Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-25
ADDRESS is BRIEF AND is DE.
CLARED STRONG STATE PAPER;
CABINET is COMPLETE EXCEPT
FOR TREASURY SECRETARY.
MACVEIGH THOUGHT
TO BE THE CHOICE
CHICAGO MANS FRIENDS BE-
LIEVE THAT HE WILL BE CALL
ED TO FILL THE VACANT POST
IN CABINET.

Chicago, Feb 24-That Franklin
MacVeigh of Chicago will be sec
retary of the treasury in the Taft
cabinet is believed by MacVeigh's
closest business associations. The
fact that he broke his custom of
years in not attending the last
meeting of the directors of the
Commercial National bank of
which he is chairman is regarded
as practically conclusive evidence
of his acceptance.
New York, Feb. 24-With one i'm
potant news feature Of the Taft cab
met held in abeyance-the selection OF
a secretary of the treasury President
elect Taft took advantage of his COW
eted opportunities to catch UP with
his correspondence today and prepare
portion OF one of the magazine ar
ticles he has contracted to write. The
inaugural address of Taft received his
final revision today. The document
is, according to custom, a declaration
of the policies which the new admin
istration will endeayor to carry out.
The address contains approximately a
thousand words and will occupy TAFT
little short of an hour in its delivery.
1t is pronounced a strong state paper
by those to whom Taft has sub
mitted 1t.
Cabinet Is Nearly Completed.
Mr. Taft says he Is making head
way in the selection of a secretary
of the treasury, but the place is not
yet filled. Franklin MacVeagh holds
the lead among the aspirants
under consideration. With this Ak
ception the Taft cabinet Is complete
and when officially promulgated short
ly before his inauguration will be as
follows:
Secretary of State-Philander G.
Knox of Pennsylvania.
Attorney General-George w. Wick.
ersham of New York.
Secretary If war;. M. Dickinson OF
Tennessee.
Secretary of the Navy-George Won
L. Meyer Of Massachusetts.
Secretary Of Commerce and Labo.
! Charles Nagel Of Missouri.
Secretary Of the Interior-R. A
Ballinger Of Washington.
Postmaster General-Frank II
Hitchcock of Massachusetts.
Secretary Of Agriculture-James
Wilson of Iowa.
| 1t will be observed that in this list
are five lawyers. of whom Mr.. Taft
believes, there is none better In the
country 1t may be stated that this
fact is not mere coincidence, but has
been carefully planned by the incom
ing president and bears an important
relation to what he believes to be tn:
important work Of his administration
Legal Skill as Reform Aid.
Constitutional legal restrictions or
corporate abuses are the accomplish
ments he will strive for The extreme
difficulties of first framing such meas
rres and then Of securing their enact
ment have confronted Mr.. Taft will
great force. To meet them with sue
cess he believes will require the com
/ bined legal skill of the ablest mind!
he can bring to the task.
In assembling his legal cabinet tn,
president elect has not lost sight o
the necessity Of obtaining men Whose
beliefs on the questions to be deal
with coincide with his own. Mr. Taft
position has been clearly embodied II
his inaugural address. and this docu
ment is known to have received tn,
hearty approval Of all the men selecl
ed to be Mr. Taft's cabinet advisers.
1t requires little Imagination, there
fore, to picture Mr.. Taft's expectanc,
to be that when reform recommends
tion shall be made to congress 1t will
first have had careful weighing as t
its necessity, and efficiency, the great
est care in it's preparation with view
to exact justice, and possess a techn
cal legal correctness which will insur
its efficacy, before the courts. Sue
measures, it is believed, will not onl
commend themselves for their intrir
sic merit to the national legislator
but may also be extected to have be
bind them the weight Of popular ar
proval. ~