Evening star., 1938-08-14


in the final act
Rubee's part in writing the Trade Com
mission Act was prelude to a spectacular
struggle between President Wilson and
Congress In February, 1915, Wilson num-
bered Rubee among the five men he named
to the commission. Jacob Gallnger, Re-
publican Senator from New Hampshire
since 1891. announced that he would not
stand for Rublee's appointment. The bat
tie between the Senator and the President
ragged almost into the summer Of 1916
Rublee had aroused Gallineer, then 7s
years old. in 1914 by helping Stevens run
for Gallingers seat. Gallinger won, but
the call was close, and he had it in for
Rublee, Progressive, who, in his calm.
even-tempered. civilized manner, disagreed
with Gallinger's extreme conservatism.
Gallinger announced to his colleagues
of the Senate that Rublee was personally
obnoxious to him. This is an appeal to
senatorial intramural courtesy, which rare
" is denied In March Congress adjourned
without the Senate's having acted on
Rublee. Wilson gave his man recess
appointment.
In the following spring Gallinger re-
turned to the fight as determinedly as be-
fore The climax came on May IS. 1916.
Galllnger warned his colleagues away from
Rublee. Senator La Toilette of Wisconsin
poured hot oil over Gallinger. The session
was torrid and the Senate was tense. Hol-
lis, the junior Senator from New Hamp-
sire, a Democrat. interceded for Rublee.
But when the vote was taken, Gallinger
was the victor. The Senate rejected Rublee
by Al to 81.
Wilson Inspired New Fight.
Even so. Wilson held to his resolution
that Rublee be commissioner. Chairman
Joseph Davies of the F. T. C. wrote that
| Rublee was an invaluable member of the
organization Pressure was applied for
reconsideration of the vote. On May %
the roll was called on Rublee once more
| The result was a tie. SO to 33. Rublee's
chances of confirmation were over. He
left the commission without drawing cent
of pay for his years work.
At that time. however, money meant
to do and could afford to do those things
which he thought helped the community
After the F. T. c. fiasco. Wilson ap-
pointed him to the committee studying the
working of the Adamson S-hour law for
the railroads He became a member of
| the Commercial Economy Board chosen by
the Council of National Defense after the
war began. He was a special counsel for
the Treasury Department. In 1918 and
| 1919 he was in England on the permanent
secretariat of the Allied Maritime Trans
port Council In 1921 he joined Judge
Harry Covington and Edward Burling in
| the law practice here.
Rublee was born in Madison Wis., in
| 1863 Fourteen years later, after the Swift
| zerland soJourn his father entered him in
| a new school just established at Groton,
Mass, by Dr. Endcott Peabody He was
the whole of Groton's first graduating
| class Dr. Peabody, who still runs the
institution, used to say that Rublee was
| the only person who graduated first in his
class at Groton and entered first In his
| class at Harvard.
TOrmented by Law Course.
From Harvard College, Rublee went into
| Harvard Law School. He suffered tor
ments. The Harvard law student is ever
| in the dark about his status. The one
| examination each year comes in May. BY
| April Rublee concluded he was a f1zzle at
! the Jaw. In May he took the examina-
| tions and resigned himself to the prospect
| of failure In August the university notl-
| fed him that his grades were the highest
| in his class.
When he was graduated with his LIB,
| Rublee taught law for a year at Harvard.
Bored by pedagogy, he went to Chicago
| and established a law firm with the same
| Burling with whom he is associated now,
| an Iowan who graduated in law at Harvard
| the year before Rublee. In 1898 he moved
| to New York and began to practice law
| with Victor Morawetz. A year later ne
| married Juliet Barrett, wealthy girl whose
father made a fortune in coal tar.
The Morawetz connection was eminently
| profitable. Morawetz was a leading cor
poration lawyer. and he participated
in many railroad reorga nizations, notable
among them that of the Santa Fe. Rublee
became = canny appraiser Of the possibili'