Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-12
.CHUMS OF THE CABINET
They Are Secretary Wilson
and Secretary Hitchcock.
KINDRED SPIRITS
ONE IS A FARMER AND ONE A
BUSINESS MAN.
But They Have Much in Common and
Are Often Seen Together
in Public.
INBRED SPIRITS
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
The>chums of President Roosevelt's cab
met are Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Secretary
of the Interior. and James Wilson, Sc re
tary of Agriculture. They are comrades
in every sense of the word. For years they
have walked away from cabinet meetings
together, except on bad days, when their
carriages were waiting for them. They
manage to finish their work in the cabinet
room about the same time and leave the
Presidents offices together, Mr.. Hitchcock
lighting cigar as he walks away from
the cabinet room. They stroll along to-
gether talking without animation and in
the quiet. conservative way SO character
:stic Of them. Generally Mr.. Wilson has
his hands down in his overcoat pockets,
while Mr.. Hitchcock has a bundle of pa
pers under one arm or in one hand, and
his favorte cigar in the other. snap
shot of the cabinet cronies shows them
walking on Pennsylvania avenue, just in
front of the White House. as they are 60
ing to their offices from cabinet SESSION.
The friendship between the. two men
dates beck three or four years. They are
men of much the same temperament and
naturally got together. They began to
like each other and the comradeShlp fol-
lowed. They are jocularly twitted by ire
President as the ''official twins of /
cabinet and the other cabinet members say
funny things to them and about them
They go on. however, as they have gone
for years. believing in and admiring each
other.
'Tama Jim" Wilson. as he is Familiarity
known in Iowa and especially in Tama
county, his home. has been in the cabinet
seven years, having entered his present po-
sition with President Mckinley seven years
ago March last. He has served longer
consecutively than any man in the cabi-
net. In fact he is the only man now in
President Roosevelt's cabinet who entered
the cabinet of President Mckinley at the
beginning of the latters administration.
He has survived all the cabinet changes
of those years. and is one of the few cab
met officers whose resignation or discon-
rection with official life has not at some
time or other been talked of in the pa
cers His faithful work has impressed
both Presidents. and he will certainly re-
main with President Roosevelt long as
he desires.
The Farmer.
Mr.. Wilson is Scotchman, having been
born in Ayrshire, Scotland. August 16 1895.
He came to the United States with his
parents in 1852 settling in Connecticut.
Three years later he was in his beloved
county Of Tama. where he soon began
farming. He gravitated toward politics.
first serving in the legislature. being speak
err of the Iowa house at one time. He was
elected to Congress in 1877, serving three
terms. Before becoming Secretary of Agri-
culture he was director OF the agricultural
experiment station and professor of agri-
culture at the Iowa Agricultural College at
Ames.
He is farmer by inclination, and nothing
pleases him = better than to get among
farmers At the same time he is a hard
headed and far-seeing politician. close
mouthed cabinet officer and valuable man
to Presidents. He has executive ability of
a high order, as shown in the management
of his department and the handling of i'm
fov,f nyra tnvaC wi I'M har 10
bother the President much about the details
Of the department, as he realizes that the
President is not a farmer and doesn't I'M
derStand much about seed, soil and Scien-
tific matters bearing upon both. Occasion
ally he arises in cabinet session and tells
what his department is doing in the way of
experimenting for the improvement of agri-
cultural conditions.
1t may be a Japanese rice that Is being
raised in Louisiana. or 1t may be some
thing about the cotton boil weevil In Texas.
but whenever he talks everybody listens,
because he says something, says 1t briefly
and in well-chosen language. He never
talks unnecessarily, and he Is wonderfully
conservative.
The Business Man.
Ethan Allen Hitchcock Is business man.
pure and simple; an exceedingly shrewd
one. minus much Of the fear Of politicians
that many public men have. Many attempts
have been made to get him out of the cab
met. Western men who do not like his
management Of land and other questions
have organized campaigns against him. but
he remains In the cabinet. He probably
likes the work and the President likes his
honesty. Mr.. Hitchcock's unvarnished hon
esty Is what holds him In his position. to-
gether with the fact that no knows busi-
ness proposition as far as many man and
can manage a big department like bis own
with ability. For ability to keep his mouth
shut under NIL conditions Mr.. Hitchcock
10 even superior to his chum. He SO SCI
dom talks that nothing Ia known of what
"a going on In his department until. ne
makes an announcement suited to his own
desires ind typewrit;en Ia his own words.