The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-12-30
THE PRESIDENCY MAKES RE.
ELECTION UNCERTAIN.
Is Certain That Secretaries Hay,
Moody and Taft Will Remain
With Teddy.

tnlS is subject winch the president
declines to discuss with anyone, it is
known that he expects to see some
March 4. The president has decided
to follow the custom revived by
President Mckinley after his re-elec-
ton and to issue new commissions
| to members of the cabinet who are 70
hold over into the second term. Cen
eral Grant was the first reelected
president to do this; all the others
simply permitted the cabinet officers
to remain at their posts under the old
commissions. Either method is legal,
of course, but Mr.. Mckinley thought
it no more than proper to pay his cab
mally reappointing them. The plan
has it's advantages, too. If a chief Of
a department does not receive a for
NAL invitation to remain and a new
commission, he needs have no doubt
that his resignation is in order.
OF course there is no doubt what
ever that Secretary Hay will remain,
and Attorney General Moody at least
for another year, and Secretary of
War Taft until vacancy occurs on
the bench of the supreme court of the
United States, and Secretary of the
Navy Morton as long as he is willing
to serve. Postmaster-Ge Wynne
is to retire, according to the original
| arrangement, and Mr.. Cortelyou is to
take his place. Probably Mr.. Met
calfe will remain at the head of the
department of commerce and labor,
though this is not quite sure.
Until within the last few days it has
been generally supposed Secretary
Shaw would stay at the head of the
treasury department., though it has
been known for some time that Mr..
Shaw was exceedingly nervous over
! the outlook Now Mr.. Shaw's fate is
in grave doubt. Mr.. Leupp, who is
President Roosevelt's close personal
friend and who has just been appoint
ed Indian commissioner, prints a dis
patch in the New York Evening Post
in which he says Mr.. Shaw is not
| likely to be retained. He gives the
following reasons:
First-Mr. Shaw is an active candi-
date for the presidential nomination
in 1908, and the president may not
| wish to keep such an, aspirant at the
head of great department like the
treasury
Second-Mr Shaw has not been, and
is not now, in sympathy with the
presidents ideas on tariff reform, and
Mr.. Leupp says the secretarys draw
back scheme was devised to weaken
the revision movement. He adds that
if Mr.. Shaw 8 to make Roadway as
presidential candidate it will probably
be as the favorite of the stand patters.
Third-Mr. Shaw is not in accord
with the president, Mr. Leupp says,
on civil service reform, and the de-
auctions which Mr. Leupp draws are
that there is to be change In the
treasury department on March 4.
Owing to Mr.. Leupp's intimate re-
lations with the president, his dis
patch has attracted unusual attention,
though it may well be doubted if the
president has actually made up his
mind what to do with Mr. Shaw. l
have the best of reasons for believing
that if the president could find just
the man to suit him for secretary of
the treasury he would make the
change. But good men for that post
are pretty scarce. The friends of
Secretary Shaw appear to think that
everyone who says or writes anything
about the possibility of his retirement
is actuated by malice or ill will Not
so. The correspondent of the New
friends, and he writes only that which
is current talk in cabinet and politi-
cal circles here.
Another feature of the current Cos
sip is quite interesting. 1t is that
Secretary Wilson of the department
of agriculture may not be invited to
stay in the new cabinet because of
the presidents desire to have a new
arrangement as to Iowa. 1t is well
knowns that he intends to put w. w.
Rockill in Mr.. Conger's place as min
lister to China, and the Iowa senators
and representatives may not care to
lose two cabinet officers and an i'm
portant diplomatic post all at one
swoop. Yet the complaint is general
that Iowa has more than her share
of cabinet honors, and the belief is
prevalent that if Mr.. Shaw goes Mr..
Wilson will stay and vice versa. Mr..
Wilson has made such an extraOrdin-
airy record at the head Of the agricul-
tural department that there would be