The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-03-04
CABINET CHANGES.

With the closing Of congress at
noon today, many changes took place
in the rosters of both the senate and
the house of representatives. Over
shadowing these in immediate impor-
lance, however, is the shake-up in
the cabinet. whereby George B. Cor
telyou becomes secretary OF the treas
ury, James Rudolph Garfield secre-
tary OF the interior, and George Won
L. Meyer postmaster general.
Mr.. Cortelyou has little to say re-
garding his conduct of the treasury
department, and has made public no
definite plans of management and
personnel, other than that the depart
ment will be run on the principle
of a square deal to all interests, both
great and small. The friends of the
new secretary are not so secretive,
and declare that he will shortly bring
about decided change that will not
tend to make him highly popular with
the Wall street financiers. The lib
eral policy of Secretary Shaw in ten
dering first aid to injured bankers
during periods of financial depression
on "the street" is said by Cortelyou's
friends to be at an end. Certain it
is that Mr.. Shaw smashed all previ-
GUS records of the treasury depart
ment by the loaning of government
money to national banks. While his
services were highly appreciated by
the interests" they failed to meet
with the approval of the smaller bank
ers and the general public, and it is
more than rumored that the discon-
tent caused by this policy led to his
resignation.
Another reform which Mr. Cortel-
you is expected to undertake is that
of stopping the leaks in the depart
ment, whereby persons high in the
financial world have been enabled to
secure advance information of i'm
portant fiscal projects, much to their
profit and to the disgrace of the adj
ministration. Every effort will be
made to discover the identity of en-
ployes who have leaked informa-
ton, and they will be summari1y dis
missed.
The retirement of Ethan Allen
Hitchcock from the interior depart
ment marks the passing of the most
unpopular man in the public service.
All over the country the policy of
Mr.. Hitchcock has been severely crit
icized, and this spirit of condemnation
has often spread to members of con-
gress. Mr.. Hitchcock has not lacked
for defenders, however, his friends
that his critics were MAIN
ly land thieves and grafters who
hated him because of his unwavering
defense of the interests of the gov
eminent and the rights of the red
skins who we're his wards. In any
event, the enemies of Hitchcock have
at last succeeded in their long effort
to drive him from the cabinet.
Mr.. Hitchcock is now u years of
age. while his successor, James R.
is thirty years younger. The
latter will need all the years pre-
sumably allotted to him If he sue
ceeds in settling satisfactorily to all
the problems of admins
tration which now confront him. The
Roosevelt policy concerning Indian
lands and western forest reserves has
met with determined opposition on the
part of the white settlers and cattle
men, and Mr.. Garfield will need all
his ingenuity and ability to save the
west to- the republicans. That Mr..
Garfield is the right man in the right
place and that he possesses the at
tributes necessary to bring about
peace among the warning interests is
the firm belief of all who know him.