The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-08
t Is Understood That All the Cabinet Officers Have
 Been Chosen
LITTLE NOW REMAINS
 BUT THE ACCEPTANCES
President-Elect Has Called Off Pro- posed Speech To Negroes In At-
 lanta Owing to the contro-
 versy Between Factions.

1 Augusta, Ga, January 7.-President- elect Taft today took counsel with Phil- l ander C. Knox, his Secretary of State, 1 on the subject of cabinet appointments. MT. Taft has heretofore announced that l the judgment of Senator Knox is to have great weight with him in selecting 1 the men who are to be in his cabinet. With this in mind it may be stated that 1 the preliminary and formative periods of i this important work have merged into that of making definite decisions, and
 of offers and acceptances of places. 1 Mr. Taft would not discuss for pubica-
 ton or otherwise what he said was the
 long and most satisfactory talk he had
 this afternoon with his premier. The two men are to be together practically the l entire day tomorrow, as the result of which the Presdent-elect indicated that it might be possible to make a partial 1 report for publication, but he was not l positive. MT. Knox was very frank to
 say that with his chief accessible it would 1 obviously be undesirabl for him to give | the public information. Besides, he added ], the final decision on matters talked over l rested with MT. Taft. and these decisions 1 may not have been made.
 Open Field of Speculation. | It is understood that MT. Knox is be- 1 ing asked to give his judgment regard 1 ing men whom MT. Taft has tentativeIy 1 selected after extended consideration, and 1 consultation with party leaders, rather 1 than to go into the initial stages of the 1 subject. MT. Taft has said recently that
 no cabinet offers were outstanding and unaccepted, from which it may readily be | seen that should the conferences with Nil. Knox bring the questions to- a hnality in 1 the mind of the President-eect he viii
 afterwards have to negotiate the offers , and acceptances with the men he has l decided on. This will take time, and 1 will still leave open the seemingly al- 1 turing field of speculation relative to the I personnel of the Taft cabinet. | Senator Knox arrived from Washington l at noon today. He went at once to tho 1 Bon Air hotel, and after lunch, to the ] Taft cottage. After a lengthy confer- | ence there with MT. Taft the two went l for an automobile drive together. dinner engagement which Mir and Mrs. Taft had for this evening precluded fur their talk with MT. Knox.
 The Pennsylvania senator is an en- thusiastic golfer and will begin the day with a game with the President-elect to- morrow.
 The Inauguration. Mir Knox is chairman of the inau- | gural committee of the Senate and 1 House. and with a pleasant smile he | said tonight that he had told Mir. Taft l today that he intended to see him
 properly inaugurated President of the United States, and his own appoint ment as Secretary of State made and
 confirmed before he ceased to be the 1 junior senator from Pennsylvania. All | of which indicates clearly that there | will be no vacancy in the Senate caused 1 by MT. Knoxs retirement until after ! March 4. 1 That the organization of railroad em- l ployes favored the selection of Myron T. Herrick of ohia, for cabinet place 1 T. Herrick of Ohio. for cabinet place Warren S. Stone. grand chief of the
 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. MT. Taft will partake of barbecue Saturday afternoon the guest of the
 Beach Island Farmers association, an | organization of South Carolina farm CTS formed more than 50 years ago. The barbecue will be given about
 miles from this city on the Carolina side of the Savannah river.
 Negro Speech Called off.
 Acting upon information and advice. Mir Taft today wrote a letter to Asa G. Candler. chairman of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. withdrawing his engagement to address the negroes of that city on his forthcoming visit. A lively row is in progress a<ong the Alt lanta negroes. 1t is understood here. over the question of where Mir. Taft should make his address. Continued consideration increased the bitterness. so it is reported. and the advice which decided MT. Taft to decline to make any address came from prominent memb bers of that race.
 It became publicly known for the first time today that the President-elec is no fiat foot" This interesting piece of information was brought to light by. the arrival here of Dr. Anson G. Cook of Hartford, Ct, an orthopedic expert. The story, told by MT. Taft, has its beginning way back in the campaign. He has a prominent political friend in Connecticut. This friend came to him with protestations that he did not want a single thing in the way of political appointments, and had no favors to ask-except one. Then he related to MT. Taft that in his town was an ex- pert orthopedist, who was much inter- ested in Mir. Taft's feet and declared that on account of his great weight he must be fiat foot,' which, inter- preted was said to mean that the cords of the instep were faxed by the great strain on them. Dr. Cook made . plaster cast of each foot of the Presi- dent-e while he was in New York during the campaign, and result he has informed MT. Taft that his feet are perfect in form.