The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-10-11
WILSON AB0LISHES
CABINET MEETINGS
Time HOhOred Custom. COeval
With WaShingtOn> Tenure,
stopped July -.
no SIGN OF RESI- MPTION
President Adopts the Policy of
individual Consultation
to Save Time.
! no SIGN OF RESI- MPTION

WAsHtxGroN. Oct Io-In the last few
months President Wilson has quietly
abolished a custom as time honored as
that which has led his predecessors to
send their messages to Congress in writ
ing.
He has discarded the custom OF sum
moning his Cabinet officers into those
regularly recurring conferences known as
Cabinet meetings.
President Wilson's Cabinet has not met
since July c5. Meantime the Cabinet, as
a body constituted to counsel with the
President and with one another on mat
ters pertaining to a common policy and
to the executive departments has prac-
tically ceased to exist.
Cabinet officers have become merely
the heads OF executive departments to
be summoned into consultation BY the
President on matters within their own
bailiwcks or Individually on the Admin
istration's policies whenever Mr.. Wilson
sees ft
In this elapsed period. when the Pres
ident was facing many OF the most inn
portant problems that his Administra-
ton will be called upon to handle. Mr..
Wilson has been content to shoulder the
full responsibility for Executive action
OF course Secretary Bryan was con-
suited when the Mexican policy was be-
ing formulated and Mr.. McAdoO when the
currency bill was being launched. but the
dad hia
course in these matters without sum-
moning all OF his official family to the
Cabinet room for purposes OF common
counsel.
No Early Resumption.
Furthermore it was earned to-day that
the President has no intention of re-
suming In the immediate future the reg
ular semi weekly Cabinet sittings.
When President Wilson announced his
decision last April to read his tariY
revision message to "A joint session of
the House and Senate many here were
deeply interested in the passing Of a
custom that had been handed down since
the days OF Thomas Jefferson.
Soon after MIR. Wilson went to the
the Capitol to confer with members OF
the upper house on the tarfY and
patronage matters. This second move,
although like the first based on examples
in the early days OF the republic. was
almost as widely discussed as the first
The most improbable predictions as
to the Presidents future course in the
conduct OF his office did not. however.
contemplate the breaking OF any prec-
edents that had been established back
OF Thomas Jeffrrsons days In the White
House.
The Ave Of the CustOm.
The custom of holding regular Cabinet
meetings began with the swearing In OF
three secretaries and the Attorney General,
whose offices were created by Congress
In the early days Of President Washing
tons first term.
The custom has fourished since then
and no one apparently dreamed that this,
like the two other customs was to take
its place In the closet OF castoff things
which President Wilson has established In
promoting his new ideas in the admins-
tration OF executive affairs at Washington.
In the early part Of July the Wilson
Cabinet failed to assemble twice on the
Tuesday and Friday set apart for these
meetings at the White House. ON one
occasion Secretary Bryan was absent
from the capital and on the other the
President himself was at Cornish, n. H.,
on brief vacation. After his return
the regular semi-weekly meetings were
held until July 20.
Inquiries at the White House in the
week succeeding this date brought the
information that the President found II
convenient to confer with the members Of
the Cabinet singly on matters relating to
their departments
At one time or another one or several
members would he away from Washington