Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-11-21
Making a Cabinet for Taft.

Making a Cabinet for Taft.
From now until March the Wash
ington correspondents, editors through
the country and many politicians in
both parties will be busy making cabi-
nets for William Howard Taft. OF
course when the time comes he will
select his own cabinet, but in the
meantime the making of cabinets for
him is a harmless amusement and it
serves at least to remind the country
of the splendid amount Of material
which is now available in the Republic
can party for cabinet purposes.
Judge Taft will be the only President
fer half a century who has ever him.
self served in a cabinet and SO he has
peculiar opportunities Of knowing the
qualifications most needed in men Sc
lected for cabinet positions. In the
earlier years of the republic there
were several Presidents who had
earlier served in cabinets. no fewer
y
of State, jefferson, Madison. Monroe,
Van Buren. and Buchanan, but Taft
will be the first President since Mon
roe who has ever served as Secretary
of War and the first since Buchanan
who has ever served in q cabinet.
It is not at all unlikely that Taft
will retain in his cabinet. several of the
men who have been fellow members
with him upon the council table OF
President Roosevelt. One of these Is
| likely to be Secretary of Agriculture
Wilson not only because he IS emil
| nently fitted for the position, but be-
cause If he serves year longer he will
have exceeded the longest record OF
continuous service in the cabinet. He
| is the only man who was in McKin-
'ey's cabinet who has served through
| now been at the head of his depart
ment almost IL years.
More changes have taken place in the
personnel of the cabinet during the
| Roosevelt administration than under
| two secretaries of state-John Hay anC
Elihu Root; three secretaries of the
treasury-Lyman J. Gage, Leslie M
Shaw, and George p. Cortelyou;, three
| secretaries of war-Elihu Root, William
H. Taft, and Luke F.. Wright; two
secretaries of the interior-Ethan A
| Hitchcock and James r. Garfield; 81,
| secretaries of the navy-John d. Long
William Fl. Moody, Paul Morton
| Charles j. Bonaparte, Victor H. Met
calf, and Truman H. Newberry; ONT
secretary of agriculture-James Viii
Emory Smith, Henry c. Payne, Rober
]. Wynne. George B. Cortelyou, an(
George Won l.. Meyer; three attorney:
| Philander c. Knox, William
H. Moody, and Charles L. Bonaparte
and three secretaries of commerce ant
laoor-George r. Cortelyou, Victor H
Metcalf. and Oscar S. Straus. Thu
last-named Office was created after Mr.
Roosevelt became President.
There is a general belief that Taf
will retain the present Secretary o
War. Luke T.. Wright of Tennessee
who is a close personal friend. Genera
Wright, by the way, still claims to b.
a Democrat but his appointment b.
sensation and nobody questions tina
he has made good in that position
just as he did as governor of tn,
Philippines. There We're several in
stances many years ago when d Presi
dent has invited a personal friend o
the opposite political faith to serve II
the cabinet. The latest such instanc,
is that of Walter Q. Gresham of In
diana who was Secretary of War un
der President Arthur and was late
Secretary of State under Presiden
Cleveland, though still a Republican il
politics. Mr. Taft will go into Office
with very few political debts to pay
and no doubt his cabinet appointments
| as well as his other appointments, vii
be made with an eye only to securing
men of the highest type. They will b,
of the new school of administrative
President like Taft will make any weak
!! selections.