The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-12-04
BUILDING A CABINET
President Taft Will Do the; Job
And Good One at That.
ROOSEVELT NOT TO DICTATE
Postma stef General Meyer Would Not
Refuse the Appointment to the
Court of St. James.

prises may be in store in the matter
of Mr.. Taft's cabinet making. Cabin
cts have been constructed by others
for the president elect and he has
laughed good humoredly at the states.
Men who should know Mr.. Taft's
mind, if any one knows it, are con-
WINGED that when the names of the
new officers are sent to the senate
for confirmation next March no in
cumbent will be found on the list.
Among those who have been acting
in an advisory capacity to Mr.. Taft
during the last three or four months
there is a feeling that the president
elect believes the only logical way is
to make a clean sweep of the cabinet,
to provide the worthy and ambitious
ones with other places and to sur
round himself with a new set of coun-
sellers.
Nav Have R0osevelt's Advice.
If Mr.. Taft follows the course his
close friends seen to think he has
marked out in this matter he will be
doing what from his own and from
President Roosevelt's point of view Is
the only really sensible thing to do.
It is not hazardous to guess that in
forming an entirely new cabinet the
next president has the sanction, and,
in all human probability, the advice
of the present executive.
When Mr. Roosevelt departed from
the path of precedent and let it be
known that he was in favor of the
nomination of Mr.. Taft he knew he
would be accused of desire to die
tate to the incoming administration.
1t was to avoid the possibility of
such an accusation that the presi-
dent decided to go to Africa immedi-
ately after relinquishing office. 1t
may seem that it is stretching a
point, but the president is said to be-
l;eve, and Mr.. Taft to believe with
him, that if an entirely new cabinet
is formed the next administration will
be lifted from the realm of suspicion
of Roosevelt dictation.
Wished to Keep Mr.. Root.
Those with whom the expectation
of completely changed cabinet is
strong admit that there is one advisor
whom Mr.. Taft strongly desired 20
keep in his official family. This cabi-
net officer is NElihu Root. Mr.. Root,
however, will not stay, for he has had
years enough in the war and state
offices to make him desire a change,
and, as the country knows, the change
ship to senatorship.
There are several members of the
cabinet with whom, if he, should carry
out the plan with which he is credi-z
ted, Mr.. Taft would part most UNI
willingly The whole matter, as the
friends of the president elect put it,
is lifted above the plane of persons
and politics and is placed upon the
plane of what those chiefly concerned
deem sound sense.
President Roosevelt probably has
been influenced less by his cabinet
members than any of his predecessors,
but the feeling is strong that he
would prefer infinitely that there be
no possible ground for the charge of
a hold-over cabinet influence after Mr..
Taft has been installed. How plainly
he has put this to Mr.. Taft Is a
matter of conjecture, but it is not
likely that the president elect of his
own voltion would arrange for new
official family without taking into
consideration the wishes of his prede-
cessor in office as they might relate
to the retention of admittedly. capable
officials. If Mr.. Taft shall follow the
plan outlined it is certain that with
new counselors about him and with
the president hunting lions, elephants
and other creatres in Africa, there
will be little basis for insinuations
that there is another guiding hand at
the helm than that of Mr.. Taft.
Mr.. Taft will have less difficulty,
perhaps, in finding places for those
who are to depart and who desire
other offices than he will have in find
ing new men fitted for secretaryships
Meyer May Get London Post.
Secretary Root and Secretary Cortel-
YOU wish to leave the cabinet. Post
master General Meyer would like
nothing better than to 90 to the
court of st. James, a post that he can
have, probably, if he expresses his
wish. Mr. Newberry is an exceed
ingly wealthy man, and though with
only three months service in Mr..
Roosevelt's cabinet he might be re-
'earded in the light of new member
of Mr. Taft's official family, it is
understood that he would not oppose
a change to foreign berth. Secre-.
tary Wilson has been in the cabinet
so many years that he could depart
certain of the fame of his service.
Attorney General Bonaparte wishes to-
relinquish the duties of his office.