The National tribune., 1907-07-25
THE CORTELYOU BOOM.
A New Name on the Schedule Ma.
nuver Of Opponents of President Roo.
sevelt and Gov. Hughes-Cortelyou
Opposed TO the Use of His Name.

/ = 81
| A new Presidential boom-a hot.
weather Presidential boom-has been
| looming up of late. 1t is the Presiden-
tial boom of George Bruce Cortelyou
of Washington. Mr.. Cortelyou has a
voting residence in New York, spends
his Summers at Long Island, but has
lived in Washington most of every year
since he became a Civil Service clerk in
| the Post Office Department.
The statement comes forth that Mr.
Cortelyou does not take the booming of
himself for the nomination in a serious
way He reasons that IL is a part of the
program of certain designing leaders to
embarrass the President. That is prob
ably true. Mr.. Cortelyou owes much to
President Roosevelt. After Mckinley
was aSsasSinated at Buffalo Mr.. Roose-
welt could easily have said: You are an
excellent official, Mr.. Cortelyou, but your
position as Secretary to the President is
a confidential one. l feel that / ought
to have in that office a man who has
been well acquainted with me many
years and who knows my ways and my
Wishes"
| That would have been the perfectly
natural thing for any incoming Presi-
dent to do. Mr.. Roosevelt could have
| discharged Private Secretary COrtelyou
with good grace. either retired him to
private life or given him a place as En-
bassador to SecOnd-rate power. Mr..
Cortelyou would not have had the
| slightest ground for complaint. Instead
of that Mr.. Roosevelt generously retain
| ed him as Private Secretary, made Mr..
| Cortelyou cOnfidante and confiden-
tial adviser, and in the course of year
or two promoted him to a Cabinet port
| folio. He first made him Secretary of
the new Department of Commerce and
| ht 1, Il
him Chairman of the Republican Ma
tional Committee that had charge of his
reelection. and when the campaign was
over made him Postmaster General
Cabinet place that ranks considerably
higher than the Secretary of Commerce
and Labor That was not all. When he
was about to reOrganize his Cabinet he
promoted Mr.. C0rtelyou once more,
making him Secretary of the Treasury
a Cabinet place that ranks second only
to the Secretary of State. Ten years ago
1000 seemed like a large salary to Mr.
Cortelyou. Mr.. Roosevelt found him
drawing a salary of $1,000 and good
perquistes as Secretary to the Presi-
dent. He raised him, by the appoint
ment to the Cabinet, to $4,000, and Con-
gress last year made the salary of
Cabinet officer $4,000. Mr. Cortelyou
is a poor man and has had to proceed
cautiously to make both ends meet, even
while he has been in the Cabinet, for
$4,000 is not large sum for Cabinet
family in Washington. In nominating
him to the Treasury President Roose-
welt has given Mr.. Cortelyou the best
possible place from which to graduate
into financial independence. For any
moment that Mr.. Cortelyou cares to
quit some rich metropolitan Bank will
come offering him s25,00O,h perhaps
$4,000, to become its President. An
ex-Secretary of the Treasury Is a very
attractive card to the owrers Of large
and affluent bank His name alone is
worth many thousands OF dollars to
them annually. There are comparative
ly few surviving Secretaries of the
Treasury. and therefore they come high
as bank Presidents. Ft Si-
Therefore. many reasons exist for Mr..
Cortelyou, who is not an dngrateful
man, to remain loyal to BPresident
Roosevelt. He is not likelyoto encourage
the efforts of designing Republicans to
boom him for the Presidencyiin in order
to kill off Secretary Taft, who continues
to be Mr. RoOseyelts ri fayOrite. OF
course. he would not be human If he did
not feel proud of the mention of his
name in that connection But he will
not encourage 1t as long as his boom is
supported by anti-Roosevelt Republic
cans. <-'-'' H- -lf'
Secretary Cortelyou's position as one
frequently mentioned for the Presidency
is nevertheless unique. His boomers are
using him not alone to thwart Presi-
dent Roosevelt, but alike to thwart the
ambitions of Gov. Hughes. 1t seems
certain now that Gov. Hughes will strive
to secure the delegation from New York.
There are many stanch opponents of
Gov. Hughes among New York Repub-
licans outside of ex-Gov. Benjamin
Odell. Some of these opponents are
cheek and jowl with President Roose-
welt. The business world of New York
is opposed to the President, but kindly
disposed to his Secretary of the Treas
ury. Therefore, the Cortelyou boom is
backed by influential Roosevelt and
anti-Roosevelt men.
1t is very improbable that Mr.. Cor
telyou's protests will avail to prevent his
boom. 1t fits in with the plans of poll
ticians who are working with determi-
nation to shape things for the next Re-
publican National Convention. Very
probably some delegates from New
York will be for him. There is every
prospect now that the delegation will be
as it has generally been when |
the country was not united upon the |
nominee.
The efforts to advance the Hughes !
boom do not meet with great encour- |
agement. That is because the politicians
are aware that Gov. Hughes ignores
men Of their class almost entirely. New
York politicians would have as little use |
for him in the White House as they |
nave Tor MIN as LOVeTnOT- J HeS Wouiu |
not be consulted. On the other hand,
they would have every reason to expect |
a frost when they crossed the portals of
the White House offices. That cOndi- |
ton of affairs improves the prospects
that Mr.. Cortelyou may receive consid- |
erable support from New York State l.
and that some ballots may be cast for |
him in the next National Convention.
Even that would be an exceptional
honor for man who 10 or IL years
ago was but a Civil Service clerk in
The names of men who
have received ballots for the nomina-
ton as President of the United States
are looked upon as men of unusual dis
tinction in the country
President Roosevelt would approve of
Mr. Cor:eiyou as his successor 1t is
quite possible things win come to such a
pass that the President would throw his |
influence 10 the nomination of Mr.. Cor
telyou. If the Taft boom is effectually |
punctured and the politicians get the
President in n corner he might turn up
on them with a proposition to nominate
the very man they have been booming.
IaL
- ,bI
GEN. McCASkEY.
iit"5Ii
4 Nan Who Rose From n Printers Case
to Maior-GeBeraIty.
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