Show deremiah smith makes us I 1 HEN the average american business man philanthropist politician capitalist or what have you gives away he Is not entirely unmindful of the gravity of the situation there Is the statement to be prepared foi the press and marked with a monday release date and the fund Is generally bedl bated to some very worthy purpose which in the end gets the donor a name carved in stone or at least en graved in a copper plate but jeremiah smith jr lawyer economist and gentleman of boston showed an extraordinary lack of knowledge of how such things are done when with an amazing nonchalance he got rid of by waving his hand and uttering four words give it to charity jeremiah smith appointed in 1924 by the league of nations to put diun gary on its financial feet refused to accept his salary of upon the satisfactory completion of bis task lie had called upon prime minister bethlen to take bis final leave the prime minister handed mr smith a check drawn apon the hungarian government for and no one knew better than mr smith that the check was good mr smith smiled remarking the only compensation I 1 desire tor my Is the appreciation of the diun garlan people but protested the prime minister the vouchers have already been mode out we cannot alter the treas ury books give it to charity returned the boston lawyer he enter it in your books as a gift from the american peo pie to the people of hungary the prime minister was dazed again and again it was suggested that he should receive some reward however inadequate declared the editor of the leading hungarian dalla but no he preferred to see this sum employed upon the financial and in reconstruction of the improver dished hungary in which he had lived and which be had come to love and only now when jeremiah smith the great american financier Is to leave hungary has the government made public the story of his altruism falling in its attempt to remunerate the american the government sug that he at least accept a dec oration it you do that I 1 will never forgive you he told the prime aln later your friendship and gratitude are more precious to me than any decoration and so there Is at least one country in europe which will never again be aleve that the american ts one whose eye Is always on the dollar this man jeremiah smith whose name doean doesn t fit into poetry or oratory makes us proud of being americans said the philadelphia record he has added distinction to his country jeremiah smith arrived in hungary in may 1024 and at once became the financial director of the nation from the day he took up the reins of office economy became the watchword and ho emphasized the necessity for this stricture by living as a plain everyday citizen who had a job that required all of his time alma was money and ag it was money he had to deal with mr smith saw to it that the officials were kept busy wathla a month things had started to hum mr smiths american methods were show ing results never before had the hungarians Hung arians believed it possible that the chaotic condition of their country could undergo such improvement from buda pest vord soon spread to the country side that the american named balth had started the country on the way to success the patriotism of the people was aroused if an alien commission er general could practice economy for the sake of a people he never knew it the leagues czar could work ciany extra hours why not they them elvell within sixty days jeremiah smith boston lawyer now commissioner general of hungary had won the balth love and devotion of the man in tho street and the worker in the field all hungary decided to show their idol his confidence was not misplaced and they put their shoulder to the boulder bowlder that had spelled near ruin for the nation the entire country was emulate ing mr smith in his economy every man woman and child silently pledged themselves to aid him in every way to save their country the shops re fleeced fleeted the progress the fields never were better tilled and never before had the grain and other food crops responded so hungary was saved before the commissioner general arrived in budapest the hungarian bud get bad one of the largest deficits in europe the newly arrived official had at his disposal an international loan of which it was hoped proud or toston lawyer gives hungary f fa pay as league commissioner would it properly administered put hungary on its feet within thirty months in one fifth the time allotted mr smith had the budget not only balanced but at the end of the first year showed a surplus of instead of the predicted deficit jeremiah smiths first move was to halt the printing presses that had been turning out worthless money lie saw thit the hungarian national bank was established lie let it be known that the salvation of the nation rested with the individual and that if the country was to be saved that each must bear bis burden he found the national treasury lacking in funds and then at once increased the tax rate only for a moment was this levy resented and when this did not bring in the desired amount the following month an in crease was made in the levy by march 1925 one months pledged revenues were 60 per cent of the total sum required for one years service of the reconstruction loan but in the stabilization of the crown mr smith won a big victory and that along with the balancing of the budget and making a large part of the reconstruction st loan available for capital in vestment such as rolling stock irrl gallon projects and other improvements was a victory or him as well as for the hungarians Hung arians themselves for la june 1025 when hungary was out of danger the tax rates began to tall the burden on the people became lighter and they with the commissioner general had won the fight even nature stepped in the first year of jeremiah smith s administration and provided the biggest crops la years commissioner general smiths success in leading hungary from the depths of despair and poverty and placing the nation in the sunlight of success in reality has recreated the financial side of the government and has demonstrated what can be done it business methods aie adhered to he likewise has shown how successful government la reflected in the people for three years before 1924 the people emulating the government had become not only had busl ness slumped but attendance at church participation in sports and attendance at amusements became almost nil the people had given up their abbl alou was stifled their hopes dead today the churches are filled the theaters crowded and sports benta at capacity throngs from the moment of hla arrival hungary knew it had a friend in jeremiah smith greeted at the station by a delegation he was informed he would be housed in the imperial pal ace of the with apart j menta adjacent to those occupied by the regent admiral horthy what A palace for mel said smith surprised you must be mistaken my name s smith and no one ever heard of a smith living in a palace I 1 d have to change my name to do it anyway the palace was taboo and the only time the genial danteo stepped in the royal castle waa when he could not decline an invitation to dine with the regent t this evidence of democracy even jf though out of keeping with the aria tendencies of smart hun j garlan society made a deep impresa slon by setting an chample of thrift and simple ihling it was not bard for him to make suggestions to the treasury officials when retrench menta were necessary and in ala suggestions lay ont of the secrets of mr never during his entire tenure la of flee did he issue an order alt housti he waa empowered to do BO at any time his suggestions were the law there waa no appeal there was one ironclad rule that smith observed to make no excel j alons he declined politely au inal to dinners except of official character luncheons by civic organ Izat lons industrialists bankers anil such were passed up without exception his theory was that in so doing he would avoid any insinuations that he was being influenced or any temptation to take sides his one diversion was golf and the club at which be played wanted to make him an honorary member even this ho refused paying bis dues the same as the rest of tha players while mr smith invited criticism ot his administration in the press it i noteworthy that the editors throughout hungary met every move be made to the spirit that be made it althous js accustomed to rabid denunciation ol 01 all opposition the hungarian made only suggestions in regard to i contemplated reforms and once the changes were accomplished they rei trained entirely from adverse coin j genf knowing that the commissioner general had only Hung irys interests at heart i |