Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-15
HOOVER 4 REAL
BUSINESS MAN
BY HERBERT COREY


as a nation-we don't sabe how to
stage ourselves. Over in Europe
they put feathers in their hats
and toot bugles and wear gold laced
pants. We are to plebian, by heck.
Too commonplace. We act just as
though running a government is an
ordinary piece of business.
Note.-It Is. But it is rarely han
died in an ordinary business way.
Most government employees try to
make out their jobs are difficult.
But not Hoover. Hoover has-the
department of commerce has-an
ordinary business building on Penn
sylvania avenue, four or five blocks
White House. Not much Of a
building. Two elevators, plain trim
mings, smooth cement floors, plenty
of light. A veteran of some war sits
at the door. No one needs pay any
attention to him. Visitors to the
building are not held up and
searched and made to present Gre
dentiaIs. The veteran is there to
tell you where to find Hoover, in
case you do not know. Or anyone
else.
You take the elevator. You enter
Hoover's most outside office. A
number of other American citizens,
business men, bankers, statisticians
and what not, are sitting around,
waiting to be called in to see this
man or that man or Hoover. A diff
fident young secretary, who isn't
so diffident that he cannot find out
whether you have any real right to
take up Hoover's time, talks with
you. Introductions do not seem to
matter so much. The other day a
man from Cedar Rapids, who knew
no one that Hoover had ever heard
Of saw the secretary of commerce
within Is minutes after he had
reached the office. He knew some
thing Hoover wanted to know.
If you convince the private secre-
tary you are sent in. Hoover sits
there, pushed back from his desk
wearing blue suit, sort Of fiddling.
A bigger man, somehow, than when
a platform. A bit nervous. Doesn't
speak very readily, you think. Odd
ly diffident, when you consider who
he is and Who-relatiVely-yo are
Somehow, you think he is confused
and you get confused and have diff
f1culty in getting before him the
question you want to ask in pre-
cisely the form you want to ask it.
II think-"says Hoover.
No more confusion. No more diff
dence. It could never have been
diffidence, anyhow. He says precise
ly what he wishes to say. He dis
plays the most amazing range of in
formation. Red Cross people, Ameri-
can relief people, bankers, bust
ness men, commercial agents, spies,
railroad men, engineers, peddlers,
any one in touch with business
somehow manages to get what
Hoover wants to know into Hoo.
ver's hands. He jolts you with the
size and velocity of some of his
ideas. At first they seem revolu-
tionary. Then you discover that
they are not revolutionary at all.
They are simple, valuable, work
hDleS L u6y are lIGI6ly IlGW' ne
human mind rebels against things
that are new.
"Anything else you want to
know" asks Hoover.
Lord! You could sit there all day
and listen to him. He is opening up
vistas to you with each paragraph
You begin to see a prosperous,
friendly, decent world ahead. But
you cannot frame your questions.
You feel the need of years upon
years Of specialized education so
that you can grasp the full signift
canoe of what he has been saying.
His statements have been clear, lu-
cid brief. Each has been under
standable, but each has revealed the
existence of an enormous hinterland
of fact of which you know nothing.
| No, you say. There is nothing else
/ that you want to know. AS you go
out you reflect sadly that you are a,
frightful liar.