The progressive farmer and the cotton plant., 1905-06-20
Our Washington Letter.

oral portfolios seem destined to have
now masters in the course of the
cominr year-and perhaps by next
outumn. The one of chief interest
i that of Charles j. Bonaparte, who
is to become Secretary of the Navy
IN July 1st, but who is already
scheduled for transfer from that post
- tbe Attorney y-Generalship succeed
mo Mr.. Moody. 1t is well understood
in inner circles that Mr.. Bonaparte
has bic work to do in uprooting the.
navy CLIQUE which has so long domi-
mated things in that department. 1t
NAV seem to be a small matter for the
head of a great department. to dis
npnsp with the services of any indi-
yidual who does not seem the proper
man for the place under him, but not
so in the Navy Department. The
first move to transfer an officer from
a fat berth there is invariably follow
ed by a protest from influential
friends, Senators, Representatives
and others, and great pressure is
brought to bear upon the Cabinet Of
fcer. He is quickly given to under
stand not only that his term of Office
is short. and may be terminated at
anv time by the President, but that
a naval officer holds Office for life
and will be able to ''get back" at a
disagreeable chief through exerting
Influence Cabinet officers who ex-
pect TO remain in office only a short
time. like Secretary Morton, do not
usaully care to enter upon such un-
equal warfare against an opponent
so skilfully entre1iched and have usu-
ally let the navy clique have full
sway This has emboldened those of
the grim sea-fghters who do all their
fighting from behind an Office desk,
and the President has fully decided
that they need a clearing out. For
this work. Secretary BonaDarte is un-
doubtedly well fitted, for he is cour-
ageOus and cannot be turned aside by
threats of reprisals. He is too big
a man to be so affected. When Mr..
Bonaparte becomes Acknowledgement
by January 1st, next. or may be not
before July 1, 1906, by which time
Mr.. Moody insists he must retire, he
will have a big lot of "trust" ques-
tiOns to take up officially. It is in
tended that Mr.. Moody shall conclude
the beef trust cases before he leaves
office just as Attorney-Gene Knox
did the Northern Securities merger
case. Then Mr.. BonaDarte will take
hold, and if any railroad magnate
SuppoSes he can scare the Marylander
INTO activity, such inexperienced in
dlyldual is welcome to try it. He
will find he has tackled a vigorous
lighter, who desu't mean to Clay
down" and smother official pro-
cedure.
Secretary Victor III. Metcalf, of the
department of Commerce and Labor,
IS slated to become the head of the
Navy department., and Commission
er g James r. Garfield to succeed him.
dhere Is some talk of Postmaster
general S' Cortelyou succeeding Mr..
SnaW as Secretary of the Treasury,
GuI this Is premature. 1t is known
sne President would like to keep his
l9rmer Private Secretary in the Post
omce Department. Should he be
transferred, however, Col. Harry S.
SeW' OF Indiana, one of Hanna's
rlOSe associates in past campaigns,
SSould get the Postoffice portfolio.
TWTcgretaries Wg Hay, Taft, Hitchcock and
hmuS9n 50! have been so successful in
handling the matters which have