New-York tribune., 1906-10-25
CABINET CHANGES.

President Roosevelt emphasizes the disregard
| which be has already shown for the outworn
tradition of sectional representation in the Can
met by the changes which he has announced
With the appointment OF Mr.. Oscar s. StrauS
to the Department of Commerce and Labor
New York will have three representatives at
the Presidents council board. A few years ago
such an arrangement would have aroused some
jealousy, but the growing sense of natonal
solidarity and the increasing realization that
Cabinet office is less place of political power
than an office requiring expert administrative
ability make 1t possible to-day for the President
to put at the head of departments the men
whom he thinks best fitted to aid him. quite re-
gardless Of the accident OF residence
Most Of the changes were some time ago fore
shadowed in The Tribune. The surprise of the
day-and agreeable surprise-is the choice
Of Mr.. Straus, whose name had not hitherto
been discussed It is on all accounts excel
lent selection. Mr.. Straus is man of large
business ability and experience. He has wide
acquaintance with commercial conditions
throughout the world, and will be able greatly to
increase the usefulness of that part of the de-
partment's work which consists in promoting
foreign commerce. He is likewise a philan-
thrOpist and q friend Of labor He has long
been usefully employed in trying to improve the
condition OF the great body of Jews who seek q
refuge in this country. He has taken an active
part, through the Civic Federation. in seeking to
bring capital and labor into sympathetic coop
GRAFTON. Certainly all the official powers TO be
vested In him will be intelligently applied to
promote the interests OF the great mass Of work
ingmen. not in any spirit of demagogy, but with
q large humanity and with q realization that
the ultimate interest Of both capital and labor is
to be promoted by each giving due regard to the
prosperity of the other. Mr.. Straus was
trusted adviser Of both President Cleveland and
President Mckinley and was in the diplomatic
service under each.
The transfer of Mr.. Bonaparte from the Navy
Department to the Department of Justice, TO
succeed Attorney General Moody when he takes
the place the Supreme Court bench for
which he Is well fitted, will command general
approval. The change is unQuestionably In har
mony with the desires of Mr.. Bonaparte him
self. It is understood that he took up his pres
ent work with reluctance, and while he has
performed his duties efficiently they have not
been in the line of his tastes previous train
ing. He is an able lawyer and an aggressive,
independent thinker, and is admirably fitted to
advise the President on legal questions and to
conduct the important litigation on which the
government has embarked. Mr.. Metcalf, on the
other hand, is as much interested in the navy
as Mr.. Bonaparte is in the law, and his transfer
is natural step Ambassador Meyers entry
TO the Cabinet Postmaster General has al
TedQy Deen Hlucn discussed ana generally COM
mended
Mr.. Cortelyou's transfer to the Treasury is q
deserved promotion He has made q highly eff
cient Postmaster General and much improved
the service. He has great ability, sound tudg-
ment and remarkable discretion. Every one
whose opinion is formed with reference to effi- !
cient administration will warmly commend Mr.. |
Corteyou's appointment. Undoubtedly some
attempts will be made to stir up prejudice
against him because Of his conduct of the last
national campaign. Mr.. Cortelyou however, in
accepting campaign contributions from corpora
tions, did nothing that every national chairman
both Democratic and Republican, had not openly
done for many years. The public has since
come to new realization of the evil Of that old
universal practice, md demagogues have sought
to exploit that conviction for their own benefit
But MI Corteyou is not fairly to be condemned
for bad customs which he inherited, and which,
IN his place, nine-tentns Of his most viruIent
critics would have continued. He is a man or
probity who has worked his way up from the
lower ranks Of the public service by the display
OF extraordinary efficiency and the President is
entitled to credit for not yielding to obviously
disingenuous clamOr against him.