Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-07
Arrivals of Department Heads
at Cabinet Meeting.
GUESSES BASED ON HABITS
Spectators Agree in Placing Secre-
taries Wilson and Nagel at Head.
TUMULTY AT WHITE HOUSE
Next Presidents Secretary Famil-
to Attend Cannon Dinner.

Being off day at the White House
and little doing. reporters and secret
service men made bets on the order OF
arrival of cabinet officials
For fifteen years cabinet sessions have
been held twice each week. Tuesdays and
Fridays. The hour fixed is II o'clock.
Presidents Mckinley and Roosevelt were
always punctual in taking tho seat At
the head of the cabinet table at that
hour. President Taft has seldom been
on time. For the last year or so ne has
run behind his schedule so far that II
Is seldom earlier than II ~ that he
leaves his office, especially if he is talk
ing to visitors. and joins tho cabinet.
Most of the time il is II 10 Gradually
cabinet officers have, To save time needed
at their departments, fallen into the
habit of reaching the executive offices
about the hour they think tho President
will seat himself.
Despite the knowledge that tho
President is practically sure to be late.
several of the cabinet officers. notably
Secretaries Wilson and Nagel, reach
the White House close to IL o'clock.
Guided by Habits.
The cabinet time spectators each
wrote down the order OF expected ar
rivals. and the doorkeepers kept the or
der of actual arrivals. The guesses
were all based upon the abits of the
different cabinet officers remembered
by the spectators. The guess that
Wilson. j; Nagel. =; MacVeagh, 3;
Wickersham. 4, Fisher 8: Meyer, g.
Stimson, .: Knox, S: Hitchcock. .. All
the guesSes put Secretary Wilson down
as the first arrival and Secretary Nagel
as the second, and all We're right i'll
this respect Mr.. Nagel ran MIR. Will
son close race. however. being within
fifteen yards of the Secretary of Agri-
culture when the latter entered the eX-
ecutivc offices.
This Is the way the cabinet members
did arrive: Wilson. /: Nagei. >: Wicker
sham. 3; MacNeagh. 4: Hitchcock, =.
Fisher. q: Stimson. 4: Meyer. s. and Nj.
Knox did not arrive at all.
Tumulty Guest at Luncheon.
Joseph r. Tumulty. the newly selected
secretary to President be Wilson.
was guest of Secretary IIiIles at lunch
con at the Metropolitan Club Mr.. Tu-
multy's program was not known at tho
after luncheon he would go with Mr.
Hilles to the executive offices, meet Pres
ident Taft and AL the office force, re-
naming there until o'clock. when he
members of that organization. Mr. Tu-
nudity, SO far as known, has never been
I'm the White House. There is no recol-
lection that Gov. Wilson has been there
within many years. Old employees of tho
White House said today that SO far as
they remembered he has not been there
since the last administration OF President
Cleveland, over sixteen years ago.
There is d strong feeling among White
House officials and employees that Mr.
Tumulty will come to the conclusion that
his work Will be more effective by re
tanning Rudolph Forster and Thomas
Brahany, the assistant secretaries to the
President. Forster is generally regarded
as invaluable around the White House
because of his great knowledge of the de-
tails of government work in all depart
ments and the methods of the White
House under many administrations. Bra
hany has done splendid work since he
went to the White House, and the two
make a team that would be semarkably
helpful to a new secretary.
President Accepts Invitation.
President Taft today promised to at
tend the dinner to be given by congress
sional and other friends to ex-Speaker
Cannon the evening OF February 10. The
speakers will be democrats and repub-
licanS of prominence, including Speaker
Clark. The invitation to the President
was presented by Representatives Hum
phrey of Mississippi and Moore of Penn
sylvania.
Senator Brady and Representative-elect
Smith of Idaho saw the President to asl.
about story that the War Department
contemplates abandonment of the army
barracks at Boise. The President said
this was not true.