Evening star., 1920-03-27
CABINET MEMBERS
CONTINUE TOAWA!T
CALLF0R MEETING
Leaders Skilled in 0ratory in
Official Family, But Cam
paign LagS.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Nearly two months have passed since
the fateful days when Robert Lansing
called the cabinet together tHfunction
during the illness of President Will
son, but though an official rebuke for
summoning the cabinet without au-
thority was issued at the time, no
meeting of the cabinet has since been
called by the President himself.
T Every Tuesday and Friday, members
ones-wait eagerly for the mystic
ring on the telephone from the opera :
tor at the White House switchboard
telling them they are to experience the
thrill of their first cabinet meeting.
But many Tuesdays and many Fridays
have gone by and not a word from the
President.
Mr.. Wilson appears well enough to
take motor rides in Rock Creek Park
and the Virginia hills and to transact
official business for an hour or so a
day, but the strain of cabinet meet
ing is evidently 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 agricul-
tural chair before. he will now move
up closer to the throne and. occupy
the chair of the Secretary of the
Treasury. Attorney General Palmer is
really a newcomer. Only the familiar
faces of Newton d. Baker Secretary
of War: Josephus Daniels. Secretary
Of the Navy: William b. Wilson. Sec
retary of Labor, and Postmaster Cen
eral Burleson remain.
Men Qualified for Stump.
It's a strongly political cabinet. new
ertheless. and the kind Mr.. Wilson
has been anxious to call together
from the beginning. The President
likes men who can go out and make
good campaign speeches, and practi-
cally all of this cabinet are qualified
for the stump.
Secretary Alexander of the Depart
ment of Commerce. Secretary Wilson
of the Department of Labor and Post
master General Burleson campaigned
actively before they became members
of the House of Representatives. Sec
retary Meredith ran for Governor of
Iowa on the democratic ticket and is
out making a few speeches now to
advertising clubs, chambers of COM
merce and civic organizations. Sec
retary Daniels was the democratic ma
tional committeeman from North Car
olina for twenty years. Secretary
Baker was twice mayor of Cleveland
aud active in Ohio politics. Attorney
General Palmer has been leader of
the democratic caucus in the House
of Representatives and was noor
leader of the wilson forces at the
democratic c. ton OF 1917 IN oai
candidate for the democratic nomi-
nation. Bainbridge Colby is an excel
lent speaker, probably the best OF the
cabinet. He is an orator and spell
binder His speeches nominating
Roosevelt in the progressive c9nven-
ton in 1916 or condemning Roose-
Welt later on for betraying the party
are masterpieces of eloquence.
Only Secretaries Houston of the
Treasury and John Barton Payne or
the Interior Department cannot quail
the wilson cabinet will be heard from
during the coming campaign. They
are expected to do the hghtfng for
President Wilson's policies.
Former Cabinet Members.
Some of the ex-members of the cabi-
net probably will have their say. too.
though perhaps they may not all be
as enthusiastic about the Wilson poll
cies as they used 20 be. William Jen-
nings Bryan. Thomas w. Gregory.
William G. McAdoo, Franklin h Lane.
Lindley NJ: Garrison and Robert Lam
sing constitute the Wilson alumni as
sociation, though it looks as II Mr.. /
Lansing will divide honors with Mr..
Garrison in maintaining absolute ST.
lence about the administration.
Neither one satisfied the political
qualifications of cabinet member.
which Mr.. Wilson seems to think is
vital. Neither one made political
speeches.
With the battery of speakers which
have now been collected by the Presi-
dent there will be enough admins
tration spokesmen to make up for the
Presidents own inability to 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 matters of
government which the cabinet men,
bers are supposed to he dealing with.
Ever since last September. when Nir.
Wilson became i'll. the executive branch
of the government has been decentral-
lied.
Situation Unchanged.
Cohesion was confidently expected
when Mr.. Wilson dismissed Mr.. Lam
sing, but for some unexplained reason
the situation has not changed j bit