The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-03-27
BIZ RODNEY BUTCHER
NEA Service Writer

| WASHINGTON, March 81. -
Two men virtually unknown TO
the masses of their fellow coun-
trymen suddenly have been call
ed to stand with President Roose.
Welt and work out our financial
destiny. ,r,.r. II
Cordell Hull and William H.
Woodin, two white-haired men in
their sixties. whose lives and IN
iterests have had little in COM
mon with those Of most OF US,
have been planning and promul,
eating emergency DEGREES that
are making a startling chapter
OF history. L.,
Cordeli Hull Of Tennessee, has
been studying fiscal and econom-
Iic problems daily for Decades
He is one of our few major
statesmen. though he never reused
gallery. No orator, his last con-
spicuous public appearance was
| in poorly delivered speech at
the Democratic '"conVention
against "naked repeal" when
| Chicago crowds booed him un-
mercifully. But Hull was closest
to Roosevelt all through the
famous day which brought forth
the national bank holiday, ana
the gold embargo. He had just
left the senate to become secre-
tarv of state. but foreign affairs
and his new lob went by the
boards as he was summoned TO
the White House. -
The jolly, baby-faced, small
William H. Woodin became sec
rotary of the treasury, and mil
lions of savings depositors laugh
ed when they learned he com,
posed music and as they read
some of his happy little songs Tor
children. But Woodin now mas
unlimited power over all the
banks in the United States-and
jurisdiction over about 81 ,o0o'"
100000 of our tied-up funds.
BANKERS NEW BOSSES
Neither is banker; They be-
came the bosses of the bankers
who had been their own bosses
for a very long time. Both IN
their first press conferences, IN
Dictated new policy OF frank
ness with the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
means frankness with the coun-
try. u,,.u
neither perches in an ivory tow
er as did Mr.. Mellon nor adopts
the aristocratic air of Mr.. Mills.
Since the public can't get INTO
Woodin's office, let me give you
look behind those massive
walls and observe WoodIn at
press conferences. .,r
A little man with twinkllng
ewes. mustache, large ears, har
that is sparse but still manages
to cover the ground, and tortoise
she'll glasses with silver bridge
attached to a cord, he sits at a
huge desk bearing three hand
set telephones and a pile OF let
tcrs and kilograms which he
later explains are all suggestions
for saving the United States. he
wears gray suit of inottenslvee
Maid, gray collar and shirt and
hlue-figur tie. CAT later
conference, hedged in from all
sides BY a hundred newspaper
linen. he will be sitting on the
desk.) He begins to talk in a
soft, easy voice, often broken by
his chuckles or loud laughs:
"Sit down, as many of you as
can find chairs. There ought TO
be more chairs here. You have
a room of your own downstairs.
haven't you? I'd like to coma
down and see it some time"
YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HIM
Someone, remembering the To-
! cent card games in the press
room, says he had better give
warming. -.
"Weli," says the millionaire
who has charge of Il billions,
"maybe l might join you"
Then he. gives amiable, intel
lligent answers to questions. He
will be his own spokesman and
will have two press conferences
a day during the emergencies.
He wants suggestions from news
papermen and everyone else,
promising to consider them
"some gink out in the wild
woods might have a wild
thought" says he, and continues
to speak colloquially: "We've got
to run a campaign of hope. (.
We want to fix this situation i'm
mediately so man can go to
| his grocery store. . When's
that effective? Bang! Right off
the reelp'
All day Sunday and late ut
night Woodin had sat at the
Treasury with the governments
best financial experts and a care
fully selected group of New
York and Chicago bankers. At
frequent intervals he was tele-
phoning Roosevelt. After mid
night Roosevelt ordered him
home for some sleep. At Ga,
Woodin is active and doesn't tire
easily.
He has been president of the
American Car & Foundry COM
pany, is Roosevelt's close friend,
used to be a Republican until AL
Smith ran for president in 1924,
collects rare etchings, ranks sat
isfactorily as a composer, picks
:, out new melodies, .on guitar
and constructed the FRANKLIN