The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-23

to Chief Justice White-FOur Other
designations Possible Hot Fight
Over Hoover for Cabinet Place.
MARION, Ohio, Dec. 23.-East is
contending against West for the post of
secretary Of the treasury in the Harding
cabinet. Charles D. Hilles of New York
has become a possibility along with
George NJ. Reynolds and Charles g..
Dawes of Chicago.
Mr.. Hilles comes strongly into cOnsid-
Grafton. 1t is known that the New
Yorker, who was private secretary to
President Taft, a dozen years ago, and
became chairman of the Republican ma
fiOnal committee subsequently, has strong
eastern backing. His former chief, Will
liam II. Taft, who will be here on' De
cember % or December 81, is understood
TO be enthusiastically behind Hilles for
the post. Moreover, there is a quiet pres
sure being brought to bear upon the pres
ident-elect from important financial in
terests in New York.
Mr.. HilleS is now one of three or four
whose availability is being examined by
the president-eleCt. Probably the lead
ing possibility as matters stand is Mr..
Reynolds, a banker of Chicago, although
a former comptroller of the currency,
Charles G.. Dawes, also of Chicago, who
performed brilliant service in organizing
transportation for General PerShing in
France, is by no means removed from
consideration.
1t is understood that the president
elect has discussed Mr.. Roots available
ity as secretary Of state with Senator
Harry s. New. Nevertheless the feel
ing that Mr.. Root will not be invited
is very strong, and Charles F.. Hughes
seems to lead in Mr.. Harding'S c0nSid-
GRAFTON, with George Sutherland a strong
possibility. Nor is the name of Philander
G. Knox entirely discarded. Until re-
Gently Senator BOieS pCnrOSe was ur-
gently against Mr.. Knox going into the
cabinet, having in mind that Governor
SprOul of Pennsylvania, who has waited
with some Impotence for the mantle of
PenrOse, would pretty certainly appoint
an a~nti-Penrose man to fill Mr.. Knox's
uneEplred term. But a week ago last
Tuesday night in the Penrose home in
Philadelphia Governor Sproul dined and
went through the motions of burXing the
Ratchet. The story is that Mr.. SprOul
gave Mr.. PenrOSe his promise that if the
president-elect invited Mr.. Knox to- be-
come secretary of state, and if Knox
accepted, he, Sproul, would appoint as
MIR. knOX's successor some one who could
be depended upon not to work against
Mr. Penrose's political interests.
The conferences of the@last week have
EuIutI dutltI 70 the Dt'iltI LHdL DDtn Hurry /
NJ. Daugherty and VIII H. Hays VIII
receive invitations to be attorney general
and postmaster general respectively.
The real bones of. contention among
cabinet aspirants and their hackers are
the Secretaryships of interior and agri-
culture. The big interests are pressing
hard to get men agreeable to them APP
pointed in each post. This battle is rae
ing furiOlsly, but silently. Herbert
Hoover. -qlone, is a storm center. Des-
perate eff1rtS are being made to convince
the prestdent-elect that Mr.. Hoover will
not do for the cabinet. the hint being
thrown out that he might turn out to
be q friend of the Interests" On the
other hand, Hoover's- battle is being
fought Loyalty and earnestly by men who
stand pretty close to Warren G. Harding.
Hoover. remains a distinct possibility for
the oil interests, the interests with an
eye on the rich resources of Alaska, the
interests having concern with timber, and
the interests that see further possibilities
in LO, the poor Indian, are doing their
level best to see that the next secretary
of the interior will be a friend and not
a foe. Something of the same situation
exists as regards the department of ag-
riculttre. Opposition to Henry Wal
lace, Iowa publisher and practical far
mer, has developed within the last few
weeks.
Hardly less interesting is the outlook
for a big change in the complexion of the
supreme court of the United States. 1t
is reported that Chief Justice White in
tends soon to doff his robe and to make
way for a younger man also that the
designations of Associate Justices Nc
'kenna, Holmes and Day may be expected
in the not distant future. President
Harding will have the great responsible
ity of appointing four, possibly five. jus
tlccs of the highest court of the land.
The opinion here tends strongly the no
tion he will ask William Howard Taft
to take the place of Chief Justice White,
and that George Sutherland is certain
to receive a supreme court justiceship in
the event that he is not invited into the
cabinet. Charles E. Hughes is mentioned
IN the course of supreme court specula-
ton.