The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-03
CABINET MAKERS
! AGAIN BUSY WITH
GUESSING CONTEST
Gov. Wilson Still Keeps His
Choice of Personnel En-
tirely to Himself
RECENT EXPRESSION
ON TRUST QUESTION
Reform Must Come Slowly But as
Friend Says "Would Not
Burn Barn to Destroy
the Rats
BY c. e. STEWART

Washington, January 2.-(Specialo-The
recent proximity of the President-elect,
when he passed through Washington vis-
iting Staunton, and the presence of his
closest 4confidant, Chairman McCombs, in
this city; his conference with Speaker
Clark and Representative Underwood
have only added little fuel to the cab
inot gossip, but failed to throw any new
light upon the subject.
Still it furnishes basis for many obser-
vations from statesmen, and these obser-
vations are eagerly sought by newspaper
men. who have little to do, during the re-
cess of Congress- and around them these
talented wielders of the quill, or per-
formers on the typewriter. keyboard, US
ually weave a tale that listens good and
sounds logical, and thus is public opin-
ion unconsciously nodded.
Inquiry among the leading democrats
who were in touch with the President
elect on his trip to Staunton does not
develop that any one secured from him
any definite tips as to cabinet selections.
cautious approaches to that intensely in
teresting subject were halted by the out
posts of the bland Wilson smile and never
reached the citadel where the information
is stored.
So the politicians had to content them
selves with what they think, they already
know, and they continue to form cabinets,
with William ]. Bryan as the Secretary of
State and Josephus Daniels Postmaster
General and Representative Burleson as
something else. In some quarters Chair
man McCombs is put down as a sure
thing for Attorney General. but he is not
accepted by all the cabinet makers, as
are the other three.
The greatest interest in financial and
business circles attaches to the treasury
and justice portfolios, because of the
fact, now well appreciated in business
quarters, that President Wilson has some
yery positive policies as to financial and
. 1rrency questions and as to trust regu-
lation.
Wilson's Recent Utterances
The President-elect is not radical upon
these subjects. but he sees the neces-
sity of reform. At Staunton the Presi-
dei,t-elect declared: Trust legislation
shall be squared with simple morals of in
dividual action" And another utterance
upon the. subject was: Il do not feel
that you can draw an Indictment against
any part of our business community. They
have largely sinned in ignorance and in
thoughtless haste.
TT is not task for the casuist 1t is
nN a task for the man who will draw
fine spun distinctions. You have got to
lay down the great measurements of NOR
ais and square by them. 1t has got to
be done slowly, because some men need
lot of education. 1t has got to be done
tenderly, because if you can educate a
man there Is no use killing him before
you have educated him.
1T has got to be done in such a way as
not to tear and destroy the economic
fiber of the nation and so drop the pro-
cess of life, but it has got to be done,
and 1t has got to be done with an abso-
lutte infiexble will
Thus it will be seen that big business
and predatory wealth. which may have
been consoling itself over the President
elects former utterances. that "nothing
would be done to disturb legitimate busi-
ness" and 'hugging themselves in the be-
lief that this meant that things would