The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-06-26
Railroad President SeCre-
tary of the Navy.
PAUL MORTONTHE MAN
William H. Moody Of Massachusetts is
Appointed Adjutant General and
Victor H. MetcaIf of California
Secretary of Commerce
and Labor.
(By the Associated Press.)


Washington, June PA sweeping
change in the Cabinet of President
Roosevelt was announced officially at
the White House today. The an
nouncement came in the form of
brief typewriter statement issued by
Secretary Loeb, as follows:
'The following Cabinet appoint
ments are announced:
William I'll. Moody, of Massachusetts,,
Adjutant General.
Paul Morton, of Illinois, Secretary of
the Navy.
Victor III. Metcalf, of California,
Secretary of Commerce and Labor.
1.-The designations of Secretary Cor
telyou and Attorney General Knox
have been accepted to take effect July
1St''
For two weeks or more it has been
known that these changes We're i'm
pending. When Secretary Cortelyou
was selected by President Roosevelt
to be his campaign manager 1T was
certain that he would retire from the
Cabinet upon his assumption of duties
as chairman of the Republican Ma
tionaI committee. Just before he left
for Chicago last Wednesday he placed
ter of resignation from the Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor to take
effect at the end of the present fiscal
year, June 30.
One week ago today Attorney Gen
eraI Knox formally announced that he
would retire from the Department OF
Justice, probably at the end of the MS
cal year. 1t was understood at the
same time that Secretary Moody would
succeed Mr.. Knox as Attorney General
President Roosevelt rendered the
appointment of Secretary of the Navy
to Paul Morton, first Vice-preSident Of
the Atchison, Topeka d Santa Fee Rail-
road. Mr. Morton is personal friend
Of the President of many years stand
ing. He is a son of the late j. Sterling
Morton, of Nebraska, Secretary OF Ag-
riculture in President CleVelandS last
administration.
Since President Roosevelt has been
in the White House he has made more
than an effort to induce Mr.. Morton to
accept a position in his administra-
ton. Feeling that his life-Work in
the railroad business, in which he has
achieved success, might be lmpeded
by his acceptance of an official position
in the government, he uniformly has
declined such office as he did the prof
fer of the portfolio of the navy he
was requested by the President to re-
consider his declinaton. Last night
he took dinner at the White House
and the whole subject was considered
after Mr.. Morton has consulted with
his personal and business friends and
associates At the conclusion of the
conference, Mr.. Morton told the Pres
ident he would accept the position in
the Cabinet.
1t is expected that further changes
will take place in the Cabinet next win
ter Postmaster General Payne prob
ably will retire from the Cabinet after
the campaign. He will be succeeded
by National Chairman Cortelyou.
Secretary Moody will continue as a
member of the Cabinet only until the
end of the present administration on
the 4th of March next, when he will
retire to enter upon the practice of
law in Boston. The correspondence
between the President and Mr. Knox
was made public tonight. In tender
ing his resignation to the President
Mr.. Knox expressed himself as having
"unfeigned respect and admiration for
the lofty purpose and splendid cour-
age you have ever manifested, which
has inspired and sustained your Cabi-
net in their efforts to promote the
public welfare by effecting the wise
The President in reply said:
MANY great and able men have pre-
ceded you in the office you hold; but
there is none among them whose adj
miration has left SO deep a mark
for good upon the country's develop
ment. Under you it has been literally
true that the mightiest and the humb-
lest in the land have alike had it
brought home to them, that each was
sure of the laws protection while he
did right, and that neither cauld hope
to defy the law if he did wrong. In
what you have done you have given
proof not merely of the profound
learning of the jurist, but of the bold
initiative and wide grasp of the states
man. You have deeply affected for
good the development of our entire po-
litical system and its relations to the
industrial and economic tendencies of
the time"