The Washington herald., 1920-12-02
OFFICE BRIGADE
TN WILD DRIVE
FOR JOB PLUMS
Scramble for Ten Cabinet
| Positions Unprecedented d
/ In Recent History.
no SENATE oLIGARCEN
advisers Urge Appointment
OF One Member Only
From Upper House.
NO SENATE oLIGARCIY
NJ FREDERrC WILLIAM WILL

By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
II President-eiectH Harding listens
to the counsel Of his closest friends
and advisers in tho United States
Senate there will be but one menu
ber of that body taken into his Cab
met. He Is being strongly urged to
avoid appointments that will boil
ster up the idea Of Senatorial
oligarchy." Half q dozen Senators
figure in cabinet speculations. They
include Lodge. Knox. Fall. Poindex-
ter. New and wadsworth. Repub-
lican washington's definite impress
sion is that IL Mr.. Harding Is finally
persuaded to limit his choice Of Of
ficial advisers to a single member
of the Senate the selection will fall
upon Philander c. Knox. Of Penn
sylvania- Mr.. Knox. of course.
would become Secretary of State.
Following the Washington Herald's
recent statement that he would ac-
cept the diplomatic portfolio IL Of
.fered 1t. Senator Knox issued pro-
nouncement which was conspicuous
for its failure to say he would re-
fuse the appointment. He merely
intimated that he was not "contem-
plating 1t.
Unbeknown to the country at
large, a STRENUOUS scramble is in
progress for the ten Cabinet ap-
pointments at Mr.. Harding,s dis
posal. 1t Is said to exceed in in
tensity anything any incoming Pres
ident in contemporary times ever
had to weather. A prominent Re-
publican said today that IL the Pres
ident -elect had any conception Of the
to which he viii presently
be subjected, he would stay in
Washington next week about an hour
and half instead OF two days"
The chase for Cabinet ofice began
weeks before Harding was elected.
S&rce .Ncyenhexs : acccrdtl4 % m
siders, 1t has reached the dimensiof1
of a stampede. The Presldent-eiect
is not yet the principal target at
which would-be Cabinet Dzembers
are shooting. Their shafts are
aimed at men and women supposed
to have special influence with MI.
and Mrs. Harding or either Of them.
Every conceivable line of approach
is being utilized. Political, COM
mercial, financial and social con-
nections are being mobilized and
exploited. -
senstsrs Feel Brunt
As the President-eiect's closest
friends, as far as Washington Is
concerned, are Senators, IL Is they
who principally are feeling the
brunt of the Office seeking brigade
which wants to mount the heights
of the executive. departments of the
government. II the mail-bags Of
Senators Hale, Elkins and Freling-
huysen, who have been on vacation
with Mr.. Harding since election
day, could be x-rayed they would
be found to bulge with letters from.
or on behalf of. eminent Repub-
licans anxious to be in the Harding
Cabinet. On those Senator's. like
New and watson, of Indiana, who
are personally "close" to the ,Presi-
dent-elect, a ruthless fusilade is
being kept up. VIII H. Hays. chair
man of the Republican National
Committee, and Fred w. -Upham. the
campaign treasurer. also could a
tale unfold of the eagerness of g.
o. p. patriots of standing and re-
nown to serve in the Republican
administration.
Probably two men whose lives are
even more Of q burden these days
than Senators and national commit
tee onicials are Mr.. Harding's in
innate political lieutenants in Ohio
Harry N. Daugherty. who was his
pre-convention manager. and Carmi
Thompson. a Cleveland lawyer, who
organised the State for Harding in
both the primary and campaign
fights. Since 1t became noised
around that Daugherty and Thomp-
son are possibly nearer to the
throne than any other Republicans
in the country, every string that
led even remotely in their direc-
ton has been assiduously pulled.
As election day approached. the
mails that reached the front porch
at Marion neer failed to include
personal appeals to Mrs. Harding to
use her Influence" with her hus-
band. The Duchess is known, to
possess great political influence at
the court of Warren G. Harding.
Publicity" on behalf of would-be
cabineteers, of course. Is in full blast
~--r - "a n