSmiiiaf1y eSil
him His ability to organize is his
paramount quality. He is able a.
ways to steer q smooth, middle Of
the road course between the de-
mands of radicalism and conserv-
atism and it is this faculty Of di-
plomacy and skillful handling OF
the most intricate affairs Of bust
ness which makes his friends SC
absolutely confident that the coun-
try has a real surprise in store
when the next secretary OF the
treasury gets into action.
To the people Of his home city
the name Of A. w. Mellon stands
for two things outside his business
tactivities-the salvation Of Pitts
I burgh during the panic Of 1907 and
q war record as the local leader in
every large drive for funds or men
He is the only member of the var
ious war committees in Pittsburgh
who didn't make a speech. But
when q Liberty loan parade was
formed. Mr.. Mellon was in line al
inconspicuously as one of his
clerks. And when Pittsburgh wen1
over the top on all her loan quota!
during the war. it was generally thu
quiet influence of Andrew Mellor
which made that happy result pos
sible.
It was the Mellon interests which
saved Pittsburgh investors in 1907
Other concerns trembled but thu
Mellon companies went through
safely because Of the carefulnes.
and conservatism of the man at thu
helm.
Works Eight Hours.
| The new secretary is the type o.
man who gets down to his Office a
g o'clock and works a good eighr
hour day. His recreations are rid
ing before breakfast and golf. H.
has a son Paul, IA years old, ant
his only other child-Miss Ailss
Mellon-was a debutante last year
Mr.. MELONS parents were no