Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-27
COCKTAILS IS SLATED
f FOR WAR SECRETARY
|. IN WILSON'S CABINET
Report in Washington Involves
Retirement of Gregory and
Transfer of Baker to De-
partment of Justice
BY RALPH SMITH.

WASHINGTON. d. c., March "a
Discussion of possible cabinet
change, in the event of war with Ger
many has been renewed in Washing
ton. This change deals with the war
department portofolio now held by
Newton D. Baker. Il involves the re-
tirement of Attorney General Thomas
Watt Gregory, the transfer of Mr.
Baker to the department Of justice and
.ahe appointment of Major General
George w. Goethals to be secretary OF
war.
The changes, if they should be
brought 1bout. involve no reflection on
either OF the cabinet officers involved
The retirement of Attorney General
Gregory, has always been one of the
expected cabinet changes, but the war
crisis served to postpone any action
that the president may have had in
mind concerning his second term cabi-
net.
Secretary of War Baker, although
entirely unfamiliar with military mat
ter at the time of his entrance into the
cabinet. has given an administration
generally satisfactory to the president
but when Mr. Baker succeeded Lindley
NJ. Garrison, ii was said that he would
only continue to the end of the presi-
dents first term
The reason for a change in the war
department portfolio at this time is
based on the argument that a gigantic
task involving skill and experience is
about to be developed upon the head
OF the army. The United States is get
ting ready to put a million men under
arms. The job is far beyond any mill
tary undertaking in the history of the
country and it is one of peculiar diff
Guilty. 1t requires creative work of
highly specialized kind and most ex-
perts are agreed that 1t ought to be in
charge of a militay man who has dem
onstrated skill as an organizer.
is PROVED MAN.
While Mr.. Baker has made an accept
able cabinet officer, it is not claimed foe
him that he possesses any special fit
ness for supervising the big task of rails
ing an army of million men. In this
respect, General Cocktails. by reason of
his great Panama canal achievement is
being pointed to as the most thorough
ly proved man in the country for such
work Whether General Goethals pos
sesses any skill as a military tactician
has nothing to do with the case. 1t will
be a year at least before the new army
does any fighting. That year will be de-
voted wholly to organizing.
General Cocktails succeeded at Panama
where other men had failed. not because
he was a greater civil engineer than any
of them. but because, combined with his
engineering ability, he possessed gen.
Jus of creating and maintaining an or
ganization. He had an army of workmeu
under him at 1.-The. isthmus, and he
had to organize and raise that army him
self His peculiar qualifications for
such work demonstrated themselves
"A ri Ia nf
the canal work became inseparably
identified with his name.
For this reason, there again is consid-
cradle talk in Washington of Goethals
for secretary of war just as soon it be-
comes necessary to call a vast body of
men to the colors and train them to De
soldiers. 1t is not merely the training
and raising of the men that will have to
be provided for, but there will be treat
problems of providing for their subsis-
lance, clothing, housing, transportation,
equipment, etc.
These problems will be essentially
similar to those which were successful
ly solved by General Goethals at the
isthmus. President Wilson is under
stood to think so we'll of Secretary
Baker that he would be loath to have
him leave the cabinet. Mr. Baker is
lawyer OF attachments and it is de-
clared that he would easily slip into
the attorneyship. while there have been
reports from time to time that Mr.
Gregory has been anxious to retire to
the private practice of law. If these
changes should take place the motive
of course, will be the desire of the
President to obtain for the war depart
ment the services of a man who is eX-
ceptionally fitted to undertake the
great military task of giving the Unit
ed States a real army.