The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-22
HARDING ID OFFER
 COMMERCE POST ID
 HERBERT [. HOOVER
President elect Making Prof. fer Against Friends Advice and There Is Doubt If
 Hoover Will Accept
Fly ROBERT T. SMALL


 Especial )-Herbert c. Hoover is to be offered the post of Secretary of Com merce in the Harding cabinet There is considerable doubt as to whether he will accept the position in view of the late hour at which it is rendered. Nevertheless, MT. Harding has made up his mind that MT, Hoover is needed n the cabinet and if the former food ad- ministrator should not accept it would be no fault of the President-elec
 In making the decision to offer cabinet post to MT. Hoover. Senator Harding is going gagainst the adv.ce of number of his most fnunaie friends. A few weeAs ago these friends convinced Mr. Harding that It would be impracticable to appoint Mr, Hoover and word was sent forth from Marion that Hoover had been elim.- mated from consideration. Since that time, however the pressure brought to bear upon lne Presideas- elect to incluoe Nil. hoover in hi: oi- ' 1cial family has been tremendous.
 Few persons outside the intimate Harding circle realize what the de. cision to tender the secretaryshlp Li commerce to MT. Hoover has men t3 Ar. Harding. In the nrSt place 1t ln lst be stated that the all-powerLul Sens tor Boise Penrose of Penpsylvania sent word to Mr. Haruing "tnumps down Oh MT. Hoover. Further than thls, MI. Harding knows the implacable oppo- sition to MT. Hoover of senator f1il am Johnson of California MT hoo:er contested California last spring with Senstor Johnson for the republican nomination at Chicago and the bitter ness or that campaign will not .)on- be forgotten.
 GREAT THINGS EXPECTED
 If Governor L-owden had accepted the navy portfolio in the Harding cabinet it is almost certainty tha- the portfolio of commerce would no. nave been offered to MT. Hoover. Vim the elimination of Governor Lowd-n. however. there cane a great demand upon the President to appoint some one in the cabinet besides MT. Hughes with national reputation. He was told frankly in letters and tele- grams that the country was expecting great things from the personnel of tise cablnet ana regardless of the profess sional politicians, it was stated in most of the teIegrams that MT. Hoover was needed to make the etoificial family accepta ble. Of course, It Is realized that there is no way in which Mr- 5s lj2rdluE can force -dT. l1OONtI ihto e-tc cabinet. but he can put, the offer up to nm in the same way he tendered the < secretaryship of state to MT. Hughes, and MT Hughes announceu on Satur- day, last, that he felt compelling ob- ligation to accept the position.
 Among Senator Harding's immediate advisers there has been almost unanf- nous dissent to the Hoover candi- dacy. These advisers have attempted to convince the President-elect that MT. Hoover was not needed in the cab inet and that he would not .go along with the other members in the event or controversy. These intimate advisers have felt that MT. Harding should kaye no one in his official family who would dare to raise word of con troversy against any policy the Presi- dent might initiate. It is realized that MT. Hoover would be more or less independent in the cabinet and this independency has been fought by the Harding inner circle" MT. Harding Eimself however, is more far-seeing than some of his advisers, and this is likely to be one of the surprises of his administration that after listening to lot Of advice and seeming to agree with it, he will go ahead anu do what he individually thinks is best for his party and for his country.
 AWARE OF OPPOSITION
 MT. Harding IS perfectly aware or the opposition the Hoover appointment will provoke in the Senate, but if MT Hoover will accept. Mir. Harding is in a position to insure that his nomina- ton would be acted upon favorably. So this is the situation at the moment: MT. Hoover can have the post as Gec- < retary of Commerce if he wants ic. There is no question but that Mfr Hoover would readily have accepted the secretaryship of the interior. bu. MT. Harding decided to place that post in the hands of Senator Albert Fail of New Mexico Pending the decision of MT. Hoover, the commerce portfolio remains empty. If MT. Harding should not accept 1t chances are the position will be offered to A. D. Lasker of Chi cago, head of the advertising firm of Lord & Thomas. MT. Lasker has no. wanted for friends from the very frst, and Fred w. Upham of Chicago, who spent two days recently with the President elect has let it be known that Mr. L4asker would be very de- s;rable addition to the cabinet circle.
 For the post of Secretary of Labor T. " OConnor of Buffalo has been growing in strength and it Is an even Let that he will beat out J. J. Davis of Pittsburg for that post. MT. O'Coa-