The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1920-11-19
HARDING IS
NOT THINKING
OF CABINET
President-elect Holds Cards
In Choosing Official Family
will Be Free From Geo.
graphical" Considerations.
TOLLS COME TO FRONT
[By MARK SULLIVAN.1

IDy MANN ~ LlLl AN
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Nov. I9.-
Senator Harding is on the sea, bound
for Panama. He says he is giving NO
thought to cabinet appointments.
good many politicians at home,
however. are acting as II cabinet ap.
pointments were already being made
They could not be more energetic if it
were known that Senator Harding is
going to hand out his completed list
when he gets off the boat on his re.
turn home, December 4. But there is
better evidence that what Senator
Harding says about the state of his
own mind is simple statement OF
fact. And it could readily turn out
that the energy of those who seek
cabinet appointments, and of their
friends, may be handicap rather than a
help.
A man who goes into the White
House with such an emphatic COM
mission as Senator Harding enjoys
backed by the authority of so huge a
popular majority, has no need to pla-
cate minor or local leaders, and is not
in position to be the victim Of pres
sure. So far as that goes, men of the
calibre fit big cabinet do not urge
themselves, and do not allow their
friends to urge them. Most of the
seeking is done by those who are less
likely.
Many Names Listed.
A careful compiler has listed 70
names that have been "mentioned' for
the ten cabinet positions. Fully sixty
five of those names represent the cases
of local party leaders who are given
friendly boost by their home news
papers on the ground of local patrio-
tism, or minor leaders to whom a
friendly newspaper man can pay a
harmless courtesy without doing any
specific injury to veracity by saying
they are cabinet possibilities.
Mr.. Harding, in selecting his cabinet
is in a position unique among recent
presidents. His majority was so large
and his leadership is so secure that he
does not need to make cabinet ap-
rointments on the basis of securing
the cooperation of factions whose op-
position might embarrass him. which,
for example. It is fair to assume was
the motive President Wilson had in
making Bryan Secretary of State.
mo nou9ht 10 POLITICS..
Neither does president, whose
franchise from the public is so all.
embracing that includes unprecedent-
ed maioritieS in every State except TO-
and who even in the South secured an
Endorsement no other Republican ever
had, need to take into serious account
the factor, universally taken for
granted, of geographical considera
tons"
Senator Harding says also that he IS
giving no thought to politics, and the
evidence of those around him is that
this also is a simple and accurate ex-
preston of his state of mind. Many
assume that Senator Harding choose
Panama as the objective of his recrea
tion trip because in his campaign he
laid so much emphasis on the exemp.
tion of American Coastwise ships from,
tolls in the Canal and wants to
familiarize himself with conditions
there preparatory to a prompt and
energetic urging of that measure as
one of the first acts of his
Presidency
Tolls Come to Front.
The fact is that in Senator Harding's
mind Panama as a place to go on a
anna as subject of policy. have little
except an accidental relation to each
other Nevertheless it can be counted
on with confidence that the Panama
tolls act will be very much to the
front as soon as Mr.. Harding becomes
president.
1t will be to the front partly because
the new presidents heart is in it, and
partly because it is a sub ject as to
which some strong leaders of his party
differ with him. The Panama tolls
act affects our foreign relations and
American history, both recent and
past, proves that as a provocative of
excited political discussion an issue
dealing with foreign affairs takes pre-
cedence over everything else.
There is much to say. and much will
be said as to Just why President Will
son persuaded the Senate in 1914 to
take steps it is now proposed to re-
peal and to withdraw the exemption
from tolls which American ships then
enjoyed: why the subject lapsed from
1914 to 1920: why it was resurrected
In the Republican platform last June
end what individuals were RESPONSE
BILE for that resurrection, and how it
came about that Senator Harding
made this campaign. However that
will all come in due course, and with
infinite and acrimonious details.
Copyright 1920 bv The New York
Evening Post Inc)