The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-25
MEYER FOR HIGH
CABINET POSITION
His Friends See in Him Quail
ties of Ideal Secretary
Of State.
BURTON is NOT Qualified.
SEVERAL MEN SUGGESTED FOR
THE PLACE BUT 1T SEEMS
THAT MEYER WOULD MAKE A
BETTER MAN THAN OTHERS.
BURTON is NOT Qualified
Special to Palladium.

Washington, Nov. 25-It simply is
impossible to keep away from the sub
ject of President-elect Taft's cabinet.
Judge Taft announced that it would
be sometime after the Christmas holi-
days before he seriously undertook
the task of selecting his official advis-
ers, but not day goes by but that
the volunteer assistants do not place
some new man in Taft's official fam
lily. Any republican statesman who
hasn't been mentioned for a place in
the Taft cabinet has right to feel
slighted.
Your correspondent decided some
time ago that he would accord the
President-elect the privileges of Sc
lecting his own cabinet ministers, Mr..
Taft having publicly intimated that he
felt quite equal to the responsibility.
But because unsolicited and perhaps
unwelcome advice is not be thrust up
on the next president is no good rea-
son why the selection of less consider
ate amateur cabinet builders are not
properly subject to discussion. Those
who persist in going to the relief Of
Judge Taft in the matter, appear to be
having most difficulty in finding the
right man for secretary of state. Most
of them had Elihu Root slated to con-
tinue in the premier portfolio, until
Mr.. Root began to evidence signs Of
senatorial yearnings. Now they are
all at sea.
| There is considerable faction that
wants to place Representative Theo-
| dore Burton of Ohio, at the head of
the state department, but as Mr.. Bur-
! ton is running for Senator Foraker's
seat. and is being doomed for Speaker
Cannon's job, his selection for the pre-
miership doesn't give general salts
| faction. Besides, while it is admitted
Mr.. Burton is equipped intellectually
| for the place, he lacks in other re-
| spects. The secretary of state is the
one member of the cabinet who has So
| cial obligations which are of any con-
| sequence to anybody but themselves.
The secretary Of state has to entertain
the diplomatic corps and momentous
questions of world policy may be deter
mined by the sort of dinner he gives
| the Ambassador from Timbuktoo, or
| the Minister from Danomey. Now,
not only is Mr.. Burton crusty bache-
| lor. with little knowledge of and less
liking for the social stunts in which
diplomats indulge. but he is dispep-
tic-looking individual and probably
wouldn't recognize good dinner
should he meet one on the street. Mr..
Burton is book-worm, devourer of
weighty things in the original Greek,
and Latin and Sanscript. No doubt
he would be able to tell you the scien-
tific name of the diamond-back terra
pin. which flourishes on the Eastern
Sho' of Maryland. but served at his ta-
BILE he couldn't tell it from goldfish
balls. And as for canvasback duck.
beyond the fact that it is aythya vallis-
neria. he takes no interest in the bird
Clearly he would be misfit in a place
where gastronomy and diplomacy are
synonymous terms.
Those who urge those weighty reas-
ons against the selection OF Burton
| to succeed Root find their ideal for.
eign minister in George Won Len
| gerke Meyer. former ambassador to
Italy, former ambassador to Russia,
and at present Postmaster General.
| There isn't anything in the art of
feeding diplomats which Mr. Meyer
doesn't know. He picked up a lot of
Il i.aco of,.l frf or !,
| st. Petersburg, and. besides, he has
| the natural gift. Mr.. Meyer is efful-
gent in a drawing room and when he
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