Arizona republican., 1921-02-20
CHARLES E. HUGHES .HARDINC'S CHOICE FOR SECRETARY OF
 STATE PORTFOLIO
FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT HEADS NEW CABINET; HUGHES APPOINTMENT FIRST OFFICIAL AN NOUNCEMENT FROM HARDING
Republican A. p. Leased Wirel

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla, Feb. 19- Charles F. Hughes, former supreme justice. was designated by President elect Harding today as the new secre- tary of state. The announcement em- bodying the first official word from the president-elect regarding selections for his cabinet was made in an oral statement after a long conference be- tween the two men on foreign prob lems
 There was no element of surprise in the election, but it had been known for several weeks MT. Hughes was certain to be given the place.
 He Is understood to have been Mir. Harding's choice from the first.
 MT. Harding declined to go into de- tails about the subjects discussed with Mir. Hughes, saying that one of the policies of his administration would be to let each department head speak for himself. MT. Hughes declared no public statement on the problems ahead would be expedient at present
 .tOf course,' he added, T appraise- 1t as a great privilege to be invited by Senator Harding to serve in his ad ministration- And I regard it as an imperative obligation to accept It was generally understood, however, that diplomatic appointments to be made early in the administration fur : nished one topic and that there was
 
 1 steps to be taken toward an associa : ton of nations The discussion regard l ing appointments was more or less in l definite it being MT. Harding's policy to delay most of the diplomatic selec- | tions until after inauguration. | The general impression among those close to the president-elect is that the first diplomatic approaches to other nations in regard to a peace association would be of an informal character. 1 No official diplomatic correspondence | is expected on the subject and no for mally accredited diplomatic missions are likely to be sent abroad until the latitude of other powers has been felt out quietly and some basis for pegotia ton established.
 I Huahes We'll Qualified
 MT. Hughes will bring to the secre- taryship of state a legal training of unusual scope as well as a mind sym tpathetic to international agreement and for maintenance of peace. During the treaty fight, he advocated reserved rati- fication of the Versailles league and proposed several reservations which were considered by the senate ma jority
 In the national campaign last year Mir. Harding held one of his longest conferences with MT. Hughes. and when the conferences of best minds began at Marion in December he was first to be summoned.
 Strong support for other available men for the state portfolio developed during December and January, one of the most insistent movements being for the selection of Eiihu Root a former secretary. Since the first of the year however, there have oeen repeated in dications Mir Harding's mind was made up.
 The only question MT. Hughes was willing to answer tonight as to the policies of his department related to publicity. Asked whether he intended q to follow the precedent of the present administration in holding periodical conferences with newspaper men, he lreplied with an emphatic affirmative, adding that he wanted to give the fair est publicity to every department ques- tion that would permit. Although the conference with Mir. Hughes occupied virtually all of the president elects attention today, he ihad several other callers, including Chairman Fordney of the house and tways and means committee, who dis cussed tariff legislation, and Manuel 7 Angelo. representative of the Cuban Liberal party, who asked that the . American government aid guaranteeins { relations to Cuba.