Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-01-21
NEXTF FEW DAYS
TOSEE NAMING Of
TREASURY CHIEF
Delay Due to Pan-American
Meeting-Eyes of World
on Appointment.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Who is to be the next Secretary of
the Treasury? The delay in appoint
ing successor to Secretary Glass,
who is soon to take his seat in the
Senate. has occasioned many an in
quiry. not only from persons in this
country who are vitality interested in
fiscal policy. but from foreign coun-
tries where eyes are ixed upon that
government whose moral influence. If
not physical assistance, in the ffnan-
cial world is unparalleled in history.
President Wilson is represented as
going over the situation very care
fully, and. while it had been expected
that MIR. Glass would take his seat in
the Senate by January 15 it appears
that the coming of the pan-American
financial conference interfered with
the plan. 1t was hardly considered
possible that new Secretary of the
Treasury could be confirmed in time
to welcome the delegates. And with
the finance ministers of Central and
South America and many other dis
tinsuished visitors here, it would have
been somewhat embarrassing not to
have a Secretary of the Treasury TO
receive them all.
So Secretary Glass has stayed in,
but an appointment will surely be
made in the next few days as the
an-American conference comes to
an end on Saturday.
New Responsibilities Added.
Rarely has there been such an in
terestinG situation with reference to
cabinet appointment as that which
surrounds the naming of new
executive for the Treasury Depart
ment. The man who is given the job
must have the absolute and abiding
con fidence of his chief, because with
prohibition to enforce. income taxes
to collect and fiscal policy to man
age affecting foreign governments
and billions of dollars, the reSponS-
Utility of the post cannot be cXagger-
ated.
Nevertheless there are certain peo-
pie who think the President ought to
make political northumberland
he ought not to take to his bosom in
these intensely political days any one
who is not a dye-in-t he-grain demo-
MIR. Wilson's mind when he picke
Herbert Hoover for food administra-
tor. Harry A. Garfield for fuel ad-
ministrator. Edward r. Stettinius for
assistant secretary of war, Henry ?.
Davidson to head the Red Cross and
approved the appointment of numer-
Gus republicans to war jobs. And it
is not generally credited that the
a
all or that he is being Influenced in
the slightest by those who believe a
political appointment is just the
thing to hold the party together in a
presidential year.
Lefiingwell Recommended.
AS matter of fact. Secretary Glass
has recommended to the President
the appointment of Assistant Secre-
tary Leffingwell, one of the mainstays
of the Treasury during the war and
in handling reconstruction finance
Mr.. Lef1ingwell came here. at the re-
quest of Mr.. McAdoo to do war work.
While he isn't democrat in the sense
that he voted for Bryan in 1896. he
is Wilson man through. and through
In fact if the test of democracy were
whether a man voted Tor Mr. Bryan
when the silver question was up, it is
doubtful whether half the men in the
Cabinet could qualify as
democrats. There will be a good deal
of discussion this year anyway as to
what really constitutes democrat,
and it would not be- surprising If the
test in 1920 was VIII ether a man sup
ported whole heartedIy the league of
nations and the I foreign policy of
Woodrow Wilson. $50 far as the BRYAN
influence goes. there hasn't been a
conspicuous appotntment which could
be termed BryanIstic for nearly four
years-ever since Mr.. Bryan departed
as Secretary of State
Official Washig gton is really in the
dark as to who will be appointed. The
President is kef ping his own counsel.
The secretarysF ip of the Treasury is
about the biggest vacancy in the gov
today. AS nearly as ANYBODY
can determine. Mr.. Leffingwel himself
is not a candidate for the past. and,
though anxious to serve if called. would
rot be disapI ,ointed or change the opin-
ions he has had of President Wilson's
foreign poEcy even if he were not
named. BIT i'll the Treasury Depart
nent Itself and throughout Washing
ten wherever the wisdom of making
tie best appointment possible in this
critical period is recognized there will
be considerable regret il Leffingwell is
not NAMED. For he is distinctly popular
as a public official and hardly political
typey either. The chances at present
writing are that he will be appointed,
but nobody but the President really
knows as yet:
Copyright. 1aeo.)