The New York herald., 1921-01-20
HARDING CABINET
WILL Be NAMED
IN TWO WEEKS
President Elect Promises
Organization Best Fitted
to Serve Country.
CITES DIFFICULTIES
Believes in Partisan Gov
ernment, but His Aids
Must Be Qualified.
OFF TO FLORIDA TODAY
No Significance, He Says, in
Rumors of Movement
Against Hughes.
OFF TO FLORIDA TO-DAY

Special Despatch to THE New YoRK HERALD
MARION, Ohio, Jan. 19.-In chat
with newspaper men to-day President
elect Harding told something of the
difficulties ne has had to encounter: of
the pressure that has been brought to
bear upon him to make Cabinet ap-
pointments that would be of a purely
political character.
He will make none without full con-
sideration of the more essential quail
ncations Of each individual. He has
been driven, importuned and urged
by all the tactics known to the politi-
cal game but has successfully with
stood the assaults Of the men who
may have ax>s to grind. He will leave
here tomorrow night with his mind
pretty well made up concerning the
chief places in his Cabinet. But there
will be no announcement Of the slate
before, perhaps. February /.
Mr. Harding will have a thoroughly
representative Republican Cabinet. 1t
will be party Cabinet and his admin
istration will be a party administration.
But no Republican will be chosen for
any office In that administration for
the sole reason that he is Republican.
He must needs first qualify and measure
up to the Har ding standard Of service.
Moreover, Mr.. Harding's Cabinet,
when II is announced, will be his own
Cabinet. 1t will be his selection of the
best men available. as he has been able
to judge their qualifications during tho
o.. l. L..~ 49,.
ducting here. But no member thereof
will have been foisted upon them. From
the beginning Mr.. Harding has had In
his minds eye the sort of Cabinet he
wants. and outside pressure notwth-
standing. his appointments are going to
conform to his original ideas.
VIII Await Complete Selection,
When he was asked II he would have
any official announcement OF his Cabi-
net selections before leaving for Florida
Mr.. Harding hesitated a moment then
said:
II had thought originally to name two
or three places of the Cabinet in adj
vance to permit the men named to take
up Informally the work that Is to be
theirs. But have found 1t so diff
cult to fit in an administrative organi-
cation that l am not disposed to make
definite tenders and have men accept
until l myself have made up a COM
plete organization.
There is no semblance of any marked
drive either for or against. either in
support OF or in opposition to. any in
dviduaL There is the natural current
OF both political and personal recon-
mendations and the natural cross cur
rents of personal, individual and fac
tional opposition. 1t Is all normal and
doesn't keep me awake nights.
II am thinking all the time of get
ting an organization best fitted to serve
this country. / am a partisan. 1 be-
lieve In party government I am going
to have a Republican Cabinet, but no
selection will be made because of party
obligation without consideration for the
best service of the country"
Discusses Specific Rumors.
Reports reaching here from Wash
fngton have told Of the inception of a
movement against Charles Il. Hughes
as Secretary of State. They were to
the effect that an effort would be made
to have Mr.. Harding reconsider this
appointment and induce Elihu Root to
accept the place. When asked If his
reference to cross currents Of opposi-
ton" indicated knowledge Of such
a move, Mr. Harding replied that no
Significance should be attached to these
reports. and that they merely were
samples of the difficulties he has en-
countered In his consideration of every
Cabinet place.
When he had finished his statement
Mr.. Harding turned to one of the news
paper men present and asked IL he had
been responsible for an authoritative"
announcement published In Cincinnati
newspaper that Will II. Hays was to
be Postmaster General.
I'D like to know where that author
ftative' announcement came from. It's
news to me-" he said with a laugh.
In delaying announcement OF the
places he has decided upon and the
names of the men who are to fill them
Mr.. Harding Is carrying out the inten-
tion he had week ago. Experience
has shown him that an announcement
of two or three members of his Cabinet
would multiply immeasurably the diffi-
culties that confront him I'm deter
mination OF men for the remaining
places. Increased pressure on behalf
of some candidates would follow, he
believes as surely the cross cur
rents Of opposition would swell