Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-12-03
RUM0R REVIVED OF
COMING CHANGES
IN CABINET
SECRETARY ROOT FIRST
TO 60, DECLARES REPORT
Taft, BOnaparte, Meyer and
Wilson May Quit Council Be-
Wilson May Quit CouciI Be-
fore Many Moons.

Especial Correspondence Morning Journal
Washington, Nov. 29.-Rumor is
busy with prospective changes in
President Roosevelt's cabinet. sever
al present holders of portfolios, II is
reported. are to retire at the begin
ming. or soon after the beginning, of
the new year.
Secretary of state Root, II is be-
lieved, will be the first to go. If Mr..
Root leaves the cabinet his retire
ment will be voluntary, and in the
face of Mr.. R~oosevelt's urging that he
remain. The secretary of states health
is not good, and he has told friends
that he is very, very tired. His wife
wants him to give up public life, ana
his own inclination is to do so. II
required a lot of urging on the part
of the president to get him to return to
the cabinet as secretary of stare after
the death of John Hay. His long
and arduou service as secretary OF
war wearied him OF official life in
Washington, and II is said that hope
of the presidency was the only lure
that brought him back. That hope
has now been dissipated. and Mr.
Root is anxious to return to his lucra-
tive law practice.
In the event of Mr.. Roots retire.
ment, his most probable successor IS
Robert Bacon, now assistant secretary
of state, and formerly the banking
partner Of j. Pierpont Morgan. lie
stands very high in the regard Of Mr..
Roosevelt, and, after achieving sue
cess as a financier, has developed eX-
ceptional powers as a diplomat. When
Charlemagne Tower rendered his res
ignation as ambassador to Germany.
the president offered Mr.. Bacon the
place, but urged him at the same time
not to accept ii. Mr.. Bacon declined,
and David Jayne Hill, minister TO
Luxembourg and the Netherlands. got
the ambassadorship There now Is
reason to believe that prospect OF be-
coming secretary Of state is h kept
Mr.. Bacon at home.
The rumor of cabinet changes deals
next with the name of william III.
Taft, secretary Of war. Mr.. Taft's
friends are urging him to resign, be-
cause they believe 1t would help his
presidential candidacy to get out OF
the cabinet. The war s~ecretarys
course will be determined. u%ndoubt-
eddy by the situation as he finds 1t
upon returning from his trip around
the world. His political advisers can
not see how his candidacy can he
helped by longer remaining in the
cabinet. and they have many argu-
ments to present In favor Of his get
ting out. One Of them is, though they
nah no public announcement of II.
that his resignation would help re-
move the impression that he is
"Roosevelt's man." Mr.. Tafts candi-
dacy has been helped by the support
given him by the president, and II
also has been hurt. His managers
reason that outside the abine he
could continue to receive the benefit
OF whatever support Mr.. Roosevelt
was disposed to give. and that by sep
arating himself from official connec-
ton with the administration he would
De more widely received on his own
merits.
Close friends Of Robert Shaw oil
yer, the assistant secretary of war,
believe he would succeed to the secrc-
taryship should AIR. Taft quit the
cabinet. During the many absences Of
Secretary Taft. including the present
one, General oliver has managed the
war department to the entire satisfac-
ton of the president, and his friends
reason that as there probably would
remain little more than a year OF the
present administration when Mr.. TAFT
stepped out, the president would not
likely call a new and inexperienced
man to the head Of he department
A stranger as secretary Of war would
hardly become familiar with his du-
ties before his retirement at the end
of the Roosevelt administration.
In Secretary Of State Root. Secre-
tary Of the Treasury Cortelyou and
Secretary Of Commerce and Labor
Strauss. the president now has three
New York men in his cabinet Both
Mr.. Bacon and General oliver are
from the same state. Should Root
and TAFT retire and be succeeded by
Pacon and oliver. 1t would give New
York four members Of the cabinet.
such a distribution Of honors would
be regarded as suicidal in a president
serving his first term and hoping for
re-electon. but as Mr.. Roosevelt is
serving his second term n has de-
clared he doesn't want a third one. he
has no need TO consult a geography