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

tent to let events vindicate them, as events did.
 The men in charge of the most inn portat special activities of the war trade and war industries boards, the shipping board, the food and fuel ad ministrations, and alien property GUS todian formed, with the Secretaries of War, Navy and Treasury, a sort of special council, which met frequently with the President and which was, though improperly, called by many newspapers the war cabinet. An in- defatigable member of it was William G.. McAdoo, who, as Secretary of the Treasury, struck the rock of credit and revenue and made abundant money gush forth to meet the needs of our own mobilization and of the opera tions of our allies.
 PRAISE M'ADOO AND BAKER
 Ills record will for all time make him figure ranking second to not one of the great men who preceded him in that great office. Hamilton and Gallatin and all the famous Sec retaries of the Treasury solved im- portant financial problems, but, in the magnitude of the task, not one of them had such world financing to carry out IS MT. McAdoo accomplished so bril- liantly,
 But no man in that war council will grow so much in the perspective of histotry as Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War. l was in intimate daily as- sociation with him. l knew his large grasp of the problems with which we had to deal and his whole hearted de- votion to duty. I could appreciate his broad vision and his scrupulous sense of justice.
 His task was far greater than that of stanton, but he showed no less ability than Stanton in discharging 1t. and with the great ability went a charity, kindness and courtesy which won him the esteem and confidence of all his colleagues.
 My most happy resollection of those crucial days is my intimate associa : tion with Newton D. Baker. He does not know what playing to the gallery, self-seeking or pretense are. He shouldered every so-called error of others in the field and department, and, with generous spirit, gave sup port to those who were intrusted with important duties.
 l want, in the remainder of this ar ticle, to write of those men. referred to in my first paragraph, whom tho war picked up and put in posts of burdensome obligation-at least to write of such of them as became with us members Of the war cabinet"
 BARUCH LEADING FIGURE
 The story of the war industries boar has been told, happily so that the man who will write the real history of the war Che may not yet have put his pen to paper) can grasp the magnitude of the mobilization of industries under the able direction of it's head, Bernard M. Baruch. He had made his fortune in Wall street, buying stocks when they were low and selling them when they were high-the secret of sue. cess in that center of making and losing fortunes in a day.
 There was some distrust in Wash. ington of the idea of putting "a Wal street speculator" in charge of this giant job when the President first asked MT. Baruch to undertake the direction of the war industries board But as his grasp and greatness. his industry and patience, his forgetful- ness of his own interests were merged into his passion for public service. the feeling of doubt gave way to one ot admiration, confidence and respect. As result Barney Baruch emergeJ from the war as one of it's leadine figures and he added to his reputation