The National tribune., 1909-08-12

ing over. with the Secretary. some Of
the big irrigation projects in which the
Government IS interested.
Postmaster-General Hitchcock is one
of the last Cabinet officers to leave
Washington this year. His work thus
far has been largely political. There
were many matters left to him, in con-
nection with patronage and the ADJUST
ment of business with the men who
were active in the campaign for Presi-
dent Tafts nomination and election.
| Ihe President turned those matters
over 10 him. No President has been
IN ofiice Tor many years who paid so
httie attention to rewarding political
workers or to looking after the political
ORGANIZATIONS in the States as has Mr..
| Iaft, yet vast deal of this work must
be done unless President is willing to
offend very many men who have been
| of material service to him.
Mr.. Hitchcock has found places for
a few men. altho there has been no
general policy of rewarding the work
ers. Seekers after Office who have come
| here have been turned over to him, and
| it is conceded that he has exercised a
great deal of tact in dealing with such
individuals, and has done much toward
strengthening the President with poll
ticians in the States. He has now
emerged from the bulk of this task, and
is trying to find more time for the Post
Office Department. He is greatly inter-
| ested in the administration of postal
business on an efficient basis, and wants
| time to devote to it When Washing
ton has been deserted by the politicians,
as it is now. Mr.. Hitchcock is able to
| give his days mostly to the duties per-
| tanning to his immediate office. The
| President is very appreciative of what
Mr.. Hitchcock has done in relieving
him of the opportunities Of place seek
| ers.
Secretary Nagle, of Commerce and
Labor, has been staying late in WASH
| ington, but he is now going away to be
| absent for the remainder of the Sum-
mer. Part of the time he will be at his
| home in Missouri. He has aided Mr..
Hitchcock materially in the political
work already alluded to- AS a member
of the Republican National Committee
| in the last campaign and also as lieu
| tenant of Mr.. Hitchcock, who was Ma
tional Chairman in that campaign, Mr..
Nagle has a more intimate knowledge
of the political conditions and of the
men who merited recognition from the
Government In the way of patronage
fayors than any other Cabinet officer
except Mr.. Hitchcock.
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson is
never averse to staying in Washington
during the hot months, and he has
made no exception this Summer. By
for a little rest. He will be here to sit
on the lid for awhile when all the other
Cabinet officers have departed.
After week or so all the Depart
ments, with an exception or two, will
be in charge of Assistant Secretaries.
They arrange those matters carefully,
so that some Assistant Secretary at
least shall always be on deck. Assist
ant Secretary McHarg will be the Act
ing Secretary of Commerce and Labor
during most of August and September.
Assistant Secretary Reynolds will be
Acting Secretary of the Treasury dur
ing the intervals when Secretary Mac
Yeagh goes up to New Hampshire. As
sistant Secretary of the Navy Beekrnan
Winthrop has been Acting Secretary of
that Department much of the time in
recent months, and, as a matter of fact.
has had more experience thus far in
performing the duties of head of a
Department than any other of the %
or so Assistant Secretaries. He is a
great friend of President Taft, and used
to be Assistant Secretary of the Treas
ury.
There are half dozen Assistant At
torneyS-General who Will alternate in
signing themselves as Acting Attorney
General for the next two months. All
the Assistant Acknowledgement must
have vacations, but some one of them
is always on deck, and knows how to
get into communication quickly with
his official chief in case of emergency.
Assistant Secretary Frank Pierce, a
Utah man, has been presiding over the
Interior Department for nearly month,
but he has now gone on vacation, and
red-cheeked young man, Assistant
Secretary Wilson, of Indiana, now signs
the Interior Department mail He will
stick to it till Secretary Ballinger is
back in town again.
Assistant Secretary Oliver has been
holding the lid down in the War De-
partment, but now he, too. has had to
take his vacation, and the Department
is in charge of Chief Clerk, Mr. Sco-
field. A year or so ago, however, the
Congress bestowed upon Mr.. Scofield
some of the responsibilities of an AS
sistant Secretary, and gave him author
ity to act as Secretary. This avoided
some of the troubles that used to arise
when the Chief of Staff was the rank
ing officer in authority. as there would
be clashes of rank and otherwise be-
tween him and the Acknowledgement.
Before long there will be some jour-
neying of Cabinet officers to Beverly,
for while no program for such visits
has been mapped out, there viii be De-
partmental matters demanding the
Presidents attention. Cabinet meet
ings, however, have now been aban-
doned, and there will probably be no
more for nearly four months, or till the
President returns from the West.
The big officials, going and coming,
working and resting, of course, monop-
olize the attention as far as Summer
official activities are concerned. But a
big movement OF the subordinate work
ers to many parts of the country is now
in rapid progress. The Government
gives each one of them months leave.
Thousands of clerks whose annual pay
ranges from 1000 to S2,500 year are
scurrying away to the country side and
getting rested for the years work ahead
of them. Most of them manage to
have a very good time. for they are
well paid, as rule, considering their
services, and know how to get the worth
of their money.
In reality most of the Cabinet Off
GERS plan to be away from Washington
while this big vacation period endures.
The working forces are so reduced that
it is more difficult to get much accom-
plished. So nearly everybody connect
ed with the Government in Washington
is about to have long play day. 1t
will be a month or six weeks before
the rush homeward begins and the
great industry of administering the af-
fairs of the United States is booming
once more
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