The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-21
NEW NAMES HEARD
 AS POSSIBILITIES
 FOR NEXT CABINET
Illinois and New York Especial. Iy Generous In Their Supply of Suggestions to
 Harding
By ROBERT T. SMALL

Marion, O.. December 2O-tSpccinl) All indications point to the fact thnt Presidcnt-e -elect Harding will not ac- ccpt the offer of Governor Cox to np- point Frank II, MilIis to the United states Senate, and permit Mir. Harding to resign his seat in the upper body of Congress.
 Senator Harding takes tho position that there is no need for his imme- diate resignation and he will wait therefore until after January 10 when the new republican governor of Ohio. Harry Davis will be inaugurated at Columbus. MT. Willis was elected to the Senate last month and In the ordi nary course of events would not take office until the calling of the extra session very soon after March 4.
 When Mir. Harding was in Washing ton a couple of weeks ago. he an- nounced he would resign his seat in the Senate just as soon as the repub- lican successor to Governor Cox had been installed at the state house, an UT derstanding already having been reached that the new governor would appoint MT. Willis
 HARDING DECLINED OFFER Governor Cox read of MT, Harding's valedictory address in the Senate and of his desire to resign as soon as he could do so with political safety. The governor thereupon wrote the Presi- dent-clect and said he would be glad , to expedite the change if Mir. Harding so desired and pledged himself to ap- point Mir. Willis. MT. Harding thanked | Governor Cox and said he would take the matter up with Senator -elect Will lis At the time, however. Mir Willis aged father was seriously i'll. and conference with him was out of the question. Since then the elder Willis has died. Senator Harding now feels that as Congress is about to take holiday recess. nothing would be gained v hurrying matters and accepting the Cox offer. By the time Congress ac- tually settles down to important leg islative business. Governor Cox will have retired to private life. and Mr. 1 Willis will go to Washington as the appointee of a republican rather than a democrat. MT. Harding has been | reluctant to accept any tavors from the democratic national administration and it is virtually certain he will not ! place himself in the position of ac- | cepting what might be cIassed as s | political favor from his late opponent in the presidential race.
 NEW STARTS POLITICAL GOSSIP The weekend stay of Senator New
 of Indiana al the Harding home has l led to revival of cabinet gossip in Marion. The numerous conferences of l last week on the International situa- f tion eciipsed all cabinet talk for the time being, but it is recognized here ' that senator New is one of the very ! closest men to the President -elect in
 all matters appertaining to things 1 rolitical, and it Is known his visit had 1 to do with political matters rather
 than with the new association of na- l tions.
 At the Harding Headquarters it is
 insisted that all cabinet talk at this ! time is the merest speculation, but in 1 some manner the impression has 1 spread abroad that two or three of ths | men generally regarded as certain of | appointment to the Harding official 1 family will not be selected by him for 1 the berths popularly assigned to them l Ever since the election 1t has been | taken more or less for granted that 1 John w. Weeks or Massachusetts
 would be named as Secretary of the
 Treasury or Secretary of the Navy. his | influential friends preferring the for
 mer position for him. Rumor now has 1 1t that MT. Weeks may not be named
 and that Charles D. Hiles of New 1 York. at one time secretary to Presi-
 dent Taft, has the inside track for the | treasury portfolio. George NJ. Rev. holds and Charles G. Dawes. both Chi
 eago bankers, also are being men toned
 QUESTION OF GEOGRAPHY
 Gec'graphical considerations are worrying MT Harding In making up his cabinet slate and some Of his more intimate friends are urging him to dis regard the timeworn political tradf- tlon that no state should have two | members of a cabinet
 MT. Root, for instance, is bein.
 tContinued on Page Two)