Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (June 2, 1932)
1j$ Mtmihs Swmttg (bss ra?r SECTION TWO Pages 1 to 4 SECTION TWO Pages 1 to 4 VOLUME 30 A , LA GRANDE, OREGON, THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1932 NUMBER 236 i Is Not Candidate, But Might Break Convention Deadlock By Robert Talley NEA Service lter) (Copyright, 1032, NEA Service. Inc.) CLEVELAND A quiet-manneera little man with a luminous smile, who has spent 30 of his 61 years In publlo life, purrs contentedly on a big pipe In his law offices here, ap parently Indifferent to the fact that he Is being discussed throughout the nation as a "dork horse" presi dential candidate. Moreover, he In- ststs that he Is not a candidate and does not wish to be considered one. He Is Newton D. Baker, Wood row Wilson's secretary of war back in the hectic days of a dozen years ago. Of the presidency. Baker has said: .... "The president Is the loneliest and most defenseless prisoner In the world, and I doubt very much whether any president from, Wash ington down has ever spent as many happy hours in four years as I now habitually spend in cacti month as I practice law and grub potatoes." Baker Is making no effort to get the Democratic nomination, but his closest friends say he will accept if It, 1b offered to him. Aftor all, a man Is merely human and a chance at the presidency of " the United States is nothing to be treat ed lightly. Since the Wilson administration retired from Washington on March 4, 1921, Baker has been Cleveland's "first citizen." He came back here, resumed the practice of law, and has taken a leading part In. civic and public affairs. He still Is n na tional figure. . President Coolldge named him to the World Court at The Hague and President Hoover appointed him to the Wlckersham Commission. Except for a few gray halts and deeper lines In his face, the Baker of today is little different from the Secretary of War Baker who spent billions at the rate of $1,600,000 an hour back In 1018. At 61, he still Is slender and small of stature, standing only a little over five feet In height and weighing about 120 pounds. He still has that fighting Jaw, that whimsical smile, that gra cious manner, still wears those horn rimmed glasses that give him on owlish appearance of wisdom. That ever-present pipe still Is one of. hlo most distinguishing features. His friends say he seems-' to' smoke- it every waking hour. He puffs on it constantly while talking with you In his private office here. The walls of this office are cov ered with framed and autographed photos of Wilson, Pershing, Foch, Joffre, Clemenceau, Lloyd George and other world notables of the war days. . Baker shows you one of his most prized exhibits. It Is a framed copy of a printed story of his life, sent out by a newspaper service Just in advance of his inspection trip to Franco In 1018. At the top of the first page its .boldly printed nota tion explained: "For release In case Secretary Baker's ship is sunk by a submarine." Baker gets a kick out of this. Few men get the chance to read their own obituary. One of the most intellectual and Bcholarly men in American public life. Baker's recreations are almost wholly mental. He does not play golf, he cares little for sports, takes practically no exercise. An avid reader and a master of languages, he devours Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Arabic in the original. Ha does not care for bridge, seldom attends a theater, infrequently goes to a concert, although he is a lover of music. Today, as when he first went to Washington, his hobby Is flower gardening. Old-timers recall that when he took over the job in 1916 as head of the nation's mailed fist he was twitted for confessing his love for flowers, nicknamed "Pansy" Baker because he had a big Jar of fresh pansles on his desk. Today, he grows flowers in a (beautlful garden at his home In Shaker Heights, . fashionable Cleve land suburb. A golf course adjoins and golfers often knock balls Into the garden where Baker Is toiling amid his frograntb lossoms. Three men, all dead i now, played big parts in molding Baker's career. One was his father, who taught his boy to enjoy the beauties of the world's finest literature. The second was Wood row Wilson, who, as a lecturer at Johns Hopkins, caused a young student to turn from a contemplated career as a doctor to that of a lawyer, and thus, unwittingly, won his greatest politi cal disciple of later years. . Newton Dlehl Baker was born at Martinsburg, W. Va., on Dec. 3, 1871, the son of a country doctor of the same name who had fought In the Civil war as a Confederate cavalry man - under General "Jeb" Stuart. His father loved literature and in spired the boy similarly. When young Baker entered Johns Hopkins, where he received his A. B. degree In 1892, he considered medi cine as a career. However, he decid ed to become a lawyer after attend ing lectures given by Wood row Wil son. He studied law at Washington and Lee university, being graduated In 1694. , Baker returned to Martinsburg and opened a law office. After a year in which he had scarcely a single client, the young barrister decided he'd better quit and get n Job. t From Washington came an offer to be private secretary to Post master General William Wilson, a fellow West Virginian, and Baker ac cepted. After a year, he had saved enough money to make a trip to Europe. On the ship returning from abroad, Martin L. Foran, a Cleveland politician, and a fellow passenger were having a hot argument on Irish home rule. Baker joined the argument, helped Foran win It. He so Impressed Foran with his ability that Foran Invited him to move to Cleveland and Join his law firm. A short time later Foran found himself unable to deliver a political speech because of illness and sent the youthful and undersized Baker to substitute for him. Baker "stood the crowd on its ears" and from that day his reputation as a politi cal debater grew. Baker passed Into politics under the wing of Mayor Tom. Johnson, served three terms as city solicitor and succeeded Johnson as mayor, being elected first in 1911 and again in 1913. At the Baltimore convention In 1912 Baker led a successful fight to release the Ohio delegation from the unit rule that bound It to Judson Harmon and thereby won 18 votes for Wilson. The latter never forgot. As president-elect in 1913 he offered Baker a cabinet post as secretary of interior, but Baker declined. When Secretary of War Garrison retired In March, 1916, Wilson offered Baker this Job and Baker accepted. Baker had no military training or experience he told Wilson that he had not even played with lead sol diers when a boy. Wjllson, however. Wanted an executive not a soldier and Baker fitted the' bill. On the very day Baker took office, Villa and his Mexican bandits raid ed Columbus, N. M. Pershing's ex pedition ln(o Mexico and the con centration of 100,000: American troops on the Mexican border fol lowed, i Europe was In flames and It was clear- the war would soon Involve the United States. , Baker, who loved flowers, was a pacifist but, as he told reporters, "I love peace so well that I am willing to fight for it." He began laying plans for a war that he knew was sure to come. On March 4, 1917, Congress ad Journed without passing either the deficiency bill or the army appro priation bill. Though war was de clared on April 6, billions needed for . the army were ..not authorized until June 16 and the mpney did not become available until July 1. Thus for a month before the war and for two months thereafter the War department was without funds. But Baker went boldly ahead. In April, contracts were let for 13 offi cers' training camps and In May for 32 cantonments, a matter of $800, 000,000. "I assume full responsibility," Baker told assistants when they warned him that he was violating the law by spending money before It was available. He also fathered the selective ser vice act, as opposed to the volunteer system on the one hand and down right conscription on the other, , Baker c&se Pershing, whom he had never met face to face, as commander-in-chief of the A. E. F. He sent him to France with only two orders. The first was "Go there"; the second, "Return." Lessons of the Union army in the Civil war had taught Baker that too much civil ian Interference with the military was dangerous. The allies had expected not more than 500,000 American troops in France by the fall of 1918. Baker had 2,000,000 there and several mil lions more under armfe In this country-. Frederick Palmer, In his book, says that If the war had continued Baker would have had 5,000,000 men In France in 1919. The task was gi gantic ... every one of these mil lions of men had to be recruited, clothed, equipped, trained and fed. In 1918, the War department spent 12 billion dollars; In 1919. the amount was 18 billions. There was a .time when Baker was spending money at the rate of $1,500,000 overy hour, The war won, Baker declined President Wilson's invitation to ac company him to the peace confer ence In 1919 and remained at home to direct the vast program of de mobilization. There followed, un der Republican administration, the long series of . congressional Investi gations In an attempt to prove rumors of huge "war grafts.' After several years of investiga tion costing $3,000,000, the records showed only four cases ofc usabil ity the most serious of which was the theft of an army truck worth $2400 by a man in Texas. On July 5, 1902, Baker, an Episco palian, wasm arrled to Miss Eliza beth Leopold, a Presbyterian. They have three children, all of whom were confirmed . In tho Episcopal church. They are Mrs. John P. Mc Gean, of Cleveland; Newton D. Bak er III and Miss Margaret Baker. Such are high spots in the career of .Newton D. Baker the militant pacifist who still loves 'his flowers and is regarded as. a leading "dark horse" In the 1932 race. U9i pipe wo books! ' tt l2 FLOWER. P W S Gardening- his j. . Hosev. NOW CLEVELAND! PAYNE BEATS LEXILART SAN FRANCISCO. June 2 m Taking the lead from the opening gong, "Tiger" Jack Payne, 178, Omaha negro, defeated Denny Lenhart, 172, Portland, by a technical knockout in the fifth round of a scheduled six- round main event here last night. Hans Birkie, 193, Germany, de- clsloned Chet Shondel, 221, San Francisco, In a six-round semi-wind-up. are leaving for an extended visit in Missouri. Mrs. Walter Furman and children, Dale and Deva, Mr. and Mrs. McCoy and sons, Mack and Warren, and Mrs. Charles McFall were Imbler people visiting in Alicel Thursday, The Prlscllla club met at the home of Mrs. Alvln Westenskow In Imbler last Thursday. The next meeting will be held at the park In La Grande DUFFY WINS NOD OAKLAND, Cal., June 2 W Jimmy Duffy, 152, Oakland, took a ten-round decision over Ralph Chong, 153, New Orleans, here last night after being knocked down for a nine count in the first Round. Duffy quickly recovered from the knockdown and pressed the fight ing. He took six of the remaining nlno rounds. $ $ q $ ALICEL PERSONALS By Mrs. Otis Buchanan (Observer Correspondent) ALICEL ( Special) Mrs. Otis Bu chanan was given a farewell shower surprise party by the Prlscllla club last week, as she Is leaving for La Grande to make her home. The members brought a delicious lunch of fruit salad, cake and coffee. The club presented Mrs. Buchanan with a beautiful water set. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Stewart and Mel Stewart went to Portland Friday. They returned Sunday bringing Mr. Stewart 'a mother, who had been spending a few weeks with her daugh ter, Mrs. A. J. Oliver. Mrs. Roy Redman, Mrs. Lawson Webster, and Mrs. Frank Gibson en tertained at dinner last Sunday at the latter 's home In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Buchanan and Junior, who are moving to La Grande and Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Buchanan who If weather permits. If not, they will meet with Mrs. Buchanan at 1909 First street. As Mrs. Buchanan has completed her work as Observer correspondent from Alicel, Mrs, Carl Fuller, who for many years looked after news from that locality again takes up the pen. Alicel residents are asked to Beo that Mrs. Fuller hears of Interesting news Items from that part of tho valley. New National Y. W. C. A. Heads Our Anniversary DOLLAR Canned Goods S Mr, iiarrie rnamitenain (iert or Toledo, (.. and Mis mini N. Stanton (rljcht) of .m f'nl., are sern here nflrr thrlr elrr- loit as president and first vice prmlilent, rrwct1vly, of the Knllomil Young Women S ChrllUtn Anoc-laOon. The organization miitly held a convention in Mlrmeapnllft, Minn. Membership throughout the In It (il Mutes fviwlii uoo.OOO. at these SALE Prices ale Sale opens June 3d, continues until the 11th $1.00 FRUITS RED & WHITE FANCY COFFEE lied & White S-lbs. Vac. Tin GRAPEFRUIT APRICOTS PEACHES PEARS PINEAPPLE PINEAPPLE FRUIT SALAD Sliced or Hnlvca 6 4 5 4 5 10 5 (2) (214) (214) (214) (24) (1) $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.66 lted & White TOMATO JUICE 10 ,., $100 19qu!s $1.00 MILK Kcd & White BLUE & WHITE APRICOTS ' 5 (21jj) $1.00 GRAPEFRUIT 7 (2) $1.00 PEACHES 6 (2i2) $1.00 PEARS 5 (2i2) $1.00 PINEAPPLE 7 (22) $1.00 TOMATO SOUP , Kud & White .1 C : . : lo i-r VEGETABLES $1.00 RED & WHITE FISH RED & WHITE SALMON 4 SALMON 5 SHRIMP 5 CRAB MEAT 3 TUNA 5 in P4) (l) J4) (!4 BLUE & WHITE $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 SALMON 10 , $1.00 OYSTERS 10 . $1.00 SHRIMP 7 $1.00 NOHSEMAN Tuna Flakes 7 m $1.00 ASPARAGUS 4 a, $1.00 BEANS Cut 5 (2) $1.00 BEANS Asparagus Btylo 4 (2) $1.00 CORN Wliolo Kernel 5 (2) $1.09 CORN Cremo 6 (2) $1.00 PEAS Sifted 6 ,2, $1.00 PEAS Ex. Sifted .5 (2) $1.00 SPINACH 6 2., $1.00 TOMATOES 6 $1.00 HOMINY 9 2,, $1.00 KRAUT 9 2V4, $1.00 California DRY BEANS Small White 20 lbs. $1.00 Limas 14 lbs. $1.00 Red Mex. 17 lbs. $1.00 BLUE & WHITE BEANS Cut Green CORN Golden PEAS Tender Sweet SLICED BEETS -TOMATOES 7 Cans $1.00 Tomato Sauce 16 cans $1.00 GREEN & WHITE CORN PORK & BEANS OVEN BAKED PORK & BEANS WIlIU! Sweot Van Cumpn Red & Whlto 14 No. 2 Chiih 1 ft 19 Cans 28-oz. Carta $1.00 $1.00 $1.00 CORN - Golden , BEANS Cut Green PEAS TOMATOES (Victor) Assorted if you like. 10 Cans .... $1.00 Depenable Foods at Dependable Stores. "2 The Sign of a Dependable Store fg Many Bargains Listed on Want Ad Page:
