The Sunday Oregonian., August 21, 1910, SECTION FIVE, Page 2, Image 51

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THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAy PORTLAND. AUGUST 21, 1910.
MEN WHO CONDUCT GOVERNMENT IN
VACATION TIME NEARLY UNKNOWN
jnaa live Touag Men Ar Today Transacting: Affair of Aa Many Great Departments in Washington Cabinet
Officers Represented by Inferior!, tint President Takes Capital With Him.
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yf ASHINGTOX. An. 20. (Spec 11. V
Ther la a new bunch on the Job
in Washington keeplns- the wheel
of government on the move. The bl chiefs
avre awmr on their Tactloc nd the still
our.J men bemud the throne are per
Cormins their taska. Tet withal there
ems no Interruption In the s;overnment
of the tOW.ono.
Tet who know who are the ranklns
officials In Waahlrston today? Who
knows the men who would be called upon
to take the piacea of the Cabinet officer
or of the Presldnt himself If emerjency
should arise calllns; for Immediate action?
"Weil, there are irood men and true at
the helm. There are cynical ones who
.wrill say that these lesser officials are
naliy the men who do the business which
reaches the lUtht of day through their
vhiefs een when those rrntlBjnen are not
on their vacations r the leseer men
are more hkely to remain throujth the
cycle of varylna administrations and are
therefore more familiar with the detail
of the work In hand than are their chiefs.
Out Cabinet members are men of luzw
mind and experience, and an lisnoranco
of detail may not be used ajr&lnst them.
Tha President takee h capital with
him when he leavee) Washington. It may
ba at Beverly, it may be on a launch off
the coast of Maine. It was at Panama
once during Kooserelt'a administration,
ud It was on an American bottom on all
points between Panama and Washinson.
It la always under the hat or the Presi
dent. There ta no Assistant Preatdent aa
lone aa the President la alive. But there
&re assistant secretaries of the depart
ments, and them have all tha powers of
their chief The signature of one of
thrs la just aa binding- aa that of one
f the beada of the departments.
o One Cabinet Officer Left.
Tfca. PresMrnt Is therefore holding the
Job ajid officially at tha helm wherever
Us vacation may be takinc him. But not
so tha Cabinet men. Nine live younc
sea are today transacting; the affairs of
aa many freat departments In Washing
ton, Not a Cabinet officer is left on the
lid- Tha aarentty of a great quiet ljaa
awtUed down over the Nation's capital.
Hut It la nevertheless the center from
which the bljarrat business In tha world
Is being conducted, and these nine yoong
men are running; tha business,
Tbara la Huntington Wilson, fnr In
stance, at tha repartmnt of Stale. His
finger Is upon tha pulsa of the foreign
relations and tha myriad of lis details
while Mr. Knox Is away. Assistant
ffecretary Wilson la aa Imperturbable
and inapproachable In hot weather aa
when It ia cold. Ho never thawa. No
man can reach him without first kick
ing; nia hecla for three hours In tha
outer office. It would be undiplomatic
to have It otherwise and Mr. Wilson is
nothing; If not diplomatic Ilia de
meanor la carefully guarded. He
speaaa with much caution. When ho
does speak he carefully expuiures all
measins from anything he says. It
waa for thla that ha waa promotnj
soma years agro from a gecretaxysh'.o at
Pekln to a third assistant secretary
ship at tha Ftata Department. It waa
for this that ha was called back from
tha ministership to Anrentlne. to wbich
ha had Just been appointed to take the
first asalstantshlp under the present
administration.
Tet even Mr. Wilson la known tj
have relapsed for a moment this Sum
mer Into an almost plebeian apprecia
tion of tha oppresatvenesa of labor at
a desk while til the world Is taking; Its
vacation. Some daya asro ha runs; pet
ulantly for his messenger. Whan that
attendant In ebony appeared, tie act
ing; secretary ordered him to it) for a
tub and Intercept an Ice waa-on on tha
way. When both arrived po l'ate
tha tab waa ordered Into lie Jimmy
fireplace of the spacious office and the
Ire man waa commanded to hie with
hla wars. Than the electric fan was
trained upon tha miniature lea pack
and tha accustomed, serenity of tha o'
Xlca was reetored. Two hours later a
consnl from an AslaMo post waa admit
ted Into tha sanctuary.
Tonne Man of WesUtli 'Works.
Around tha corner from Mr. Wilson
la Bookman Wlnthrop. Assistant See
rotary of the Navy. Here la a roiuc
gnan of great wealth who mlcht be
cruising; aa free as the wind on hla own
yacht at the dictate of fancy and who
4a by preference perspiring; over a de
partmental desk in Washington. But
Mr. Wlnthrop la accustomed to nard
taska Ha hag succeeded In makiag
himself a useful cltlsen and a man cf
great ability despite tha absence of the
necessity of working. Ha baa labored
uaramt'-ttngly dasptta Inherited woalth.
Mr. Wlnthrop, who sits on tha lid for
as q stary Mayor, was gradTiated from
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Harvard In 10 and admitted to prac
tice law In New Tork. He went to tha
Phil'.nnlnes instead and became Secre
tary to Governor Taft. Later he wag
Judg-e of the Court of First instance in
those islands. Then ho became Oov-
nnrin T? and uiistaQt sec
retary at the Treasury, then assistant
to Mr. Meyer, in an nis past
ncea there has been much work and
not a little hot weather. Ho has be
come Inured to both. He likes It In
Washington In the bummers ana whom
they were without end. Incidentally he
. v.- rwk hoard, which la the
only one of Its kind in secretary circles
outside tha Uepariment oi
lie still wears it these Summer days.
r inm- i. nve in the Treasury.
Charies D. mills. It Is hlo duty to re
main in charge of the pursesinnn
. . i .... .n.i v. . miiitittidinoui other
rf,.tii. while Mr. MacVelgh takes hU
vacaUon In New Hampshire. At tie
Treasury tnera is nine toonuU v
work through the Bummer. The Act
ing; Secretary la busy all tha time.
HUlls Is Pcdaosne.
Mr. HUlls is a personal appointee of
President Taffa. Ha Is tha kind of
man that Mr. Taft likes best. Ha Is
the college man and may almost bo
termed a pedasrosrue. for his chief du
ties be fare entering; Government serv
ice were administering tha affairs of a
preparatory school In New Tork State.
Before that ha had lived In Ohio and It
la said that ha had a way of hla own of
getting votes for the party.
One of hla three children soma weeks
ago, tha son. threw tha household Into
confusion by asking at the sapper
table:
Are too rich, papa Teacher asked
mo If you were rich."
To which the man wno ia nanaiina;
all the funds of the Nation waa forced
to respond In the negative.
At the Department of Justioa again,
youth Is enthroned. The baby Aaaistant
Attorney- General of them all Is In
charge. Tbla man Is William R. Harr.
a native of the District of Columbia
and but IS years old.
Harr Man of Ranks.
Mr. Harr la again a man of tha
ranks who has worked hla way up and
In wboea career politics baa played no
part. Hs has never east a vote in his
Ufa.' Ha learned the printer's trade
early In life, then stenography. Ha
went to Georgetown University law
school at night and graduated. He waa
for years secretary to Justioa Har
lan of tha Supreme Court, and In that
position sat at tha fount of knowledge.
In 101 ha waa appointed to a position
aa clerk In tha Department of Justice.
He mastered Its every detail and ad
vanced rapidly. A year ao President
Taft appointed him an Assistant At-torney-OeceraX
Ha haa made good and
la handling an Important share of tha
business of the Government s great law
office.
Mr. Harr would not be Acting Art or -Bey-Oeneral
were it not for tha fact
that every one of the four men who
rank him" are away from Washington.
Mr. Wleksrsham haa decided to accom
pany Secretary Nagel to Alaska. Mr.
Bowers, the SoUeltor-Oeneral. to away
on hla vacation. Mr. Kenyon. Assistant
to the Attorney-General, and care must
bo taken to handle thla titla correctly,
ia loitaslnsT with the leisurely. Mr.
Xowler, Assistant AnneTvey-Generml. la
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SJkSjcrxANT Azrnimsjr azztsAAL,
doing; likewise. The cub of tha offlea
is sweltering on the lid.
Benjamin Stlckney Cable, another
youth of 38. is In charge of tha Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor. He Is
Assistant Secretary over there, and the
i (.. thl th rtAnitrtmsnt
boasts. It therefore devolves upon him
to suck to ins snip wnon mr.
Is away, and thla Summer that official
la making a long trip to Alaska. There
Is a multitude of detail to be handled
by the Department oi commerce nuu
Labor. Every odd and end that can
find no place In the other departments
la cast Into Its hopper. There Is the
monstrous task of taking a census that
Is Just now under way. There Is the
Immigration and naturalization busi
ness of the Government to be handled.
Such details aa the lighthouses of tha
Government ara admlnletered from
this department, aa Is the Bureau of
Fisheries.
Cable Is Busy Yonnr Man.
Mr. Cable ia a busy young man. Tet
It does not come hard for him. He has
been busy all his Ufa. Ha la from tha
busy burg- of Chicago, where he has
been busily administering the affairs
under the direction of hla father. Ran
som R. Cable, president of the Rock
Island. He U a Tale man, a graduate
of Columbia Univeralty law school and
a member of a score of fraternities and
clubg. But. above all ha Is Acting; Sec
retary of Commerce" and Labor and Is
discharging all the duties of that office
right off the reel without a by-your-leavo
to anybody.
Charles P. Granflald, First Assistant
Postmaster-General. Is another of the
man-on-the-Job sort- Ha haa been in
the postofflce Department for 25 years.
He began at liono as a clerk, and says
there la not a Job In the whole depart
ment he haa not held. He knows post
office detail from top to bottom and up
side down.
Mr. Qranfield waa chief clerk for Mr.
Hitchcock when tha latter was Assist
ant Postmaster-General. He was pro
moted when Mr. Hitchcock got tha
Cabinet portfolio. Six months ago he
was appointed postmaster for the city
of Washington. But he has been so
busy upstairs that he has had no op
portunity to take charge of the new
job, which Is on the ground floor of
tha same building. He is still Assist
ant Postmaster-General and the post
mastership Is waiting.
The cause of this detention is tha
strenuous effort that the Postmaster
General la making to run the Department
without a deficit. Two years ago Uncle
Bam went In tha hole tn.wO.OOO In the
postal business.' The figures for tha year
ending June SO hurt are not yet available,
but Mr. Gran field states that they will
b sround to. 000. 000. a reduction of $12,
000,004 In a single season. For the com
ing year tha Postmaster-General and hla
First Assistant are resolved that there
shall be no deficit. They hold that at the
present rata tha Department will pay its
way. They claim that there can be no
miscarriage of plana .unless tha public
simply gets Ita back up and quits licking
stamps.
Mlssonrlsn Mast Bo "Shown."
Mr. Grnnfleld Is watching the game In
the absence of his superior with Just
this purpose In mind. Ha la a native of
Missouri and requires a demonstration
whenever It la proposed to spend any
of the postal fund. About enoe a month
I i I
ha trots over to tha Treasury Depart
ment and gives back a few millions of
the masuma that has been set aside for
his Department. It is not needed- Air.
Hitchcock Is running- over to Europe ana
will later go to Arizona. In the mean
time tha eagle screams from being
squeezed with the Mlssourlan on the Ud.
Frank Fierce is answering at pw"
at the Interior Department while Mr.
Balllnger Is denying reports that ha Is
going to resign and traveling through tha
public domain out West. Mr. Pierce Is
First Assistant at Interior and has be
come so accustomed to the heat of an
tagonisms that have run riot during re
cent controversies that 95 with ulenty
of humidity has no effect whatever upon
him. Long familiarity with vampire
muckrakers has so steeled his nerves that
he feels able to qualify as an Immune
to all the Ills, physical and mental, to
which flesh Is beir.
Mr. Pierce came out of tTtah some four
or five years ago. but Insists In making
tha announcement that he Is a Presby
terian. He was a Utahn by adoption
rather than by birth, havins first seen
the light of day up Vermont way. He
likes Utah best, however, for It Is not
ro close to the plaoe where Gifford Pin
chot Uvea Likewise Is Washington a
much cooler place than that to which
the conservation crowd would like to
consign the Assistant Secretary of the
Interior. But this leads to questions too
heated for the dog days. Suffice It to
say that Mr. Pierce will be In town all
summer.
Wilson Out In West.
Mr. Wilson, the Secretary of Agricul
ture, the man who has held a Cabinet
position longer than anybody else. Is look
ing Into forest problems In the West, and
Professor Hays, his assistant. Is calling
In measured numbers to the farmers to
look in the book and see that It Is right
before they plant their crops In the old
wav. Professor Hays Is the big thinker
of the agricultural world. He knows all J
about why and where and why things
grow. He taught the farmers out in
Minnesota how to double the production
of flax by using the right sort of seed.
He has hammered good seed Into the
farmers of the country to the tune of In
creased production amounting to tens
and possibly hundreds of millions a year.
The production of an average cornfield
can be doubled by breeding the right
sort of seed. The same Is true of wheat,
cotton, or any of the other crops. Hays
Is on the Job Insisting on this.
Hays la also the consolidated rural
school man. Ho has ths plan worked
out for a new education for farmer
children gn education that will train
them for life on the farm. He came
near getting his bill providing for this
through the last Congress. He expects
to g-et It through the next. A man of
big Ideas that are close to the mass of
the people. Is this Professor Hays, of
the Department of Agriculture.
The Secretary of War Is at the other
side of the world, traveling in the
Orient His assistant. General R. S.
Oliver, Is ordinarily In charge. General
Oliver has never been in tae regular
Army, aa his name might imply, and
came to his present post as a civilian.
His great enthusiasm Is the militia. He
holds down the desk at the department
at Washington during the absence of
his chief unless there are calls to visit
some of the militia encampments in the
meantime. It happens that through
August there are many such calls. Gen
eral Oliver will consequently be much
away from Washington.
Scofleld Takes Desk.
In Ms absence another of those detail
men who have the Intricacies of the de
partments at their finger tips will be In
charge. This man Is John C Scofleld.
whose title is assistant and chief clerk
of the department. Mr. Scofleld has
been chief clerk for a long time, but
the title of assistant has recently been
given him that he might be authorised
to act as Secretary of War. Mr. Scofleld
began as a clerk 22 years ago and has
gradually advanced until lie is now
signing orders for his government in
all things military.
Over at the White House there Is an
ominous stillness. Wendell W. Mlach
ler, assistant secretary to the President,
Is In charge. MIschler Is the most nega
tive man in the world. His specialty Is
stenography. He can take dictation at
the rate of a million miles a minute
and reproduce his notes even to the in
tonation of the speaker's voice. He was
the still and flitting; shadow that was
constantly at Mr. Taft's elbow during
the campaign and not one word that
his chief uttered in all these months
missed being recorded in his note book.
He is the human graphophone cylinder.
His mission Is to receive and repro
duce dictation. To think or act other
wise would be sacrilege.
Much of the President's mall still
comes to the White House. There are
hundreds of letters that require cer
tain stereotyped answers. These an
swers are numbered. All letters falling
Into number one basket are answered
In that personal and Intimate formula
which states that the President is
forced to decline the Invitation so kind
ly forwarded because of his other en
gagements. There are a score of boxes
with these formal answers attached.
The Summer White House is busied in
neatly typewriting; them and putting
them In the mall. Likewise the mail
from Beverly Is returned to Washing
ton to be filed away. There is a train
load of President's mall on file there.
These taska are the activities which
are housed In the little box wing of the
White House which is the roost import
ant business office in America.
IMMERSION CONSECRATES
1 Jv- -w "i "j ' ' v ' r T7T
NEW TORK. Aug. 30. (Special) A
feature of tha annual convention of
the International Bible Students'
Association which was held at Celeron.
Chautauqua Lake, near Jamestown, waa
tha emersion of 404 persons, as a irm-
REPLICA OF ST. LOUIS AUDITORIUM
FAVORED BY-VINSON FOR PORTLAND
Representative of Local Association Ee turns From Tour of Inspection of Municipal Halls in Middle West Cities,
Impressed More Than Ever With Need of Similar Building Here.
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tm ,1t-- ...aJS-&JlitJr r, AansxagBshsissk.ti r 11 Jt.
enp FTER a six weeks' tour of the
J East, where he visleed 14 of the
principal cities for the purpose
of studying plans of auditoriums and
methods used for establishing these
municipal enterprises, W. A. Vinson re
turned to Portland. Wednesday, fuUy
convinced that a similar undertaking
on the part of the people of Portland
would be most laudable.
Since the matter was first agitated
Jointly by the members of the Monday
Musical Club aid Daughters of the
Confederates, last March, considerable
Interest has been manifested by the
citizens generally, and In order to place
the proposition before the public In a
definite manner, the Portland Auditor
ium Association was subsequently
formed. Under the auspices of this or
ganization, Mr. Vinyon was sent East
to visit the auditoriums of the large
cities and gather all information
deemed essential In outlining plans for
a Portland auditorium.
During Mr. Vinson's absence In the
East, the matter had become a subject
of popular Interest and received the
warm -sanction and support of the Port
land Commercial Club. So that at the
present time, with the Portland Audi
torium Association tentatively organ
ized to exploit the undertaking and
backed by the Portland Commercial
Club, the chances seem most favorable
for the building of an auditorium eqaul
to any In the country.
One of the largest and best arranged
auditoriums which Mr. Vinson In
spected was the St. Louis Auditorium.
This structure occupies ground 160 by
log feet, leased for a term of 89 years.
The building cost 360,000 and funds
for the enterprise was acquired by a
popular stock subscription. The build
ing has a seating capacity of 10.000
people and ia ao arranged that several
meetings can be held at the same time.
The largest compartment Is capable
of seating 6000 people and Is used for
conventions, grand opera. Industrial
shows, horse shows, automobile shows.
bol of consecration, on . two Sundays.
More than 6000 delegates were In attend
ance at this convention, which waa the
largest ever held in Lake Chautauqua
district. It was presided over by J. Q.
Kuehn. of Cleveland. Rev. Mr. Russell,
who Is president of the association, waa
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electric and flower shows. Winter cir
cus and concerts. The larger of the
other two compartments seats about
2500 and the small one about 1500 per
sons. The Milwaukee Auditorium Is also .a
magnificent affair, saya Mr. Vlnaan.
An entire city block, 400 by 400 feet,
is devoted to this public enterprise and
the building occupies space 800 by 300
feet, leaving plenty of room for park
ing. There are seven different con
vention halls ranging in seating capac
ity from 600 to 6000 persons.
Among other cities visited by Mr.
Vinson, where there are public audi
toriums, were St. Paul, Kansas City,
Omaha, Detroit, Denver and Des
Moines.
"After making an inspection of the
various auditoriums, I am of the opin
ion that a replica of the St. Louis audi
torium, with a few modifications,
would be best adapted to Portland's
needs." said Mr. Vinson. "Possibly,
a combination of the best features of
the auditoriums of St. Louis and Mil
VAUDEVILLE HOUSES TO
INTERCHANGE STARS
LOCAL vaudeville houses have re
ceived official Intimation that John
W. Considlne, head of the Sullivan
Consldine circuit, which operates the
Grand Theater In Portland, concerned In
the vaudeville deal recently made be
tween Martin Beck and Alfred Butt.
Beck and Martin Meyerfeld, representing-
the Orpheum circuit are, or have
been In London, where they consum
mated a deal with Alfred Butt, chair
man of the board of directors of the
Varieties Theateres Controlling Com
pany, Limited, on lines that will permit
the Interchange of stars from European
time to American time and vice versa.
400 STUDENTS
AT CJALfZACQlTA .
the speaker at two of the Sunday public
meetings. He has Just returned from
a trip to Palestine, where he investigated
modern Zionism.
Rev. Mr. Russell also spoke at Royal
Albert Hall, in London, three times, to
enormous audiences.
i ii
waukee could be used to even better
advantage. In the event that Portland
succeeds In securing funds for an audi
torium, we will have sufficient data
to guide us In constructing one of the
best edifices of the kind in the coun
try. It -now. remains ior th-people
of Portland to determine whether such
a public building Is desired.
"As an important asset to a city, it
has been demonstrated to me that
money cannot be expended to better
advantage. For example, Kansas City
has found the institution so profitable
to the city that the sum of 1100,000 Is
now being raised for purely advertise
ment purposes. When large conven
tions are secured for that city, nothing
Is spared In the way of funds to ex
ploit such occasions.
"If we intend making Portland the
convention city,' the first thing for us
to do is to build an auditorium. As o
natural scenery and points of lnteres.
we have something to show visitors
that none of the cities I visited can
offer."
The variety concern controls the Bar
rassford houses spread out over the
English provinces. In Paris and Berlin,
and tha London Theaters of Varieties,
Limited, which consist of a string of
houses in London and environs.
- While no Intimation to that effect
has been circulated here. It is extreme
ly probable that a Joint booking- offlea
will bo established both in New Tork
and In London, and an artist booked In
Berlin, Paris, London, the English
provinces and thence to the United
States. Artists booked In New Tork
will probably make the circuit the oth
er way.
By this means benefit Incalculable
would be conferred on theater patrons
on both sides of the water. There
would bexa continually fresh importa
tion of English artists to America,
while the best American' talent, which
up to now has rarely been found
abroad, would be seen In the foreign
houses. Such artists as Arturo Ber
nardo .who showed several months ago
at the Orpheum In a novel quick
change act, would become accessible
to American audiences immediately.
The news of the agreement created
quite a sensation In London, and writ
ers in some of the London papers, not
aware of vaudeville conditions here,
have not hesitated to say Butt was mis
taken. There seems to be a general
Impression that there were thaters here
to compare with the London houses.
At present for an American circuit
to obtain European artists consider
able additional outlay is required. An
artist engaged in London for a foreign
circuit demands and receives a consid
erably higher pay than he would In
England. Similarly an English circuit
engaging; a New Yorker has to submit
to the same thing.
Under the new arrangement this will
probably be done away with. The artist
will sign up for so many months and a
route will be outlined. This route will
probably Include a definite stay in
each country. There may be a special
arrangement for crossing the Atlantic
but at present this can be done with
less expense than Is Involved In travel
ing: by rail from Portland to San
Francisco.
The following theaters are concerned
abroad In the agreement:
Palace Theater and Victoria Palace,
London: Alhambra Theater, Paris; Al
hambra Theater. Glaspow: Hippo
drome, Liverpool: Hippodrome, Leeds:
Hippodrome, Hull: Hippodrome. Bir
mingham; Hippodrome, Portsmouth;
Hippodrome, Bedminster; Hippodrome,
South End; Hippodrome. Margate; Hip
podrome, Boscombe; Hippodrome,
Southampton; Hippodrome, Sheffield;
Hippodrome. Colchester: Hippodrome,
Bolton; Hippodrome, St. Helens: Hip
podrome, Nottingham; Hippodrome,
Blackburn; Pavilion, Newcastle - on
Tyne; Palace. Manchester; Empire,
Wolverhamptor.; Opera-House, Turn
bridge Wells; Grand, Bristol; Empire.
Aberdeen. Scotland
About 10.000 persons annually die violess
Oasths in ngland and Walea