Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-13
GOSSIP OF CABINET.
Judge Taft Has Decided Ide,
it Should Be MAJ
WANTS MEN FROM THE PEOPLE
No Promotions from Clerical Positions
to Cabinet Portfolios.
KNOX FOR SECRETARY OF STATE
Burton Likely to Take Treasury if He
Does Not Land S~enatorship.
knox FOR SECRETARY OF STATE
HITCHCOCK POSTMASTER GENERAL
Wilson to Remain for a Time, but
Beyond These 1t IL stated the
PresIdent-eIect Has Come
to No Conclusions.
tFrom a staff correspondent.l

NhrOm a starr COrrespondent.)
WASHINGTON, Dec. R~.-(Special Tele-
gram.)-From many sources and with in
terviews had with Presdent-elect William
H. Taft by friends OF .he incoming chief
executive it is believed that Judge Taft
will select his cabinet completely from
those not associated with administration
affairs. By this 1t is not meant to insinu-
ate that the present cabinet officers are
not TO the liking of the incoming president.
but that he wants to surround himself with
men who come from the people and not
through the clerical branches Of the govern
ment. Mr.. Cortelyou. who has made a
splendid secretary Of the treasury and a
most efficient postmaster general. is a
product OF clerical advancement. This Is
true also of several officials in the Post
office department and throughout the gov
ernmental scheme clerks have been ad-
vanced 20 occupy positions which they are
wholly fitted for from an administrative
point of view, but who know little OF Moth
ing of the wants of the people whom they
represent.
AS a cabinet officer Mr.. Taft has seen
these things and now that he is to be in
augurated president It is learned that he
proposes to have about him at the cabinet
table men who represent the states and
the nation, rather than mere bureaucrats.
To this end is is seeking a man for secre-
tary Of state who will fill the place made
vacant by Blihu Root, and it is thought he
will choose Senator Philander c. Knox of
Pennsylvania, one of the very ablest law
yers in the country.
Whitelaw Reid. ambassador to the court
of st. James, 1t is understood. would like
to have the place, but there is nothing
doing in that connection.
Burton for Treasury.
Should the fate of battle go against Rep
resentative Burton. who represents the
Cleveland district Of Ohio in congress, It 10
pretty generally accepted that he will be
asked to AXE the position of secretary Of
the treasury, a place for which he is pre-
eminently fitted. or course, Mr.. Burton
may win the senatorship as the successor
to senator Foraker, for he occupies a strong
position with the five people I'm the race
Charles p. Taft of Cincinnati, Governor,
Harris, Senator Foraker, Harry Daugherty
and himself.
Mr.. Taft, editor of the Times-Star and
brother of the president-elect. does not have
at this time anywhere near votes enough
to elect, although the republicans have
thirty or more majority in the Ohio legisla-
ture on Joint ballot. Burton will have a lot
of votes in the caucus, as will Foraker,
Harris and Daugherty, and 1t may be that
instead of Taft for senator, Burton may
win out because of local conditions. That
is neither here nor there, however. for II
Burton is defeated President-elect Taft will
ask him to take the treasury portfolio.
AS to the postmaster generalship, Mr..
Hitchcock is still the favorite, notwith-
- ~ A. a - -
started against him, and a good guess is
that he will land the position for which
he is both mentally equipped and peculiarly
fitted.
Wilson to Stay Awhile.
1t is generally accepted in Washington
that James Wilson. secretary of agricul-
ture, will not hold the position beyond next
July. 1t has been Mr.. Wilson'S ambition
to serve the longest time of any other secre.
tary Of agriculture, and Tanner Jim" will
be permitted to make that record and then
will come a change. Mr.. Pinchot of the
forestry service has been very generally
slated for the agricultural position, but
from those who have had conferences with
the president-elect, the Inference has gone
out that Judge Taft believes that Mr..
Pinchot would subordinate the great De-
partment of Agriculture to that Of the for
estry bureau.
There will be a change in the Depart
ment of the Interior and a change in the
Department of Justice, but who are being
considered rests completely in the mind of
Judge Taft, who does not propose to make
mistakes In those two great offices.
Attorney General Charles j. Bonaparte
today indicated that he would not be a
member of President-elect Taft's cabinet
when, in response to an inquiry on the sub
Ject, he said that after March 4 next he
positively would retire from public life.
Although Mr., Taft has a wide knowledge
Of men. his mind Is open to suggestions,
for he wants in his cabinet men OF all geo.
graphical sections and not men OF mere
localitiesl Secretary Wright of the War
department will remain, but the Navy de-
partment Is much in doubt. AS for Com
merce and Labor, Mr.. Straus has proved
himself extremely capable and the chance
are that he will remain in his present post
ton.
DakOtans See Taft.
Senator Gamble and Mr.. Cook, chairman
OF the republican state central committee
OF South Dakota. had an interview by ap-
pointment with Judge Taft yesterday aft
ernoon. Matters OF interest to the state
were discussed, but both the senator and
Mr.. Cook refused to make public the re-
suit of the conference. Senator Gamble
was in consultation with officials of the
Interior department today with reference
to the status of the preliminary work on
the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River In
dian reservations. He urged that the ut
most expedition be exercised so that the
work may be completed and the reservation
opened TO settlement at the earliest pos.
sible date. 1t is the Judgment OF the de-
partment that the work OF allotment will be
completed and the appraisement and clas-
sification Of lands be concluded so that the
lands may be opened for settlement in the
fall OF 1909.
Senator Gamble also took up with the de-
partment the matter OF two bills he recently
| Introdurad IooktnR IN the onenlnR ~ the