Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-05
CABINET SESSIONS
Methods Pursued by Presi-
dent and Advisors.
HOW WORK Is DONE
MR.. ROOSEVELT TALKS OF PRE-
MATURE PUBLICATIONS.
Members Seldom Vote to Decide Amy
Question That is Under
Discussion.
HOW WORK Is DONE

decide grave and important questions and
that the deliberations are on the order OF
legislative bodies. and that votes are taken.
The fact that cabinet meetings are pro-
ductive of little of Importance and that no
votes are taken or even sought by the Pres
ident was one OF the reasons that led to
mild uprising on the part of the Washing
ton correspondents of out-of-town papers
as well as the representa- ves of local pa
pers The correspondents unanimously de-
clarej that they did not seek to embarrass
the President and the administration by de-
string 20 publish important undetermined
matters discussed by the cabinet, but they
did feel that they Were entitled, for the
puvitc benefit, to such matters had been
passed upon that did not affect the policy
of the administration would not hurt
any one by being printed
The President, in talking to some of the
correspondents later about the order stated
thai II was not intended to prevent heads
OF departments making public matters con-
nected with their respective departments,
but that ii as~intended to prevent the dis
cussion with newspaper men of various
questions taken up at the cabinet meetings.
The President pointed out what Is true
that cabinet sessions are held to reach ten
tative understandings and to have free dis
cussion but that the decision of every inn
portant question rests with him alone He
could not afford to have reports golpg-to
the public that the cabinet had decided
upon certain line of policy when he was
likely to reach some other conclusion after
ward on his own responsibility.
Premature Publications.
The President dwelt with emphasis upon
the proposition that the premature publica-
ton OF cabinet discussions might often re-
suit In harm to administration measures.
The truth of this is recognized by news
paper men, but their contention has been
that there are many minor matters. ap-
pointments, conclusions that have passed
the tentative stage, expressions of opinion
more or less interesting matters. the
giving out Of which by cabinet officers to
whose departments they belong would do
no injury. They have maintained that the
President could trust the discretion OF his
cabinet officers in these things.
AS the President states. 'cabinet session
reaches no decisions. With the President
sitting at the head OF the great table, the
discussion on any given subject is tentative
merely an expression of opinion Intended to
show the President how his advisers feel.
More often cabinet meetings are not that
important. They are simply held TO permit
the heads OF departments to take up with
the President questions before them upon
which they do not care to pass themselves.
1t is a matter of putting something up to
the President. The State Department has
the first cal In cabinet business. Secretary
Root, though transacts little business per-
tanning to his department at the meetings
He joins in talking about other things and
he settles matters concerning his own de-
partment at private conferences with his
chief mostly held at night, many hours be-
ing consumed in talking over foreign ques-
lions.
The next call IS upon the Secretary of tho
Treasury, who submits whatever he has for
the President to pass upon. And so it goes
on down the line. the Secretary OF Com
merce and Labor being the last man to be
heard. The Postmaster General, ,with big
bundle of post office appointments, is often
IN Ia CT n ianN "a n fNDla N %
After the others have gotten the Presi-
dents directions as to settling this or that
matter they return to their departments.
while Mr. Cortelyou takes up the question
of postmasterships in the large cities.
Members Seldom Vote
A vote In a cabinet meeting Is an almost
unheard-of thing. No direct poll of ses-
sion has been made since the Spanish war
period. when President Mckinley submit
ted to his cabinet advisers one OF the great
questions of that period He wanted their
views. which had been quite varied. There
was nothing, though, to bind him to The
results of such vote. cabinet officer IS
merely an adviser. When he has concluded
his advice the President must be reSpon-
sible for the final decision. 1t matters not
whether that decision is mere post office
appointment or momentous one that
might mean peace or war. The cabinet dis
charges its duty when 1t has given its chief
the best advice possible.
There have been no imprudent or dam
gerously laxative cabinet officers in any
administration for years, and until recent
years no attempt has been made to impress
a general order Of silence upon all of these
advisers There were several times IN the
administrations of President Mckinley
when he asked cabinet officers to keep
mum" upon certain topics before HIM
There were some obliging cabinet menu
bers in the Mckinley cabinets. Lyman j.
Gage was one of the best and kindest or
.Szifa
he maintained dignified caution that was
invariably appreciated by the correspon-
dents. He did not go into details about
what happened at the cabinet table. ana
talked little on subjects outside OF his own
department. Newspaper men who congre-
gated at the White House at the close or
cabinet meetings soon found out the kindly
desire of Mr.. Gage to do what he could Tor
them, and grew burdensome IN the num-
Der and variety walking along with nm
from the Executive Mansion TO the trea ury
that he at last began to avoid this twice-a-
week procession. 1t sometimes resembled q
number of cruisers conveying a battleship.
Secretary Aiger. now Senator AIger or
Michigan, was not a bad source of informa-
ton to correspondents. although ne was
what many of them termed MOODY one
day he would divulge a most Important
news story. The next day he would be as
close as a clam. He never changed his
courteous disposition. though. during the
days when he was under terrific onslaughts
regarding the alleged embalmed beef fur
nished the soldiers OF the army He is yet
as closely associated with many newspaper
men as before.
Trust the Reporters.
Both Secretary Gage and Secretary Alger
had number Of newspaper friends whom
they trusted implicitly. talking freely about
anything but invoking the rule of conf
dence. which was never known to be
broken. The average Washington CORE
spondent every day gets more Information
In confidence than he gets for publication.
John D. Long, Secretary of the Navy,
never lost his suavity In dealing with the
regiments of newspaper men that constant
ly saw him during the Spanish war period.
He was, like most cabinet officers. good
judge of what should be published and
what should be kept out Of the papers
The movements of the navy In critical Pc
RODS were not divulged, but he never
sought to interfere with the correspondents
securing whatever information they could
get hold Of
John w. Griggs was prudent In his deal
ings with the profession He made friends
with those he could trust and talked to
them. So did Charles Emory Smith. Post
YnaSter General