Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-03-20
OLD TIES SEVERED
Present and Former Cabinet Of
ficers Arrayed Against
Each Other.
ROOSEVELT FIGHT THE CAUSE
Allegiance Of Taft's offieiai Family
and OF Rooseve,rs Former AdVls-
ers Strained BY Contest for the
Presidential Nomination.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.


BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-In truth, though one
must speak iguratively, the presi-
dents cabinet table is round table.
Men sit in order of precedence. where
in spirit there is no precedence. One
cabinet officer ranks another cabinet
officer additionally, and in one sense
in law; but when seeking advice upon
subjects of general moment not con-
fined to the administration of any one
of the executive departments the pres
ideat is as apt to seek light an5 knowl-
edge from the left hand as he is srom
the right hand.
There are three men in President
Taft's cabinet who had seats at the
round table during the time CT his
predecessor: Philander Chase Knox,
secretary of state; George l.. Meyer,
secretary Of the navy. and James VIII
son, secretary of Agriculture. When
Mr.. Knox was In Mr.. Roosevelt's cab
met he was the attorney general, while
Mr.. Meyer at the same time was the
postmaster general Mr. Wilson. of
course, held the same Farmer posi-
tion," secretary of agriculture, that
he holds today. Elihu Root. who was
secrstary of state in Mr.. Roosevelt's
cabinet, Is now a senator. Allthe other
men living who held cabinet office I'M
der Mr.. Taft's predecessor are now
engaged in business activities of one
kind or another In cities other than
Washington. Two members of the
Roosevelt cabinet have died, Paul Nor
ton. secretary of the navy. and Ethan
Allen Hitchcock. secretary of the in
terror.
The campaign between Mr. Taft and
Mr.. Roosevelt for the Republican pres
idential nomination has brought into
the field some Of the former cabinet
members, either in support or in an
tagonism to their former chief. Sena-
tor Root, Mr.. Roosevelt's secretary of
state. is strong partisan of Mr.. Taft.
So is Secretary OF State Knox. who
also served the man who is now try
ing to come back" George B. Cor
telyou, now the head of a great trust
company in New York city, has a
strong personal affection for Theodore
Roosevelt, but he is supporting the
present president Leslie NJ. Shaw,
secretary of the treasury under Mr.
Roosevelt, is loyal politically to his
former chieftain. James r. Garfield.
secretary of the interior under Roose-
welt, is one of the most active of the
antagonists of Mr. Taft and also one
of the most militant Of the support,
ers of Mr.. Roosevelt. Trueman C.
Newberry, who for a short time under
navy, is now at the head of one of the
campaign headquarters from which
endeavor to renominate the colonel is
being directed.
1t would hardly do to speak of Mr..
Roosevelt's former members and ig-
more the one on whom the mantle OF
the presidency later William
Howard Taft Mr.. Taft's position in
the present campaign does not need
defining. He is opposed to his former
chief Their friendship is said to have
been broken pas mending, but there
are some people who Salieve that one
day they will come together again in
affection. Mr. Taft himself thinks
so, it is said, and it is also said that
Mr. Roosevelt hopes so, though what
he thinks is another matter.
Root Is for Taft.
1t has been written how mem.
bers of Mr.. Roosevelts cabinet are
divided in their allegiance be.
tween him and President Taft
in the matter of presidential success.
sion. 1t is said that all of Mr.. Roose.
velt's cabinet officers, whether they
are supporting him or not, still have
strong personal affection for him,
and this makes their antagonism &c
his ambitions probably the harder for
them. Elihu Root, now senator of the
United States from New York. was
as close personally to Mr.. Roosevelt
as any man In Washington. The sen.
ator ordinarily is spoken of az a cold
man, but there was a warmth in his
relations with Theodore Roosevelt
which showed that underneath the
cold exterior some fires burned.
When the corner stone of the Blu.
reau Of American Republics building
was laid both Mr. Roosevelt and Mr..
Root made. speech IS and the then
president in speaking of Mr. Roots
work as secretary Of state said that
in the whole history of the country
there had been no greater secretary
than Elihu Root Mr. Roosevelt ia.
pended on Mr.. Root to give to the
country a good many of his views on
government There we're some things
in which Mr.. Roosevelt believed that
Mr. Root did not believe in. but the
president always knew how to diff