Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-03-30
WILSON NOW HAS
STRONG POLITICAL
CABINET -LAWRENCE
ny DAVID LAWRENCE

Downright, 1920. for The Atlanta Journal')
WASHINGTON; March 27.-Near-
ly two months have passed since the
fatefuI days when Robert Lansing
called the cabinet together to func-
ton during the illness Of President
Wilson, but though an official rebuke
for summoning the cabinet without
authority was issued at the time, no
meeting of the cabinet has been
called since by the president him
self.
Every Tuesday and Friday mem
bers of the cabinet, especially the
new ones, wait eagerly for the mystlc
ring on the telephone from the OPP
orator at the White House switch
board telling them they are to ex-
perience the thrill of their first cabl-
net meeting. But many tuesdays
and many Fridays have gone by ana
not a word from the president. MI.
Wilson appears well enough to take
motor rides in Rock Creek park ana
the Virginia hills and to transact OF
fetal business for an hour or so
day, but the strain Of cabinet meet
ing evidently is too much for him yet.
The president has brand-neW
secretary of commerce, secretary OF
agriculture, secretary of the interior
and secretary Of state, and though
David F. Houston, sat in the agr1-
cultural chair before, he now Will
move up closer to the throne and oc-
cupy the chair of the secretary or
the treasury. Attorney General
I'M
the familiar faces of Newton D.
Baker, secretary of war; Josephus
Daniels, secretary of the navy; Will
liza B. Wilson, secretary of labor; and
Postmaster General Burleson re-
main.
Strong Political Cabinet
It's a strongly political cabinet,
nevertheless, and the kind Mr.. Will
son has been anxious to call together
from the beginning. The president
likes men who can go out and make
good campaign speeches and prac-
tically all of this cabinet are quail
fed for the stump.
Secretary Alexander, of the de-
partment of commerce; Secretary
Wilson, of the department of labor;
and Postmaster General Burleson
campaigned actively before they be-
came members of the house of rep
resentatfves. Secretary Meredith
ran for governor of Iowa on the
Democratic ticket and is out making
few speeches now to advertising
clubs, chambers of commerce and
civic organizations. Secretary Dan
iels was the Democratic national
committeeman from North Carolina
for 20 years. Secretary Baker twice
was mayor Of Cleveland and active
in Ohio politics. Attorney General
Palmer has been leader of the Dem
ocratic caucus in the house of repre-
sentatives and was floor leader of
the Wilson forces at the Democratic
convention of 1912 in Baltimore. He
is an active and avowed candidate
for the Democratic nomination.
cambridge Colby is an excellent
speaker, probably the best of the
cabinet. He is an orator and spell
binder. His speeches nominating
Roosevelt in the progressive conven-
ton in 1916 or condemning Roose-
welt later on for betraying the party
are masterpieces of eloquence.
Only Secretary Houston, Of the
treasury, and John Barton Payne, Of
the interior department, can't quail
ify as politicians. Eight of the ten
in the Wilson cabinet will be heard
from during the coming campaign.
They are expected to do the fight
ing for President Wilson's policies.
Wilson Alumni Association
Some of the ex-members of the
cabinet probably will have their say,
too, though perhaps they may not all
be as enthusiastic about the Wilson
policies as they used to be. william
Jennings Bryan, Thomas w. Gregory,
William G. McAdoo, Franklin K.
Lane, Lindley M. Garrison and Rob-
ert Lansing constitute the Wilson
alumni association, though it looks
as if Mr.. Lansing will divide honors
with Mr., Garrison in maintaining alb
solute silence about the administra-
ton. Neither one satisfied the po-
litical qualifications of a cabinet
member which Mr.. Wilson seems to
think is vital. Neither one made
political speeches.
But with the battery Of speakers
which now have been collected by
the president there will be enough
administration spokesman to make up
resume the fight on the stump.
But there has been no session of
the Wilson cabinet yet to talk over
plans for the campaign or the mat
ters of government which the cabi-
net members are supposed to be deal
ing with. Ever since last Septen Der
when Mr.. Wilson took sick, the ex-
ecutive branch of the government has
been decentralized.
Cohesion was confidently expected
when Mr.. Wilson dismissed Mr..
Lansing, but for some unexplained
reason, the situation hasn't changed
a bit from the days when enforced
confinement inside the White House
kept the president detached from his
cabinet.
Presidents differ however in their
estimate of the value of cabinets.
M. Wilson never has leaned heavily
on his cabinet. He got accustomed
to the elimination of one cabinet
meeting very week during the war
and of course when he went abroad
he kept in touch in only the most
superficial way with the heads Of the
different departments.
Looking back over nearly two
years, Mr.. Wilson has seen very lit
tie Of his cabinet either collectively
or individually and has established
thus far the record of holding no
cabinet meetings whatsoever for
more than seven months.
Mrs. Innes May Be