The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-08-18

The Waspish Secretary
OF the Interior
HiehIiehis in Career Of
Honest Harold lekes
Making History in Job
n. johnson Turned Down
Tacoma Due for a Closeup
OF Roosevelt Handy Man
MAGAZINE writers and sun
VI day supplement editors look
ing for material to brighten the
pages are devouug considerable
space to Harold Ickes. secretary
Of the interior and the man be
hind several other important
Jobs. They call him the ''ubiqui-
tous Mr.. lckes, and the wasp
ish secretary Of the interior
Going into the reasons for giving
him those names makes mighty
interesting reading.
He i. a. one writer crypt
ically puts II. "the personal
devil Of many who have
never seen him, but have
been unable TO escape his
words and Deeds
To that number Is now added
the thousands Of motorists
whose weekend meanderings
are threatened by Mr.. Ickes'
promise to ration gasoline for
pleasure cars.
Among anti-New Dealers he is
one Of the most cordially dis
liked members Of the Roosevelt
cabinet, and be il known the
dyed-in-the-wool anti-New Deal
or does not have even little bit
of liking for any cabinet MEM
Der.
What makes Mr.. fckes peril
nent figure for this column is the
fact that he is 10 be the princi-
pal speaker at the meeting Of
the Public Ownership League
of Washington here in Septem-
Der.
That Is a guarantee that at
least one session of the con-
vention will be lifted out of
the mediocre, for II Is well
known that the secretary of
the interior differs sharply
with some of the local public
power advocates on certain
fundamental principles.
II is more than likely that
some Of the prophets who have
gained some honor IN their own
bailiwicks may get stung If they
tangle, as some of them plan TO
do, with the "waspish secretary
of the interior
Until Harold Ickes became a
member of the New Deal cabinet
eight years ago. few persons
outside of his home town, Chi
cago, had heard of him. Those
who did know him both hated
and admired him, for he was one
of those born fighters and mi
nority leaders who take a lot OF
the dullnsss out of life
During his term "a secre-
tary Of the intsrior-he has
held 1t longer than any other
secretary - there have been
few days when he has not
been the center of a contro-
yersy in which he Is usually
the winner.
An interesting story of how
Mr.. Ickes happened to get into
the cabinet is particularly irk-
some to those who do not like
To be reminded Of the scandals
which developed in that depart
ment during some Of the admin
istrations controlled by the
G. o. T.
II seems that shortly after the
election In 1882, Ickes called on
President Roosevelt with a letter
Of introduction from Hiram
johnson. senator from Califor-
MIA and New Dealer in his own
right.
The letter recommended
Iekes rs a man who would
perform well In any job that
the president might be able
10 give him and suggested
commissioner of Indian af-
fairs.
II is related that Ickes. through
the Hiram johnson connection,
had several conferences with the
president in which they discussed
in perfect agreement some OF the
policies that the New Deal should
work out but nothing was said
about a job.
During this time President
Roosevelt was chiefly concerned
TO find q suitable man for the
interior department post. He
wanted to appoint 4 liberal Re
these places. That is not a case
peculiar 10 Tacoma, one Of the
persons killed in the Seattle