Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-12-14
Mr.. DingIey Slated for Sec.
retary Of the Treasury.
Sherman for Secretary Of State.
AIliston May Decline.
Said 10 Nave Presidential Ambition Another
Batch Of Predictions.

membered that tnlS scieceioii va"
nounced in my dispatches to your paper
ten days ago For some time tne lricnus
Of the Maine congressman expressed tne
opinion that he would not be Wiling 90
leave the house of representatives where
he has practically life tenure, in order 30
serve as a member of the cabinet. Iney
said he had an ambition to stay IN tho
honse and at tho head of the ways and
means committee till he could prepare a
tariff bill and give his name to it, FOR
so,ne reason or other it is the ambition OF
MANY men who achieve success in public
life to attach their names to tariff blil.
Now that Major Mckinley has by that
road advanced to the White House the
ambition to follow in his footsteps will
probably be keener than ever before.
Dingley's Guiding Hand.
Those who argued that on this account
Mr.. Dingley might not be willing to go
into the treasury overlooked one important
part of the plan Mr.. Dingley occupies
today the unique position of man who
can eat his cake and have it too He may
attach his name to Il new tariff bill and at
the same time be secretary OF the treasury.
The ways and means committee held 81
meeting on Thursday to prepare the way
for the framing of q tariff bill to be pre-
sented to the new congress when it shall
meet in special session next March, as l
some time ago told you it would do. MIR.
Dineley is the chairman Of this committee.
His will be the guiding hand in the prepa-
ration of the bill. When the new congress
meets, the measure will be all ready for
passage. 1t will be given to the commit
tee of the new house-practically the same
committee that now eXists-and will he
promptly reported back to the new house.
There it is expected to pass in couple of
weeks
BY the time it gets through congress
and to the White House, and thus to the
statute books, Mr.. Dingley no doubt will
be secretary of the treasury. But no mat
ter, it will still be his bill. 1t will be the
fruit of his toll and genius. 1t will bear
his name. AS chairman of the ways and
means committee he will have made the
law, and as secretary of the treasury he
win have the execution of it, This is n
unique position surely. The only parallel
to it in history which l can recall at this
moment is found in the case of Robert
Walker, who, In 1916, while secretary OF
the treasury, prepared what was afterward
known as the Walker tariff law. 1t al
ways bore his naine, though he was not in
congress wien it was enacted. As secre
tary of the treasury he executed it, just as
Mr.. Dngley, if the present programme
succeeds, will have the execution of his
own statute.
The State Department..
From ali | can gather the president
elect is in quito quandary concerning
the selection of a secretary of state. That
is a most difficult post properly to ill, and
it chances just at this moment that the
Republican party contains but few men in
every way available for it, The first
thought of Major Mckinley was to offer
the state department to his old friend and
leader, Senator Sherman. To Senator
Sherman more than to any other man in
public life Major Mckinley felt a sense Of
gratitude. Even now it is reported in
Washington that Senator Sherman will
elect rendering him the premiership of
the new cabinet But it is not thought
Mr.. Sherman will accept He finds his
years growing on him apace, and he wishes
to spend the remainder Of his days in the
senate, whero he is not forced to hard work
unless he happens to feel like doing it. In
the state department. it would be all work
and no play, and the task is too heavy
ono for Mr.. Sherman to undertake
Barring the improbability of Mr. Sher-
man accepting the pest, believe Senator
Allison of Iowa is next in the mind Of the
president elect Though Mr.. Allison has
never had special training for state de-
partment work. he is an able man and
would make a good premier. Major Nc
Kinley is trying to construct n cabinet
that will be strong not only in executive
work, but in its influence with congress.
If he were to have Allison in the state de-
partment and Dngley in the treasury, he
would have made u great stride toward
achievement of his purpose, for one is
strong among senators and the other pop
ular and influential in the house.
But there is a fear that Senator Allison
will not accept. He is perhaps tho only
man living who has had the chance to de-
cline three appointments to the cabinet
He declined the secretaryship of the treas
ury under Garfield, Arthur and Harrison.
understand that to the latter he told the
reason why he would not take the Office
because no president ever permitted Sec
retary of the treasury to run the Office
himself according to his own ideas and
without interference from the White
House.
Allison's Ambition.
Senator Allison has fortunate place in
the upper branch of congress. Next to Mr..
Sherman, who is now giving up much of
his activity, the Iowa senator may be said
to be the Republican leader of the body.
He is third in seniority of service, being
excelied in this respect only by the veteran
Morrill, Of Vermont and by Mr.. Sherman.
Allison will have been in the senate for "a
years come next March, and he has lust
been reelected for six years more. The
chances are that IT, he refuses to succumb
70 CABINET temptations he will be able to
s'ay IN the senate as long as he lives.
One reason why the friends of the Iowa
senator think he will decline to take
place In the Mckinley cabinet Is that he
sun mas an ambition to be president of the
United States. Last summer no was With
out doubt, the candidate of the senatoria,
coterie, which is sometimes SO powerful in
parry politics. Another time. Mr.. Allison
cannot DO blamed for thinking. he NAV ha
more successful. He has the notion that
ne ieaves the senate and attaches himsolf
"ah administration he will lose h;s cb.rc,
10 become prosidept h;,,,.,e