, 1902-03-20
THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1902.
IN POST.

A special dispatch from Washing
ton to the Chicago Record-H Herald of
March IS contains the following in
teresting information for the people of
Wyoming:
willis Van Devanter Of Wyoming
will without much doubt be the new
secretary of the interior to succeed
Mr.. Hitchcock, whose resignation is
expected to be III the hands of the
president at an early date.
Mr.. Van Devanter is now assistant
attorney for the interior department
and is known to be in the presidents
mind for promotion to the head of the
department. Other men have been
urged, but Mr.. Van Devanter is at this
time the presidents first choice.
President Roosevelt does not ad-
nit to anyone that he has chosen Sec
rotary Hitchcock's but 1t is
well understood among senators that
the present secretary will soon leave
the cabinet.
Mr.. Van Devanter Is only 43 years
old. He is a native Of Indiana, of
Dutch descent and has been eighteen
years in Wyoming. where he filed
many Offices and won a good reputa-
ton as a public servant n as a law
yer. He was appointed chief justice
Of the Wyoming supreme court by
President Harrison before he was 80
years old. He has been in the interior
department for fve years. and both
Secretary Bliss and Secretary Hitch
cock declared that he was invaluable
to them In the administration of that
great department.
"Mr. Van Devanter is a wonderfully
hard worker, q ane executive, me
knows every detail Of the work of the
Interior Department. He attracted the
attention and o. the admiration of
President Roosevelt some months ago
during a series OF conferences on de
partment matters.
Judge Van Devanter has taken no
part in the effort which some Of his
AAAOAuS nave Adu ~ SSSulS LIZ dP-
pointment to a place in the cabinet,
and Is thoroughly loyal to his chief,
Secretary Hitchcock.
Both the secretary and Mr.. Van De
vanter are now out of the city. Sen
ators who have talked with the Presi-
dent say they would not be surprised
II the resignation Of Secretary Hitch
cock and the appointment Of Mr.. Van
Devanter in his place were announced
before the end of the month"
The foregoing is from the pen Of
Walter Wellman. who has been unusu-
ally fortunate In ~forecasting political
changes at the national capital. II
Judge Van Devanter the place
it will be because of individual fitness
and not because Of a great and influen-
tiaf commonwealth behind him, al
though Wyoming's delegation at the
national capital does not take a back
seat for any.
For the west it would mean more
than any one thing that has happened
during the past decaie. With the IT.
rigation laws to %construe and execute,
the president would be fortunate in
deed to have in his cabinet a man of
Judge Van Devanter's mental caliber.
Our mining interests, too, are in their
infancy and this Is q branch of the SER
vice in the interior department that he
likes. No intricacy seems too great
for his mind to grasp and the result
has been improvement in all mineral
business.
During the time the Wyoming man
has been assistant attorney general
for the interior department many old
cobwebs have been swept away. Prece-
dents, il contrary to reason and com
mon sense, have been swept away and
the rights Of the people have been up.
held and made more valuable.
II irrigation is to be part of the gov
ernmental policy. then Judge Van De-
vanter is peculiarly fitted for the place
Of secretary Of the interior, for there
is no man in the United States who has
a broader view Of irrigation law.
The west is having It's inning.