The New York herald., 1920-12-30
FORMER IS SETTLED
Live Stock Market Interests
Plead Against Wallace in
Agriculture Post.
PRESIDENT-ELECT WEARY
Anxious to Escape Constant
Squabble for Offices, and
Write State Papers.

Special Despatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
MARION, Dec. 29.-President-e elect
Harding would like to be able to offer
the names of the next Secretary of
State and the next Secretary of the
Treasury to the country as a New
Years greeting. Conferences to that
tomorrow. He knows now who will
head the State Department. He has
not absolutely settled upon a man for
the Treasury post. If his decision can
be made within the next weight
hours, the double announcement may
be expected.
Cabinet building is a labor that is
driving him hard. 1t is probable that
there is more public interest and more
contention among interests or inter-
ested persons over the Harding Cabi-
net than over any Cabinet that has
been formed for many years. On this
subject alone his mail is enormous, and
every day his office swarms with
visitors who come to beg for appoint
ment of this man or TO protest against
the appointment of that man. They
are persons, as n rule, who do then
best to slip in and out of Marion with
out attracting attention. men averse
to advertisement. When approached
they speak vaguely and usually gran
diloquently about having discussed
international problems" or having
consulted about matters of grave do
mestic import"
AS matter of fact they are after
jobs, big and little. Many of them rep
resent heavy financial interests or great
Industrial projects. They come to the
Presdent-eect to hint that Mr.. So
and-So would be first rate man in the
Cabinet from the standpoint of business
men. or that Mr. This-or-That would be
a perfectly impossible person to head a
department or to sit in the high council
of Government.
They Don't Get Very Far.
A few of these persons have tried to
disguise their particular association. but
none of them has put anything over"
on the Presdent-elect He has known
to dot just whom or what this class
of supplicant stands for.
Union labor and advocates of the open
shop are having a terrific battle under
the apparently peaceful surface of
things to get man as Secretary of
Labor who will be friendly to the one
and unfriendly to the other. This
special situation Is complicated by the
timidity of politicians pretty high up
in the councils of the Republican party.
men who rush here pantingly to advise
the President-elect that he must not
dream of doing some fatal" thing.
Upon the surface all seems calm and
peaceful, but the truth is that there is
a turmoil over the Cabinet, terrific
commotion with silencers attached. The
Presdent-elect is visibly showing the
physical and mental wear and tear of
the struggle of which he is the centre.
AS the days pass 1t Is more and more
evident that he would like to wind up
the whole vexatious job and get away
to get to work upon his Inauguration
address and his first message to Con-
gress
He Is infiexible In his purpose to give
the country a Cabinet that will satisfy
the hopes of a troublous, critical period.
1t Is PROBABLE that he will pay a few
debts OF politics. debts that honestly lay
upon his gratitude. but he feels that
he will be able to accomplish this with
out lowering the standard of the Cabinet.
and that the politicians he may appoint
will be men of proved ability. good.
practical. levelheaded administrators.
To-day the Senator had n talk with
representatives of live stock marketing
interests, Chicago men--C. B. Stafford.
Y
change. Everett G. Brown, president OF
the National Livestock Exchange. and
Kay Wood, chairman of the legislative
committee of the National Livestock
Exchange. They presented facts about
prices OF hogs and cattle and sheep and
agricultural products generally, but they
also presented their own and the pack
ers' point of view that Henry G. Wal
lace OF Iowa should not be appointed
Secretary of Agriculture. Neither the
packers nor the livestock marketing In
terests want Mr.. Wallace. because the
Iowa publisher-farmer favors legislation
further TO regulate the packing industry.
Kelly Talks Navy Matters.
Fred NJ. Upham. treasurer of the Ma
tional Committee. making another visit
TO Marion 10 speak for Charles G.. Dawes
for the Treasury. also spoke against Mr..
Wallace. Mr.. Upham brought along
with him Daniel y. Wentz OF Phila-
delphia. president of the National Coal
Association. Mr.. Wentz went so far aa
to admit that he had discussed the coal
situation with the President-elect. say
ing that the bituminous production stu
alton was very satisfactory. and point
ing out that up to December IL. 1920.
537. 900. 900 tons had been produced. the
best output, save that of 1918. since
before the war.
Representative Patrick A. Kelly of
Michigan spent some time discussing
naval policy and naval appropriations.
Mr. Kelly is chairman OF the sub-com-
mittee of the House Appropriations
Committee which deals with naval mat
ters. He explained that in his view the
potential strength of the navy. quickly
and readily available In case off neces-
sity is more important than its actual
forcc at n given mOrnont