New-York tribune., 1902-08-08
HIGH OFFICIALS ABSENT.
AND STILL THE MACHINERY OF GOV
EMINENT IN WASHINGTON RUNS
ON SMOOTHLY.
IBy TELEGRAPH TO THE rnIDUSE. ]

lBy TELEGRAPH TRIBUSE.I
! Washington, Aug. 1T has been demonstrate ca
this summer that the governmental machinery VIII
run itself. The President is of town. so are
Mr. Hay, the Secretary OF State. and Mr. ROOT, tiie
Secretary Of War Mr.. Shaw. the Secretary OF lhe
Treasury is in and out of Washington, but OUT
of the time. Mr.. Payne. the Postmaster zen
eral. spends the time at the seashore or the a.
dorf-Astoria, In New York when his presence 10
not demanded in Wisconsin by the political exleeh
cies of badly mixed campaign there MI hLoA'
the Attorney General, has left the capital lor Ie
summer. MIR. Hitchcock the Secretary OF the III
terror is absent, and ii is limited that ne may Vi
may not return by the middle of Septemoei' "
Moody the Secretary of the Navy. has been at MS
home In Massachusetts since the President went TO
Oyster Bay. Mr. Wilson. the Secretary OF Agrlcuil-
ure has been busy in various sections of the Orlten
States since the hot season set in, but not III
ington 1t cannot even be said that the men next
in authority in the various executive depar
are their posts Heads of departments nave leIt
! washington for variety OF purposes, but the
routine work goes on without friction ana inc
public business being disposed of as raPlov as
at other seasons of the year. All this proves
1t proves anything that the governmental machin-
cry is in perfect working order. ana that Ooil-
gress and not the people, makes the trouble IL
! Congress were In session, with Senators ana Nep
! resentatives pleading when their demands "oul"
NOT avail the ordinary clerk would be thoroughly
Disconnected and some in supreme authority IN
each one of the departments would be necessary to
| guide the ship of state
Secretary Shaw. who Is determined TO master 'iie
intricaces Of the Treasury portfolio, chnss closer
/ TO Washington than would otherwise be necessary,
and closer than any of his Cabinet associates.
Somebody asked the Secretary the other day what
the political effect of one of the Treasury pom
! cies might be.
''I am free TO say that l don't know. rephed
Mr. Shaw. II have been trying my best TO divorce
the management of the Treasury Department from
politics. 1 find that the Treasury Department
in its varied ramifcations touches every activity
of the government and may say that II Is ALMOST
the government itself"
This avowal by Secretary Shaw explains why
the governmental machinery runs more smoothly
when Congress is not here and the heads of de-
partments are out of town. There no pollti-
clans to bother. Everything done at the depart
is s much a matter of business as II is at
any one of the big commercial houses in the coun-
try
THE MEN LEFT IN CHARGE.
In the absence OF Secretary Hay and Assistant
Secretary Hill the administration of the State De-
partment falls the practised shoulders of the
Second Assistant Secretary. Mr.. Adee- Mr.. Adee
usually spends his summer vacation in Europe,
.eut this year the Third Assistant Secretary, Mr..
Peirce. got in his application for a vacation in
Europe ahead OF the veteran Adee. and so II hap
pens that the latter is left behind hold the bag
in Washington through the dogdays
In the periodical absence OF Mr.. Shaw. Assistant
Secretary Allies presides at the Treasury Depart
ment and although he is one of the youngest
men TO whom that important duty has ever been
Secretary Root is in Europe and will not return
Tor several weeks. Assistant Secretary Sanger has
been compelled by sickness in his family TO be
crossed the Atlantic. and this has devolved the
duties OF the War Department Chief Clerk
SchoEcld in the civil administration Adjutant Cen
eral Corbln has been extensive tour Of West
ern posts and while he is away the military admin
istration of the army has been in the hands OF
Brigadier General Carter. who although line
officer, has had long experience in the Adjutant
Generals Office. Ordinarily the duties of Secretary
/ of War in the absence OF both the Secretary and
Assistant Secretary would fall the ranking gem
between Lieutenant General Miles and his superiors
a way has been found to keep him out of the chief
place in the War Department.
All the principal officials Of the Department OF
highest officer duty there the assistant chief
clerk
The Postofice Department has been for
! eral weeks by the First Assistant Postma Ster Gen
a newspaper correspondent Mr. Wynne finds that
the work of administering this great department of
the government does not draw heavily his
energy and time did the work of a
spondent.
Assistant Secretary Darling has returned to his
desk in the Navy Department from a short
ton. but did get back until Secretary Moody
! had left Washington. Thus for time the Navv
clerks whose rarely ever figure in the news
papers.
Thomas F Ryan, Assistant Secretary of the In
terror, IS acting in Mr. Hitchcock's absence. Mr..
Ryan served several terms in Congress from
/ Kansas, and IS thoroughly Conversant with the
workings of the Interior Department.
While Secretary Wilson is away Willis L. Moore,
chief of the Weather Bureau, is Acting Secretary
of Agriculture.