The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-25
CHANGES PLANNED IN TAFT CABINET
  Wickersham, Wilson and Hitchcock May Go 70 SAVE THE PARTY Taft By Three Cabinet Appoint ments Could Probably Heal Some Very Ugly Sores in
 His Party
10 SAVE THE PARTY
BY WALTER HARPER

Washington, october 2i.-tSpecial)- At least three changes in the Presi- dents cabinet are expected to occur be- fore the next presidential campaign is well under way.
 Those who are expected to retire are Postmaster General Prank H. Hitch cock, Attorney General Wicllersham and Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson.
 It is being rumored and on what is said to be very good authority that Postmaster General Hitchcock will "e- sign about January to enter business in New York. It is said that some of his close official friends have been not1- fled of this intention and that some of them are looking about for other po- sitions.
 There may be no special political sis- nifoance inthe retirement of MT. Hitcn- cock from the cabinet. He has an nouuced more than once that he does not care 10 engage in further politi- cal campais isns. It was at one time sug- gested that he might be asked to man. age another national campaign, but he discouraged this idea promptly.
 The Postmaster General probably de- sires to retire from a position that has been very trying and in which he has worked most faithfully. He has been ambitious to make a business record in the postoffice. He has had an ambl- ton to put the department on a pay ing basis and cut out much of the waste and extravaganza. He has ac- eomplished probably as much along this line as possible without seriously af- fecting the efficiency of the service.
 He has done sonic things that are considered radical and some of them unwise, but he has accomplished some reforms that are perhaps worthy.
 Attorney General Wickersham may retire for the good of the party. He may voluntarily resign or he may re- ceive an intimation that it would be best for the cause. In any event there seems to be d general impression that he must sooner or later act as one of the goats of the administration.
 Wickersham is very much in disfa- yor in some quarters on his stand ol Alaskan matters. His most recent act for which the people will not soon for give him was his recommendation that the President mete out punishment to Dr. Harvey w. Wiley, head of the bu- roau of chemistry. The Presidents ex- cuse. that Wickersham was not familiar with all the facts when he made the recommendation does not excuse the Attorney General. of all men he should have known all the facts before making such a radical and drastic recommends tion. And it will be remembered that the President refused to accept the Attorneys General recommendation
 Secretary Wilson of the agricultural department is even more seriously mixed up in this same affair than the Attorney General. There have been . number of reports recently that the Secretary was on the point of send ing in his resignation Each time the report has been strenuously denied but this does not necessarily mean that he will not resign later on. The peo- pie do not accept these denials as final.
 The President has promised to go deeper into the troubles in tho depart ment of agriculture when he returns to Washington and some drastic changes arc expected to take place following this further effort toward houseclean- ing. The public is demanding the scalp of Solicitor George F. McCabe. the ap- parent friend of the food adulterers. If the President should demand that Me Cabe retire. and there seems to be no way for the President to avoid such a demand, it is believed that Wilson will follow. The Secretary and his solicitor are very close and the enforced re tirement of McCabe will create a most uncomfortable situation for Secretary Wilson.
 The President could probably handle two or three vacancies in his cabinet to good political advantage between now and the active opening of his cam paign next year. There are factions in his party that he would no doubt like to heal and nothing heals a political sore as effectively as q political favor.