New Britain Herald Newspaper, January 3, 1919, Page 6

B Colo E. M. House, of Mustin, attends thé Peace Confer- it is one of the very few times he ever has participated in a official gathering. His close e friends say he never made a blic speech in his life. These inds say further that he not only ver wrote a book but no authorized graphy of .him ever has been fitten. t is safe to say that whatever “in- information” as to the relations Bting between Mr. House and sident Woodrow ‘Wiison/ comes to blic light »it will be divulged by sident Wilson himself, if it is to be brded at all in published history. In connection, the semi-authoritative rmation comes from Washington sidént Wilson cherishes a de- ito a history of the war and which the United States in it. Referring to the purported orized biography of Mr. House, h was issued a few months ago, pn be stated on information that les from a high and reliable source Mr. House not only did not orize the work, but he had no onal knowledge of what it con- ed until after it had come from press. Near-Capital of U. S. ith Mr. House in close touch with onal government and political rs; with Attorney General T. W. kory, Postmaster General Albert eson and Secretary of Agriculture d F. Houston, all of Austin, mem- of the President’s Cabinet, and pst of other local citizens hold- overnment positions of lesser im- nce, the average man of Austin pt pretty well informed of what ping on in official Washington. It be well said that Austin is the ~capital of the United States. Of se, Mr. House is the central figure nterest in the part which this try is now playing in world rs, so far as his home people are erned. It is claimed here that other Austin men who occupy al positions with the Government there by virtue of Mr. House's in- ce with President Wilson. b one here calls Mr. House “Col- ” The appellation is known to be hsteful to him. It has been stated he is entitled to the title by pn of having served at one time he staff of a Governor of Texas. is a mistake. He never held an brary position of that kind. He tendered a position on the staffs overnor J. S. Hogg, C. A. Culber- J. D. Sayers and S. W. T. Lan- He refused them ail . House's business office in Austin bcated in an apartment building h a side street. It comsists of two s and the only sign that ever ed the place was a weather-worn pboard business card, bearing the “Mr. E. M. House," tacked upon outside door. Only a block away the old postoffice to which Mr. ke went twice a day to get his l out of one of the small lock s . House had traveled widely long e he became a notable figure in bnal political affairs. He had several trips to Furope before became identified with the cam- In that resulted in the nomination election of Woodrow Wilson as ident. Leader of State Party he father of Mr. House was a e of England. He ran away from e when a boy and made his way iverpool, where he attracted the tion of a sea captain, who made cabin boy on his ship and brought across to New York. Not long arriving In this country Mr. we's father made his way to New lins, where he obtained employ- in a bakery at $3 per week. New Orleans he went to Hous- where he opened a bakery of his It was in that business that ade the nucleus of the fortune he left to his sons. pme of the younger element of hocratic leaders of Texas are dis- d to disparage the widely current pris of the prominent part which House took in the political affairs his State i’ times past. This is use of their lack of knowledge of inside machinery of the party dur- part ing the period that Mr. House was th real leader in the management of the successful Democratic candidates for Governor. There is no question as to the control of Democratic party af- fairs which Mr. House wielded in Texas during the period from 1890 to 1906. There was not a time that period that he could been elected to the United States ate, had he so desired. He never de- rived one cent of profit or an oflicial honor of the slightest kind from his Democratic political leadership in Texas. On the contrary, he placed in office many of his friends and spent large amounts of his own money in their behalf, without hope or expecta- tion of compensation. Politics is Mr. House’s only fad or hobby. Books His Good Friends During the height of Mr. I powerful political influence in Texas he was personally known only to a very few members of the party, even among the Democrats who were perhaps district leaders. To say that his personal acquaintance amonz the party workers did not exceed one d men would be probably no ation. He attended but one convention, and that was the one which nominated Culberson for Governor. He never attended an religious or any other kind of gather- ing. F was never known to stand on the street corner and gossip with [friends, which is something remark- able to say about any one who ever lived in Austin. It is a habit which even Mr. Gregory and Mr. Houst fall into when they come down here and, as for Burleson, why, he spends hours at a time standing upon th sidewalk talking to groups of friends Even Mr. Hous st here know very little about his business affairs. It disposed of his plantation and rar interests within the few His wealth is estimated all th from $1,000,000 to $2,000.000. never {in active Since boyhood he has been lelsure, of the old Southern type, in that respect, at He and brother formerly owned a ranch. He v spend only a few days each year upon the erty. It was by a narr House escaped adc his fortune. He sand acres of land in what is now the heart of the central west Texas oil flelds. He sold these holdings for a nominal sum before the discovery of oil there. Mr. House's pathway through lfe has been without exciting personal in. cidents and experiences, notwithstand- Ing the fact that Texas during the latter part of an era when “gun men” and more or less lawless characters were numerous. Being of a quiet suming type himself, he has alv adm breezy s of the typical Westerner. He vated and appr the warm per- sonal friendship of the late Captain “Bill” MecDo t famous Range commander 1 iter. It at the instance of Mr. House that Cap- not 1d power friends private stated that he last He w hims a man of business least. his 60,000-acre s wont to big prop w chance that Mr, z enormously to owned several thou- he lived in culti- was Biurin; COLONEL ht. 1918, by Public Led of political and public moir William Jen rva fid Mr. Bryan became intima braskan teen years ily occupied a resi of Mr. House and two v spent E. M. HOUSE The man of mystery from the Lone Star State ment I3 does not leasi he did not during his long resi- dence in Austin. He likes a good horse and was often seen riding along the country roads in the vicinity of Austin, ually alone. Most Texas people are devoted to “camping out” ing. Mr. House never » 0 on a summer expedition s kind. is in his library, in the circle of a choice group of wellinformed friends around his own fireside that Mr. House best and has ways f yment. He both with play golf, or at was 1d his most el :d to dinner parti himself as host and invited guest homes, i s at these same dinner parties that he obtains the vie { men of prominence in politics and affairs generally that enable him to formulate his own plans for future action in such mat- is ac as in other public e of made many warm ips amon nbers of the fac- the Univer of T It t he came to know well Mr. Houston, mow Secre- cultare, who was president for a time. Mr brother-in-law, Dr. 8. E. Mezes ded Mr. Houston as president ot University of Texas, zoing from o the presidency of the College e City of New York. said that Mr. House flest | interest awakened in national ion of various me ulty of was here t and admire of stitutidn the had his re politics by his discu their hands, they were gether almost daily. Mr. House 1 ed the Bryan viewpoint thorot through his intercourse with th ter during those two winters. one except Mr. House self knows to what extent the views of the tw men agreed. One of the character tics of Mr. House is to draw other men out on public questions withott com- mitting himself on any important ph time on Bryan's Hunting Trip It wi of Mr, Bryan in Austin that former Governor J. S. Hogg and Mr. Hous: arranged for the distinguished visito during the first winter stay 4 hunting trip into the west of thi > hills lying to city. It was a st affair. An old and toothless Me: panther or cougar, that for several vears had been an attraction in the back yard of a local saloon, was taken into the country and placed In the branches of a tree in the depths of a thicket. The hunting party, led by Mr. Hogg and Mr. House, and made up of a motley number of men and boys about town, all mounted companied by ed an and a pack of hound raded the principal streets of the city early one morning and started on the hunt. In their midst was Bryan, all excited in pation of the possible hig he might encounter. He was unaware of the fact that for many Jong y there had been no wilg game vrith exception of rabbits ang an occasional deer seen In the viclnity of Austin. Colonel antici- e that secmed peri ct given ther, President inal Wilson set ctions the or of his Cabinet position suggest- In the lizht of House is aid to have 3 ed that the appointment of M. Bryan was a political mis but the two men are personal ob, 1o 1 me med him to the by Ar. House I events Mr. still warm otwithstanding the fact that Texas rorders upon Mexico for about 1500 miles by the course of th. Rio Grande, the average public man of this State little knowledge of political and siness affairs of that country. Few ed Mexico. hen revolutionary conditions in that country brought about a crisis that threatened to involve the United s Mr. House, for his own personal faction, became active In acquir- ing all information of a re- liable nature that he could in regard to the conditions and factors that en- into the relations between the people and governments of the two countris It was largely through his understanding of the matter, as ob- tained from various sources at his command, that he was able to tender advice to President Wilson, by the observance of which the United States has so far been kept out of war with Mexlco. Although Mr. House and his brother for many years operated a big ranch within a short distance from the Rlo Grande, he had little persoral knowl- edge of Mexico itself until he took up the study of that country. In this connection it may be mentioned it was Mr. House’s firm belief that the draw- = of the United States into the world war was inevitable and that he reach- ed this conclusion long before it was accepted by President Wilson. It was typical of him, however, not to seek to impress his views upon the Presl- dent in this particular, but to merely lav before him what he believed to be the facts and their probable ultimate outcome. This has ever been the policy and practice 6f Mr. House. He has never sought to thrust his own views upon any one. He first thor- oughly acquaints himself with condi- . forms his own conclusions and then makes known his views. Always he is fortified by the facts. How thorough he is in such things is indicated by the way he mapped out the part the United States was to play in the Peace Conference with- out any flaring of trumpets, fulsome publicity or ostentation of character. He has been for several months quietly perfecting an organization that had for its purposc the assembling of all possible details that might enter into discussion around the peace table. It was not until the eve of the depar- ture of the American peace party to France that the personnel of the com- mittee selected by Mr. House to gather information on the subjects involvea in the possible peace agreement be- them have ever vis possible ter came known. Recognition for Friends Ieading this commission is Dr. 8. E. Mezes, president of the College ot the City of New York, and brother- in-law of Mr. House. In this connec- tion it may be mentioned that Mr. House is devoted to giving all possible aid and recognition to his friends in the matter of bringing about their appointments to public office and ob- taining for them positions. There are many men in Texas who owe whatever cuccess they may have attained to the E them through the inter- cession or aid of Mr. House. The that he has become in recent a leading national figure has not ned m any degreo his old-time friendship of men in Austin and other parts of Texas. He corresponds ¢ with many of these friends, s to show an interest in their enterprises or personal affairs rt given AN - Mr. House always has admired the breezy ways of the typical Westerner Bryan was f shooting the pan- a proud moment when it dropped to the ground and he rd the ch "he carcass was sented to the sla several year told of the upon him, Just brir oritative! that it was lar ors of his hunting com- arried into dressed and pre- It was not until afterward that he was hat had been played House took in appointment nnot be of v stated, beyond the fact 1y through his instru- a when one of them happens to visit New York and Mr. House knows of it he is invited to become a guest of his home there. It was sc.avthing like twenty-five vears ago that Mr. House began spend- ing his summers in the North or trav- eling in Europe. For many years his summer home has been at Magnolia, Mz Several years ago he also es- tablished a home in New York. During the last three or four years he has spent the winter visiting his old home here. it is stated that he now has his business affairs in such shape that “SECRETS”ABOUT “COL.” HOUSE they require little personal attention. There never was a time when his pri vate office consisted of more than one man, who was in the role of Mr. House always conducted his ness affairs in the same quiet, unosten- tatious way that he has directed great political movements. He regarded his own private business interests as of no concern to the general public, and for this reason little is known of what his property holdings consist, or how much he is worth. If Mr. House runs true to form at the Peace Conference, he will make no &peeches there, but in failing to do this the effect of his influence will not be lessened. Fortifled as he doubtless will be with a mass of information drawn from all pc ble sources and backed up by some of the greatest ex- perts in the several subjects involved. there will be no escaping on the part of the Allles the weight that he will thus bring to bear for the adoption of any particular course of action in the draft- ing of the peace treaty, Averse to Publicity It is known that Mr. House’s inves tigations during the last several months also have been directed to the out lining of a feasible and effective plan for creating a league of nations. It will not be surprising if he lays be fore the Peace Conference a complete report on this subject. It was lacgely through the urgent advice of Mr. House that President Wilson decided to attend the Peace Conference. In arriving at this decision it is said that the questfon of possible party expediency in the President absenting himself from the country was not con- sidered. The success or failure of the Democratic party in the next national election is viewed as a secondary mat- ter, as compared with the world-wide results to be accomplished at the Peace Conference, according to the views of Mr. House and coincided In by President Wilson. There is nothing feigned about Mr. House's aversion to publicity; he has been that way all of his life. The limelight i{s more than distasteful teo him. It strikes a discordant note in his otherwise peaceful, smooth-run- ning career. By this it is not meant that he objects altogether to any men- tion being made of him in the publie press, but what he dislikes above all things is publication of stories that place him in a wrong and sometimes ridiculous light. He is appreciative of the truth being told about him. Hes takes no special credit to himself for the position that he has reached in public affairs. It has come largely unsolicited and uninvited on his part. He wants always to remain in the background. He was that way during all of his activities in Demao- cratic politics in Texas. He never cultivated especially newspaper re porters or writers, although he has some very warm friends among the fraternity. One of his practices is never to make public denial of any- thing that may be published about him. If by any chance he happens to divulge a piece of news of impor- tance, he always insists that it be not published as coming from him. Some further idea of his natural diffidence may be had when it is stated that it was not until he became known ua the private adviser of President Wil- son that his picture was published in any newspaper., When applied to in person for a photograph of himself he made the excuse that he had none available. It was only after a long search among his friends in Austin that a photograph of him was found. Copies of this picture are still the only ones in stock in the “morgues” of most newspapers in the country. Like most men who are in the pub lic eye, Mr. House has been credited with anecdotes that he never perpe- trated. He is one of few men whose life has been along such even lines as not to be marked with noteworthy incidents. This statement may seem paradoxical in view of the fact that he has become one of the world’s most noted men. His elevation to this point has come without friction, without any outward personal display and with such apparent harmony in his own life movement as to appear perfectly ordinary and usual, Men in Austin who have known him intl. mately for thirty years, when asked to tell of any unusual incident that they know concerning his life, replied that they could recall nothing about him out of the ordinary, Service His Ambition In summing up what must neces sarily be a brief review of Mr. House's life, it may be said that his chief in- terest has always been to serve his friends, his State and his country with- out any desire on his part to hola public office or to reap any financial reward for the things that he may set in motion or accomplish. In as, which contains perhaps more 1n an average number of typical srofessional politicians, Mr. House has never been looked upon as belonging to that element. Even during the time that he was most active {n di- recting campaigns of Democratic ean- didates for Governor he was not looked upon even by those who were associated with him in political affairs as being what is commonly known as a politician. ‘While he never took any openly active interest in municipal af. fairs during his residence here, he al- ways worked in a quiet way for what he believed to be for the best inter- ests of the city. His friends here don't grow enthusiastic when discuss- ing him and they stmply like him as a good citizen. He measures up to the highest standard in the estimation of the people of his home town,