The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-04-29
Cabinet OFFICERS
4 HAVE ABLE ALLIES
Private Secretaries Have Had Wide
Experience, Collectively, and
Travelled Much.


Mr.. Babcock Is old only In point of
4 service. He is 80 young mat all the
secretaries of state since John Sher-
nan have found IL necessary to re-
tain him In that position.
All OF the others, including also
Fred w. Carpenter. secretary To the
president, are on the hopeful side OF
forty years. or the ten Including.
again, Mr.. Carrenter). five are unmai-
ried. The bachelor division Is headed
by the secretary to the president
The personal history OF all of them
shows that they have been chosen for
the confidential places that they &C.
cupy because OF close attention to bust
ness under conditions thai make many
young men weaken.
Fred w. Carpenter is a quiet, re-
served sort OF young man, who OBJ
serves a lot. speaks seldom and then
with hesitation. and smiles almost
never. Mr.. Carpenters reserved ma
ture caused great alarm when the new
administrator came in. Between the
reservation and the fact that Mr.. Car
penter was trying 10 find out the uu-
known angles of perfectly strange
job. the communication between Pres
ident Taft and the public Through the
press) was broken. Nothing doing at
all i'm the news line. But he quickly
found his bearings and is beginning
70 I'LL to the full the new position.
II Is almost necessary TO contrast
Mr.. Carpenter with his predecessor.
Mr.. Loeb. The latter radiated conf
dence In himself and spoke seemingly
ex cathedra on all subjects. Mr.. Car
penter at first gives an impression
Of backing away" but the impression
fades when one waits.
Suited Future President.
Fred. w. Carpenter was born in
Sank Center. Mimi. Dec, Il, 1873. He
went to California at eight years OF
age and was educated in the public
schools and private academy there.
He returned to Minnesota in 1893 and
Was graduated from the university
Of that state as a bachelor OF laws IN
1897 A postgraduate course gave
him the degree of master OF laws.
and he was admitted to practice IN
Minnesota and California. In 1900,
Mr.. Taft. in the Philippines, wanted
q competent secretary. Mr.. Carpen-
ter was recommended and sailed Tor
Manila Mr.. Taft had not known him.
but he suited the future president so
well that he has been with Mr.. Tatt
even since He was secretary To MI.
Taft when the latter was secretary OF
war. and resigned that position to stay
with the candidate for president dur
ing the recent campaign.
f. j. Babcock, right hand man To
Secretary Knox, of the state depart
ment, is an Albany man. lie came -
Washington years ago as clerk Oh the
foreign relations committee. lie De-
came private secretary to John Sher.
man when the latter took charge OF
the state department, and has beeh
priyate secretary to all the premiers
since that time-six In all. Mr.. Bah
cocks knowledge OF the state depart
ment affairs is so thorough that NO
has been asked by each succeeding
secretary OF state TO remain at MS
desk. Mr.. Babcock is married.
ROLLING stone Settled Down.
The department OF the treasury 1oi-
lows the department of state III order
of cabinet precedence, and mat brings
10 the front Robert o. Bailey, who has
inst left tho newspaper business to as
sist Mr.. MacVeagh. Mr.. Bailey was
horn I'm Lena. Ill, on st. Patrick's day,
1879. The Bailey family moved from
MACE to place and finally settled in
cleveland. y. II became evident
when Robert was eleven years o.d
that he didn't like Cleveland. He ran
away and went 10 Chicago, where he
lecame a Western Union messenger
HOY. sold papers, swept out Offices ana
generally earned living. He says
that he was making $3.50 week be-
fore he was twelve years old One OF
the nlaces that he swept out was
school of stenography, and ne TOOK
his pay in instruction. The age o.
thirteen found him in San Francisco
where he became a printers devil
and eventually both a journeymah
printer and journeyman pressman'
Deciding that he would like 10 90
newspaper work he came % Wasnihg-
ton in 1897. He went to the WashinS
ton Times and said he would work 10.
nothing to get start. The secona
dav of his service he was sent TO the
house 10 report a debate. and ala IL so
we'll that he was put on salary anu
assigned to the house regularly.
Walter |. Pedigo Is private secretary
% the secretary of war. He Is only
tw.nty-nine years old, but he has seen
a lot of service. both as a soldier ana
"a clerk and secretary to soldiers.
Frank Cole. secretary to the attor-
rev.peueral. was born on farm IN
Fairfield county. o.. where ne speh.
,wantv-one wears. He then attended
a business school at Poughkeepsle'
n v and afterward was employed In
New York city. He wen, into MT
wickersham's law office IN New YORK
four wears ago and came here wheh
Mr. Wickersham' was made attorney
g.neral Mr.. Cole married In New
York city. . A.
Charles +. TAYLOR. secretary 10 the
secretary of the navy, comes OF Mas
sacbusetts stock. His grandfather was
thc celebrated Samuel Taylor, Tor lot
Nv years principal of Phillips AndoVer
academy and his father. George IL.
Tavlor n Dartmouth and Harvard Law
school man. also taught at Andover as
professor Of Greek.
George w. Reik, acting secretary 10
postma ster-General Hitchcock. Is ma
tive of Delaware. where he spent ms
youth. He attended Delaware college
at Newark. Del leaving there just be-
fore graduation. He has spent the
last ten years In the government serv-
Ice. being appointed In 1899 on the
civil staff Of Maj.-Gen. Leonard
Wood. then serving as governor-gener-
nj OF Cuba. At the expiration OF his
Cuban service Mr.. Reik became sten-
ographer TO Gen. A. w. Greedy. then
chief signal officer Of the amy. This
q p.