The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-22
Successor to Taft's SeCre-
 ta'y Still In Doubt
WHY NORTON RESIGNED JOB
Tnft,s Right Hand Man Took Sides With the Insurgents and Old Party Leaders Caused His
 Retirement

Washington, January H.-(special)-
 Representative James A. Tawney of Min
 nesota may be private secretary to the
 President If he so wishes.
 The talk began in Washington today
 following the announcement of the retire
 ment of Charles D. Norton Other names
 are also mentioned in connection With the
 position, but the best information Is that
 the Minnesotan has first option. And fur
 ther. it is almost universally held that
 MT. Taft Is to be congratulated II ne
 finds Tawney willing to accept. mere is'
 by the way. more or less or a mystery
 concerning the retirement of MT. NOT
 ton.
 MT. Norton's friends insist that he has given the real reason for quittlng-haiiie- ly, that he is going back to Chlcago 'o go into private business. Many poi'i- cians insist on refusing to take so 1riehu- | lv q view of it. They take the view that
 MT. Norton is getting out because or
 powerful political opposition to him, which has influenced the President to let him go.
 The truth Is that there has been oittef opposition to Mir Norton for months
 among powerful politicians in the repup- lican party.
 This is well understood here and is not denied by MT. Norton's best friends. Whether they have been instrumental Tn forcing him out Is something as to which nroof is wanting But that they have sought to disparage him is unquestionably true They have never hesitated to crit hat bp bad political advisor to MT. Taft. Among the men who have opposed MT. Norton IS Senator Aldrich. The influence or Pos,- | master General Hitchcock has been ad- verse to MT Norton. It was MT Norton
 who insisted that the administration last 1 fail ought to free itself from the Aldrlch- I Cannon Ballinger influence. He set ou'
 to take rather heroic measures to bring this about. For his efforts he earned the
 bitter enmity of these men and their po- | itcal friends.
 1 MT Norton was one of the first men about MT. Taft to perceive that the so- called progressive movement was much ! broader and deeper than an expression l of dissatisfaction of a few politicians at 1 the capital. He was one of the men who l wanted the insurgents given patronage. I He wrote the famous letter to an Iowa member of Congress restoring patronage to the insurgents. and because of this was hotly assailed for making blunder. The criticism of MT. Norton in po- l litical way has proceeded largely from | the men who are old-time leaders. While the insurgents have done some criticising they have done by no means | ba n1d Resides this Secretary MacVeaghs close friends have viewed Mir. Norton with jealous | eye, fearing he was out in quest or | the office of Secretary of the Treas ury. Despite such antagonism 1t IS | claimed that the relations of the Pres ident and MT. Norton are entirely friendly; so that the President values his services and that Norton months ago told the President he wanted to reorganize the office force at the White House and then get back to private life. That MT. Norton IS been hard Work- CT, devoted to the President. Is pretty generally conceded. in fact, one reason why lie is said to be desirous of get ting back to private life is that he wants to get out from under the in- tense strain of the duties of the White House secretaryship. As secretary in the treasury department he effected a numoer of new reforms and showed a good hand for business.
 HiIles offered the JOb
 Washington, January 21.-Charles D.. Hilles, assistant Secretary of the Treas ury, has been offered by Taft the po- sition of secretary to the president. This information came today from q reliable source. It was added that ...r. l...es was considering the offer.
 Future secretarles to the President
 of the United States probably will be men of cabinet calloer. This announce
 ment was made at the White House | today in connection with the proposed
 retirement from the position of Charles D. Norton. They should be men who could relieve their chiefs of many of the important depa rtmental questions when the latter are to be called on
 to decide and the decisions in such
 case, it was added, should have a prac-
 tical finality. Af# k| | Under the reorganization of the ex- ecutive force, which has brought about Mr. Norton's short term at the White
 House, all the. force with the excep- ton of the secretary will practically | be permanent body.
 | MT. Norton said the report that he was to succeed the late Paul Morton as head of the Equitable Life Insur ance company was foolish, as he had | decided more than a month ago to re- | si secretary 10 President Taft.