Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-10-11

CHpOSlhEs
President Wilson has been served
faithfully and efficiently by Mr.. Tu- |
multy and the relations between the !
two are OF the most cordial nature If
Mr.. Tumulty resigns the position in
the event OF the presidents reelection
his act will be entirely voluntary. That
it is his intention to retire from the
position after March next is the be-
lief of all of Mr. Tumulty's most init
mate associates.
RESPONSIBLE Po5iTloN.
Time was when the position of pri-
vate secretary to the president was
more or less Of a sinecure. In the early
days of the republic. and even down to
the administrations of Hays and Gar
field and Arthur, the duties of the
presidents private secretary consisted
almost wholly of clerical work of a
more or less routine nature. But of
late years the position has taken on
a much greater Importance, with con-
seuuent increase of work and RESPONSE
bility.
Nowadays the private secretary is
the buffer that stands between the
president and the public, or it might
he said. the shock -absorber that pro-
tects the chief executive from the
annoyance of disgruntled politicians
and importunate persons of all sorts.
It is inevitable that whoever holds
the position must come in for some
hard knocks. Among the dissatisfied
element in official and unofficial cir
cles in Washington the habit of criti-
Ching the presidents private secretary
is a popular indoor sport.
II is not considered Ill ely that Sec
rotary Tumulty will care to hold the
position another four years. 1t is
probable that if he resigned and the
president was re elected he could OBJ
tain appointment to an equally remu-
neratiVe and more desirable federal
position for the asking. Or if he chose
to return to private life, the prestige
Of his present position would go far
| toward landing him big" position
in the world of finance o. business.
FROM HOME STATE.
| President Wilson probably would Sc,
| lect another New Jersey man IL call
| ed upon to name a new private sec
rotary Mr. Hughes, if elected presi
dent, likewise would be expected to
make his selection from New York
state. 1t has been an almost unbroken
rule for a president to select as his
private secretary a citizen of his own
state ever since George Washington
took Tobias Lear. Mr., Lear was a
Virginian, a close friend and neighbor
of General Washington. Thus JEFF
ferson chose for that position Captain
MerriWeather Lewis of Virginia; Jack :
son, A. j. Donelson, of Tennessee; Van
Buren,, John Van Buren,, of New York;
Polk, John Knox Walker of Tennessee;
| Taylor, Col Bliss, of Kentucky; Fill
more. NJ. p. Fillmore, of New York:
Pierce, Sidney Webster, OF New Hamp-
shire; Buchanan; James Buchanan
| Henry, Of Pennsylvania; Lincoln. John
| n Nicholay of Illinois; Johnson, Rob-
| ert johnson, Of Tennessee; Grant, Rob
| bert NJ. Douglas, of Illinois, Hayes w.
F.. X. Rogers, Of Ohio; Garfield, j. STAN
| ley Brown, of Ohio; Arthur Fred j.,
Stanley, of New York; Cleveland, in
his first administration, Dan Lamont
of New York and Henry T. Thurber of
Michigan. in his second administra-
ton; Harrison, z. ]. Halford, of In
diana; Mckinley, j. Addison Porter, of
Ohio; Roosevelt, William Loeb, Jr., of
New York; Taft, Charles d. Hilles,
of Ohio; Wilson, Joseph p. Tumulty,
Of New jersey.
Several of these private secretaries
afterward filled places of high dis
tinction. some in public and some in
private life. Tobias Lear represented
the government in diplomatic posi-
tions, concluding the treaty between
the United States and the Barbary
powers. Lewis led the great eXplor
ing expenditon to Oregon and Was
murdered while governor of Missouri
territory, in lonely cabin in east
ern Kentucky, while on his way to
Washington. Lamont became mem
Der of Cleveand's cabinet during his
first term. Halford became paymas-
ter in the army and Loeb was made
collector of the port of New York