Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-10-16
CABINET CHANGES.
Chief Justice Field Asks to Be
Retired.
Rumor About Secretaries Sherman
and Long.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Oct. 15-Associate
Justice stephen johnson Field OF the United
States supreme court has made formal APP
plication to President Mckinley to be retired
from the bench. and Attorney Cen
eral Joseph McKenna OF California
will be nominated to succeed him
on Dec. 6. when Congress convenes,
five days after the retirement of Justice
Field takes effect. Should other changes
talked OF occur. there will be shaking up
of the cabinet as an indirect result OF Justice
Fields retirement. II Is rumored tiat
Assistant Secretary OF State william Is. Day
is to become attoruey-Seneral, Secretary OF
State sherman is to retire to private life, Sec
rotary Long is to be transferred to the state
department and Assistant Secretary OF the
Navy Theodore Roosevelt,ist o be advancedto
the head of the navy department. The presl-
dent is seriously considering the appoint
ment of MIR. Day as attornev-generni anu
the succession to httOrney-teneral Mcken-
ma Is believed to be between Mr.. Day and
Col. j. j. McCook Of New York. Col. McCook
has once declined the interior department
portfolio, and some doubt is expressed rs to
whether no will now accept the attorney
generalship; but it is known that he would
prefer that Office to any other In the cnbl-
net The prospective changes in the cabinet
depend in largo measure upon Secretary
sherman. Should he voluntarily ask to be
renewed from tne cttTeS Ol Ollce " euJoy
the rest to which his long and honor
able career has entitled him. the pro-
liabilities arc that MIR. Day, II he
should not be made attorney general,
would succeed to the head of the state
Mr. Dsy a /. EA yell pnasrst9od when
taryship that he would be appointed to
a cabinet Office some time during the pres
ent administration, and 1t may Dc stated
now, without fear of contradiction, that
he will be appointed to one OF the two
offices before the close Of the present year.
Justice Field has been eligible for re-
tirement since Nov 4. 1886, when he be-
came 20 years old. Since that time
there have been frequ Mt rumors that
he was about to leave the bench. 1t
was not until week ago, however,
that he decided to take the step OF
which this is the first announcement.
He then called upon the president and
formally presented his letter. asking for re-
tirement. Efforts were made during tho
Cleveland administration to induce Mr..
Field to retire, but he would not consent to
do SO for two reasons. One was that he de-
sired to exceed the longest term Of service
on the supreme court bench in the history
OF the court, and the other was that he was
deter mined not to give President Cleve-
land an opportunity to appoint Democrat
70 the bench to succeed him. 1t was
on August 16 last that Justice Field
broke the record for length of SER
vice, as it was on that day that he
exceeded the term of "a years five
months and six days to the credit OF Chief
Justice Marshall. which had up to that time
been the longest in the history of the court.
The total length of Justice Fields service
up to the time when his retirement will take
effect, Dee. l. will be "a years seven months
and 20 days. Under the law Justice Field
will receive the full salary OF an associate
justice of the supreme court, $4,000 year,
for the remainder of his life.