Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-11-25
SHAW 5 TENURE
S UNCERTAIN
Boasts of the Shaw Worshippers
Are Apparently a Little
Premature
GETTING AT THE TRUTH
Statements Now Being Made in the
Big Newspapers Of Country Hard
Iy Agree With the Assertion Which
Has Been Made in Many Iowa Pa
pers in Last Few Weeks.
Special to rimes-Republlcan.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Nov. 25.--On account OF
the announcement made in this column
more than week ago that at that time
the prospect of the retirement OF Sec
rotary Shaw from the cabinet of Pres
ident Roosevelt was good In fact that
the present status of affairs provides
for placing a new man in the treasury
portfolio. has caused CONSERVATION In
some quarters, and few of the excit-
able fomenters of factionaliSm have
jumped at the chance to declare that
the story of the probable retirement of
the Iowa secretary was nothing more
than the vagary Of the naughty Des
Moines correspondents" AS was ex-
pected, the announcement was follow
ed first by indignant denials, then by
explanations, and later by guarded ad-
missions. One Iowa newspaper pub
lished what purported to be "A dispatch
from Des Moines declaring that inside
information had been received here
that there was never any thought of
Shaw not staying in the cabinet. Then
1t was declared that anyway IL he did
leave the cabinet 1t would be because
he wanted to. 1t was said that Shaw
was a personal selection of President
Roosevelt and would be the last man
disturbed. In fact everything has been
done that Is possible to discredit the
plain statement of the facts.
But 1t appears that the truth Is just
getting out and Is being told in the big
newspapers Of the country. The plain
est statement of the situation with re-
gard to Secretary Shaw Is in dispatch
from Washington to the New York
World, In which the cabinet rnntter is
discussed. and after disposing of some
of the members, the others are treated
as follows:
Regarding the tenure of office Of
Secretaries Shaw, Hitchcock and Will
son, the situation Is uncertain. 1t is
generally believed that Mr. Hitchcock
will get out of the cabinet on March
4. Secretary Shaw is at present slated
to retire also but efforts are being
made to sec, ais retention until he
shall have served a four-year term. 1t
Is understood that 1t was part of the
mission of Marshall Field, of Chicago,
when he was in Washington last week,
to talk with the president about Sec
retary Shaw's future. Mr.. Field
brought representations from infuen-
tial Chicago business men and others
from the northwestern section general
ly that Mr.. Shaw would be retained
in office for at least two years more
Similar opportunities, 1t is stated have
been made from New York. 1t is
considered probable that Secretary
Wilson will remain in the cabinet an
other four years. He is held in high
esteem by the president who approv-
es thoroughly of his administration of
the agricultural department"
This Is offered as statement which
hardly agrees with the assertion made
in many Iowa papers that 1t all rests
with Shaw whether he will retire. The
fact that wealthy bankers and repre-
sentatives Of financial interests in Chi
cago and New York are actually engag-
ed in bringing pressure to bear on the
president to retain Shaw in the cab
met makes 1t look like the boasts Of the
Shaw worshippers in Iowa that it all
rests with him was a little premature.
Why should Marshall Field and the
New York bankers plead with Roose-
welt to retain Shaw If 1t only remains
for Shaw to say the word?
II it was all settled that Secretary
Shaw should remain where he Is wo
would hardly find F. e. Sullivan, who
Is thoroughly devoted to the cause of
Shaw, sending to the Chicago Chron-
icle a statement that "A story has been
current In Washington for several days
to the effect that Paul Morton, secre
tary Of the navy, may succeed Governor
Shaw as secretary Of the treasury"
This was under date Of November 90,
and similar statement was printed
in others papers.
And here was the Burlington Hawk
eve, which has pooh -poohed the Idea
of there being any doubt about Shaw's
tenure at Washington, printing in its
always reliable (?) news columns un-
der date of Nov. 81, the following in
teresting gossip:
"Mr. Shaw would not be at all sur
prised should the president accept his
resignation, when he with other MEM
b.as of the cabinet shall formerly sub
M: 1t to the president next March.
There has been talk that influence is
being brought TO tear Ia secure his re-
tention in the cabinet until he shall
have served four-year term which |
will expire in 1905, but that this may
be done Is not certain"
AS further bearing on this phase of
the case, a dispatch appeared only two
days ago in large number of news
papers, dispatch which appeared to
ha an Associatad praaa dfSDatch. which |
started off as follows:
politicians now regard 1T practically
as certain that Secretary Shaw Will
stay in the cabinet until Feb. /. 1906,
when his four-year term will expire.
He will remain not so much because IT
is the personal wish of the president, as
much as because the financial interests
of the country want him to stay.