The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-01-10
HARDING CABINET
STILL UNSETTLED
Hughes Only Certain Choice
. of President-Elect,
Friends Say
CAN BE
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Other Positions Have Not Yet Been
FILLED and Although w. G. Hears All
Sorts of Pleas He Evidently Intends 10
DO His Own Deciding.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The heiormer''
Copyright 1921.

By DAVID LAW hE-N1T4-
(SpeciaI Despatch to The Reformer)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON. Jan. To- IWlXt
Marion and Washington, whittier runs
the great political highway of the ma
ton. many change has come during
the past week Some of the early cab
met probabilities have fallen by the way
side. Some of the early Legislative en-
thusiasms have been side-tracked and the
hard and serious business of rcadjustins
the nations economic affairs with
group of able executives has come to be
looked upon by president-elect Harding
a a transccndent responsibility.
No longer do the former comrades of
Senator Harding at Washington regard
the man at Marion. O., as one who can
lie twisted and pulled in any direction
at will. to satisfy political cravings or
individual whims. The burdens of state
rest heavily upon the preSident-elect and
the members of congress who have re-
turned here from Marion after long talks
with him. speak of the earnestnesS with
which the next president of the United
States is tackling the prcliminaries OF
his job Al Washington has learned
during the week of upset in the cabinet
slate.
The truth i that today only one man
is fixturc-poSSibly two. The first
is Charles Evans Hughes, who is already
arranging his affairs for the acceptance
of the portfolio Of secretary of state.
The other is Harry Daugherty who can
be attorney general if he wants Ia be.
But in a general SENSE nobody else has
cabinet promise from Mr.. Harding
that cannot be revoked. Indeed. Senator
Harding has adopted policy which the
wiSeaCreS here say il an astute piece OF
personal strategy. coupled with years Of
ro'itical acumen. When Mr.. Harding
talked with some Of the celebrities who
have been mentioned for cabinet posi-
tons he said To each something like
this. of course cabinet states are like
timetables. they are subject to change
without notice. and just about the time
one has fixed part of the slate. some
geogT aphical considerations enter into
another part and shift must be made.
All things being equal If things do shape
themselves right. will YOU be in posi-
ton to go into the cabinet
Nov - S0re men that might apnear
as a definite offer of cabinet portfolio
sufficiently certain to go home and tell
ones wife and ones intimate friends.
And that's how news of positive Selec-
tions finds its way into the public press.
But any reader will agree that the fore
going doesn't represent a definite COM
mitment and that presidential prerOga-
tive permits the making Of such general
statement to more than the 10 men who
would eventually be chosen. Then
there's another factor to be taken into
considerations The moment word gets
out of the probable selection of cabinet
secretaries all the people who haze crit
ciSm to make pile their letters and tele
grams of dissent on the heads of the men
whose names have been printed Is prob
able appnintees. For instance. the Chi
Cago packers had been quietly working
to prevent the appointment of Henry {.
Wallace as secretary of agriculture and
thought they had succeeded when rather
positive information that he would be
appointed was made public. They re-
doubled their efforts and 80 did certain
farmer organizations which are opposed
to Wallace
Another fascinating situation from a
political viewpoint * that which sur
rounds the selection of Will HAYS. chair
man of the Republican national commit
tee, who has been mentioned for the
postmaster generalShip. 1t all has to do
with Indiana politics, the ramtications
Of which always pasSeth understanding.
tbs said for instance, that Senator
Harry New IS afraid that former Sen
ator Albert Beveridee will enter the pri-
maries and defeat him for denomination
NEXT wear. tbs also said that Mr.. New
would like to be in the cabinet and
would like to see VIII HAYS make the
race for senator. Some people who
ought To know and who are not them