San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-22
VANDERBILT IS
NATURALLYAN
INVESTIGATOR
Was Overload Of U. S. Sec.
ret Service for Four
Years.
WILLING TO HELP
Has Volunteered to Assist
Congress in lnvestiga-
tons.
BY ROBERT t. SMALL.

By ROBERT T. SMALL.
Copyright by The San Antonio Light.
Washington, ID. G., March 49,
Frank Arthur Vanderlip Of New York
who has voluntarily assumed the role
OF chief assistant TO any one and all
of the congressional committees con-
Quoting inquiries into alleged graft
and official wrong-doing in Washing
ton, comes by his inluisitorial pre-
delections in the regular course OF
events.
When Mr.. vanderlip was an assis-
tant secretary of The treasury away
back in the dim days of the Spanish
American war, the United States Sc
cret service was directly under his SUI
pervision. The young government Of
fetal who later was to become a great
international banker, took an intense
interest in the work of the secret serv-
ice. He was the great overload Of
the service for no less than four years.
During that time he became intimate
ly acquainted with its methods and
watched its great work of crime detec-
ton with all the fascination Of boy
reading his first dime novel.
Before this Mr.. Vanderlip had been
a journalist and before he was n
journalist he had been a reporter, a
good reporter, so the story goes. and
so there again it is easy TO trace his
bent for being in on most every
thing that is going on and his diff
Guilty of keeping out of il.
Not An Active Banker.
Mr.. Vanderlip's present status is
| more or less nebulous. He still de-
scribes himself as a banker, but he
has not actively engaged in the bust
ness since 1919, when he stepped
down as head Of the National City
Bank Of New York. Mr.. Vanderlip
had been the president Of the bank
for ten years and for eight years prior
had been vice president of the I'M
mense financial institution whose
voice is being heard around the world.
Just what caused Mr.. Vanderlip 10
sever his relations with the big bank
after eighteen years in its service has
never been generally understood. But
in any event his retirement fro mthe
institution in no wise lessened his ac-
tivities. Mr.. Vanderlip began to travel
and he has been travelling most Of the
| time since.
In his journeyings TO and fro. the
banker has found much wrong with
the world and perhaps he feels now
that be can do something to help. Al
, the capital they are calling him "Citi-
zen Fixit" and it appears to be n role
TO which he is vastly suited.
Up TO the time he recently told r
suburban New York audience all that
he had heard about the terrible scan
dals at Washington and beyond, NJ.
Vanderlip had been devoting himself
largely to the international situation
and the international relations of the
United States. He is somewhat side
tracked on domestic issues now, but
it won't be long until he is once more
in the international field where he is
ment, however, he is devoting his time
and money to helping the COMPRESSION
al committees, particularly the one in
quiring into the affairs of the De-
partment OF Justice. He has even
gone so far as to have the bank ex-
aminer. looking into the affairs of the
bank of the attorney generals brother,
wire him fully at his own expense
just what the trouble has been out in
Ohio in the examination of the bank
books.
Very Learned Man.
Frank Vanderbilt is a very learned
man, of distinguished bearing and ap-
pearance. In his Washington days he
was rated as one of the handsomest
men in the government service. He
has carried much of his good looks in
to the gray dignity of his sixtieth year
which he entered only last November.
1t was just % years ago this month
that the young journalist came to
Washington from his native state Of
Illinois. He came as secretary to
Lyman j. Gage. secretary of the treas
ury, but within few months had
been designated as an assistant secre-
tary of the treasury. VANDERBILT had
studied finances long before this and
had been financial editor of a Chi
cago newspaper. Like many another
young assistant secretary Of the treas
ury, Vanderlip caught the eyes of the
New York bankers and when his term
in the treasury was over he was fairly
"gobbled up" by the National City
Bank, His service with that institu-
ton brought him into great financial
prominence. He received many hon
orary degrees from various universe
ties. He was president of the bank
all through the World War period
and he emerged from that conflict as
a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
and was decorated also by the Monte
negrian. the Greek and the Belgian
governments.
Would Change Foreign Policy.
If he can ever get the congressional
committees Strengthened out in their
present dilemmas, Mr.. Yanderlip has
great ideas for handling the foreign
relations Of the United States. He
thinks that the present arrangements
of letting the President, the secretary
Of State and the Senate deal with
foreign questions is all wrong, archaic
and incompetent.
He would take the treaty-making
power out of the hands Of the Presi-
dent and place the whole business in
the control Of a council Of foreign re
lations to be elected by the people. Hel
would have the council composed of
at least % men and would provided
that one-half Of the membership
twelve and one-half men) should re-
side abroad. The present system fails
TO express popular opinion. The bank
err says no President ever was elected
because of his knowledge of foreignl
affairs and the same thing applies TO
members of the Senate.
Mr.. Vanderlip has his own con-
ception Of morality. IL thing does
harm to ones self or to others. it is |
immoral. If it does no harm, it is not
s,..,lp11