The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-09-09
THE NATIONS AFFAIRS
By FRANK P. LITSCHERT

Despite any carplng criticism there
may have been during his lifetime
coming from individuals inspired by
motives which were political or in
spired by economic envy, it may be
said in all truth that the United States
lost an outstanding figure and grand
old man in the recent death of Andrew
w. Mellon, who served with honor and
distinction as Secretary of the United
States Treasury under the presidency
of Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge
and Herbert Hoover.
$50
Mr.. Mellon has been called with
some justice the greatest Secretary of
the Treasury the United States had
had since the days of Alexander Ham
ilton. The measure of his character
and ability can be found in his bust
ness success. He built an industrial
and financial empire, but no matter
how great his economic achievements
grew they never became unsafe thru
topheaviness. He was sane, careful
and constructive in all of his dealings.
***
One of Mr.. Melons outstanding
characteristics was his inherent mod
esty, quality which won for him the
friendship and Affection of all who
knew him. So modest was he in fact
that comparatively few Americans,
outside the realms of big business and
finance, knew of him when he was
made a member of the cabinet by
President Harding. At this time Mr..
Mellon was &c years of age and one
of the wealthiest men in the world.
Despite the fact that he had arrived
at time when most men begin to
think about retiring to private life,
Mr.. Mellon enjoyed his duties in
Washington and said, ''This is brand
new experience"
Mr.. Mellon tackled the problems of
his new position with will and deter
mination to render real service to his
country and he did render such SER
vice. Under his administration as Sec
rotary of the Treasury the public debt
of the nation steadily but rapidly
shrank along with a reduction of fed
eral taxes. AS Senator Hiram John
son said, on learning of his death:
"He was kindly, unassuming gen.
tleman. He was an efficient Secretary
of the Treasury with a perfect passion
for wanting to reduce the national
debt, and during his term of office he
did So"
AS Secretary of the Treasury Mr..
Mellon on more than one occasion
called attention to the dangers of in
flation, of which the boom on the stock
markets of the country was symp-
tom. Unfortunately the country paid
no attention to these warnings. When
the collapse came some partisan eff
forts were made to belittle Mr.. Mel
Ion because of this misfortune which
affected not only the United States
but every civilized nation on the globe.
Later some attempts were made to
cite him as "tax dodger" but an in
vestigation proved the charges to be
groundless, inspired for the most part
by political bias.
Mr.. Mellon was one of the greatest
art collectors in the world. In Janu-
airy, 1887, he offered his collection as
the nucleus of national art collec-
ton by the nation, to be located in
Washington. The offer was accepted
by the government. 1t is estimated
that the collection is worth at least
$40, 100000.
Despite political criticism, Mr.. Mel
Ion will go down in history as one of
the most unassuming, yet one of the
greatest and most capable public of
ficials which this country has known in
its century and half of national ex-
istence.