The Washington times., 1922-02-11
FINANCE
AND
|RUsINEss
D .. G. VORBBA

ny tho PCophC Va
asked Washington workman.
HE sure is" came the emphatic
reply. "Why. when he walks down
the street he shakes hands with any
body. Although he's President. he
doesn't feel that he's any better than
anybody else. He's a plain man-re'
minds you of Mckinley"
After a pause he added: Oh
course. there was only one Teddy
Another pause: Dye know. be.
lieve wen have another Teddy In the
White House one OF these days
Young Teddy's coming along all rignt,
ism [ he?"
One thought impressed upon my
mind Whine gong the rounds IN Wash
tngton 10 this:
president Harding has got together
q tremendously hard-working LOT Oh
Cabinet members.
Probably Hoover tops the list In
this respect-as. indeed, In other re-
spects. he - on the jop early IN the
morning, goes at 1t hard until or u
then often resumes At his home AFTER
dinner. Nor does he always Keep
Sunday free from work. IN told that
he has often referred to sunday az
my Iood relief day., meaning that
he devotes part of 1t TO his enor-
mousiy important duties in connec'
ton with the feeding OF starving
Europeans--dutIes winch have won
L..n not merely the admiration, but
the veneration of millions OF the poor
across the Atlantic.
Here's q good Hoover joke. At
certain important function the serV-
ices and the virtues OF Hoover were
being extoiled at length and without
STINT by one speaker. Aoovers young
son sat in the front row. watching
his dad on the platform. AZ the
speaker. waxing eloquent, enumer'
aled one quality or achievement aIter
another, young Hoover kept winking
at his dad. FINALLY, l m told. dad lost
HIS gravity and burst into an un'
timely and, 30 Iar as the speaker or
the audience could juuge. most
uncaIled. for burst Of laughter!
Even before the historic con-
ference, Secretary Of Sta.e Hughes
worked Ike a Trojan. All through
it's duration he has worked day and
night. 1t was Hughes rather than
HaruIngs conference. and the task
of plotting its deliberations has
fallen chiefly on HIM. Ordinarily.
Hughes knows how to relax. how
to crack q Joke. how to smile. But
during the last three months he has
been TOO busy, too harrassed. TOO
pre-occup.ed to indulge IN any
humor.
The political. goss. ps-their name
in Washington - Leg .on"-have
had Secretary Mellon ready to re-
q. gn a dozen times. But he - still
lauor,ng most Industr.ousiy at the
head Of the Treasury, STRIVING to
prevent the lawmakers from max
ing undue Inroaas upon the nations
cash. HIS stand on different Imam
cal questions. and on Questions
which would involve drains on the
Treasury, has won the admiration
of the financial community rather
than of political interests. is
pee. ally has has attitude on the
solder bonus won the approval OF
those who fear that the passing OF
the proposed law at this time would
prec. y. tate business generalization
and widespread unemployment.
Secretary of Labor Davis has
to.led so strenuously that his health
has gwen way. temporarily. Score
tary of Agriculture Wallace has
gwen HIS farmer trends some ex-
ceed.ngly sound advice as to what
they themselves must do to work
out their salvation. Although Sec
Rotary Of War Weeks and secretary
of the Navy DENLY have been Little
in the lImel .ght, they are both. /
learn. very much on the job.
In short, Hard. ng picked real work
ers. One of them worked 80 bril-
l.antly and effectively that he was
chosen for q unique Job at a saiary
far from common in these times
VIII Hays.
Poor Coolidge, however. able
though he 8, finds himself In the
same predicament as his predeces-
sors. Do you recall the brave effort
that was made by Presidential Can
didate Hardin and others to make
In6 people Ieel tnht tH6 NlC6 TItSl'
dency was to be transformed INTO an
Office Of genuine Importance Well.
1t hasn't panned out that way. Ap.
parently, t SIMPLY can't be done.
Here's q true anecdote which hits
off the situation neatly and &C.
curately:
OnS very busy Cabinet officer wa
entering his offire one day, his eyes
on the ground. obviously deep IN
thought. A secretary informed him
that Coolidge had telephoned. WHO
the - 10 Cool.dge7" snapped the
Cabinet minister.
The shocked secretary had to ex'
plain.
The ordinary people In Washing
ton are full of sad taies of the whole.
sale dismissal of Government EN-.
ployes. The axe Is still falling every
payday, I'm told. Next week q
large department, hear. In to be
put on short time. Tradesmen com.
plain Of dull business. Tho theaters
are suffering severely.
In Washington. wall Street
bankers" are regarded, / find, with
quite as much disfavor as In other
localities.
1t will interest many peopls in
and o,tf If Naxu vnrL tbot oor, 10,