The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-04
THE LID MEN
At WASHINGTON
CONTINUED from Page one.)

| That one is Secretary of War Luke
E. Wright, the Democrat from Tennes-
see. Almost any Democrat who could
break into the cabinet in these persist,
emit Republican times, would be willing
to make a summer of it and according
ly Mr.. Wright is not grumblng. He
is the Federal official of highest rank
in Washington and gathers some sat-
isfaction from the realization of that
distinction. All the same he is getting
lonesome and the other day observed
that he had stood the weather in the
Philippines nicely but found that the
summer weather of Washington was
getting under his collar. He lives at
nearby hotel, the lobby of which is
well nigh deserted in the hot months,
so that the Tennesseean much of the
time is unable to find any raconteurs
who will join him in spinning yarns to
while away the evenings. In fact he
has begun to mark off the days on his
calendar against the arrival of Pres.
ident Theodore Roosevelt in town.
Then Secretary Wright Is cabinet col
leagues will come f1oeking back to
town and the men, who have been
sitting on the big lids and the little
tiens. The business of the government
will move ahead by leaps and bounds,
When Secretary Taft was first left
in Washington to sit on the lid, the
idea was widely circulated that he was
to be kind of acting president Or
course there is no such office, but the
President can designate some one to
look out for executive business in his
II hon
any one to act officially in his stead.
AS Secretary of State Root was absent
then on a voyage around South Amer
lea, Secretary Taft was directed to
keep an eye on the State department
He did actually attend to considerable
State Department business and came
nearer to being the acting president
than anv other cabinet officer whom
Mr. Roosevelt has ever told to SIT on
the lid.
Later Secretary Root sat on the lid
for a while during the absence OF the
President, but save for an experience
or two of that nature, Secretary Root
has taken care to be away from Wash
ington when the President has been
taking extended trips. He gets away
to his summer home in New York about
as early as President Roosevelt reaches
Oyster Bay and does not return TIL
the middle of September or the first
of October.
Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou
has been left on the lid once or twice
for brief periods. He served Little
while last year, when Postmaster cen
eral Meyer was out of town. MT
Cortelyou, however, is fond OF ms
summer home at Hampstead, Long Is
land, where he spends not less than
two months every summer.
When a cabinet officer is absent,
there must be an acting head of his de-
partment. The assistant secretaries, or
whom there are two or more IN several
of the departments, are generally proud
TO become the nominal heads and to
sign the official mail that ordinarily
goes to the Secretary's desk. In the
earlier days, when a member OF the
cabinet rarely took more than
month s vacation, the business of the
department proceeded about the same
in his absence. Now it is recognized
that the acting secretary is on the ma
to keep all important business, except
hat of the most pressing character, IN
allowance till his chief returns. Ihat
s not such a welcome role Some mat
-ers are handled by the secretaries at
heir summer homes. Indeed, it has
become common announcement that
his secretary and that secretary IS TAX
ng away bundles of official papers with
i'm. Some seeptieal persons think this
s in the main pleasing fiction, and
hat cabinet officers are quite as human
IS other people when away on yaca-
ion.
And yet, with officials sitting on the
ids in every department, good bulk
# government business is transacted
{ half a dozen official summer homes
utside of Washington The President
sads in this activity. There is almost
Instant communication between the
White House offices here and Oyster
say. The telegraph wires are either
ept made up or arrangements are per
ected whereby through service can be
al on very short notice. Nothing Of
cry great moment comes up in any OF