The National tribune., 1911-03-16
THE SECRETARY
:. s.5oF THE INTERIOR.
rit +A
Some of the Senator'S GrumbIing
About Too Many Secretaries
from Chicago.

nowzat the helm. He secuted any fears
of the 18Th of the month-which all
folk will note-and started
nouncement of his nomination. Presi-
dent Taft signed the recess appointment
before he journeyed away to the South,
but. of course. in early April the nomi-
nation of Walter I. Fisher, of Chicago.
to be Secretary of the Interior will be
frmed by that body and a regular Cab
met commission issued to the new in
cun,bent.
His selection for the Cabinet appears
to be meeting with general approval,
altho few Senators are grumbling for
one reason or another. They do not
like it that three members of the Cabi-
net should come from Chicago, and
they have an idea that Secretary Chas.
ID. Norton, who also is from Chicago,
put it across" The Far West does not
feel very jubilant, but this is not par
ticularly because of any objection to
Mr. Fisher. With the retirement of
Secretary, Ballinger the Pacific Coast is
deprived Of member of the Cabinet
for the first time in many years. The
of the Cabinet farthest West
is now that old veteran, Secretary Will
son. of Iowa, who has presided long
over the Department of Agriculture.
Mckinley and Roosevelt kept q Pacific
Coast man in their Cabinets, as a rec
ognition of the stalwart Republicanism
of that section. President Taft was not
able easily to find an acceptable Pacific
Coaster when he came into office, altho
he was glad to have Mr.. Ballinger ac-
cept the Interior Department, and, in
fact, urged him to accept But for the
political chaos in California as between
the Republican factions the President
might have selected a Secretary of the
Interior from that State when Secre-
tary Ballinger resigned. The insurgents
now control the State, and the Presi-
dent Is not particularly enamored Of
the California brand Of insurgency, ex-
cept that he Is on fairly good terms
with Gov. Hiram Johnson: However,
with Representative VIM Kent, insur-
gent. he Is not at all In accord.
The selection of California regular
For the Cabinet at this time would have
subjected the President to more critf-
cism for having the conservative wing
1f the Republicans dominating his Cab
net. There were one or two available
California Republicans, one Of them ex-
Senator Frank p. Flint, Of Los Angeles,
city as a member Of the National None
tary Commission.
There is an opinion in many quarters
hat o the Secretary Of the interior
should be Western man, and Chicago,
Of course. is hardly Western city any
onger. aluho ii nonlfnally claims to be
n that category. The Interior Depart
nentg with its very great volunle of
public business, has to deal essentially
With Western matters. Irrigation en-
terprises. in which the Government Is
are wholly In the West
mostly in thei1Far West. Public land
matters are wholly Western. The work
,f tho Geological Survey and Of the
new Bureau of Mines are very largely
Western. mo-
The Territorial Governments.
Under present-day ARRANGEMENTS the
Secretary OF the Interior has immediate
over the Territorial Govern
nents. all business of the Hawaiian
Government with Washington, or nearly
LII, passes as matter Of official routine
over his desk. He has no small infiu-
.nce in Hawaiian legislation. Of which
here is considerable at Washington
rom session to session. Bills affecting
The territory of the mid-Pacific are
nearly all referred to the Secretary of
he Interior for recommendation and
,eport before committees of Congress
90 ahead. When any prominent Terri
orial official I'm Hawaii wishes to leave
he islands, he must have the assent of
he Secretary of the Interior at WASH
ngton. I'D.
Quite as much is true of the Terrific
'ial Governments of Arizona, New Mex
CD. Alaska and Porto Rico. OF course,
Arizona and New Mexico are well on'l
he way to Statehood, but whether they
come in immediately or not the impor-
ance of the Territorial Government In
Alaska is constantly increasing, all of
which enhances the responsibility of the
Secretary of the Interior. He is friend
" in his attitude toward Hawaii and
he other Territories. but naturally is
TOT familiar with the details OF Terri
.orial Governments. .st
While many heads of the Interior
Department. have been Western men,
probably the majority Of them, there
nave been several exceptions. Presi- |
lent Mckinley had Cornelius Bliss, of
New York, as his Secre tary of the In
erior, and after him Ethan Allan
Hitchcock of Missouri. and President |
Roosevelt nominated for Secretary of
he Interior when Mr.. Hitchcock retired |
James r. Garfield, of Ohio. In the
'ariier days most Secretaries Of that
Department came from the Middle |
West. Thomas Ewing, of Ohio, was the |
irst Secretary of the Interior, under |
President Taylor Then followed Z. NJ. |
+ McKenna, OF Pennsylvania. under |
Gilmore; Alexander Fl. Fl. Stewart, of
Robert McClelland, of Michi- |
,an; Jacob Thompson, of Mlssissippi; |
Tohn p Usher. of Indiana, under Lin |
'oln; James Harlan. of Iowa, and O. H |
Browning of Illinois, under Johnson;
Jacob d. Cox and Columbus Deiano, |
10Th of Ohio and Zachariah Chandler,
II Michigan, under Grant; Carl Shurz,
If Missouri, under Hayes; Samuel J. |
Sirkwood, of Iowa; Henry M. Teller, of
Colorado; l.. Q. G.. Lamar, of MISSISSIPPI
81: William F.1Vilas, of Wisconsin;
Tohn w. Noble, OF Missouri; Heke
smith. of Georgia, and David r. Fran
is, of Missouri, which brings the In
eriOr line of Cabinet officials down to
cornelius N Bliss - ,
a GoIfng Man.
When the 0hfoniclers were making
Up the story sgf:: Walter I. Fisher. the
lew SecretafW 0f:the Interior, there was
are ahoutfInfhtioning that he is an
gpJfsr. That was impor-
ant, for the .gSiting colony among
Washington ofsnSils grows .apace, and
ayety upon the: Washington links as
he season advances. In all probability
resident Taft#H1il take on" the new
secretary veryHsoon at Chevy Chase,
where IN the course OF two or three
weeks NE cpurs4 will be in to!erable
1t doa4 not aisiow that the new Sec
etary M4rbecohSe the Presidents golf
ng parHNafsby a}V means. As matter