The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-01-25
URGE HARDING
TO ANNOUNCE
HIS CABINET
Political Leaders Adverse to
President-elect's Method Of
Choosing Official Family
Many Objections Voiced.
LIST IS ABOUT READY
BY MARK SULLIVAN

BY MARK SULLIVAN
WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. Is
Many political leaders have feelings
strongly adverse to Mr. Harding's
method of cabinet-making, and have
advised him to stop the sending up of
trial balloons and let the public know
that his cabinet is definitely chosen.
Even If he should withhold the for
NAL announcement of the names un-
til March 4. They want him to say
Immediately on his return from the
houseboat trip next week that the con-
ferences on the subject, the consider
ing of new names, and the listening to
objections to names already discussed
are over.
The leaders who have no eXpecta-
ton of being in the cabinet, and whose
relation to the subject is impersonal,
say this freely. Some others who
know they are under consideration
confine their. remarks to private con-
versations, but they are even more
emphatic in their expressions of feel
ing.
Inspires Activity.
To send up name as trial bal
loon is to inspire to activity every en-
envy and every person with grie-
vence all the encumbrance of dis
gruntlement that any man with pub
lie career accumulates in the course
of a lifetime becomes vocal. 1t might
be expected that the friends of the
man would become equally active and
would counterbalance the assaults:
But it does not work that way. Malice
always has more initiative than sup
Port.
Some things have happened have
been painful. Within the last few
weeks, one man suggested for a cabi-
net position, who had the energetic
backing of both senators from one of
the greatest Republican states, took
himself out of it. He said he was will
ing to serve if called but he would
loon. He said he was IS years old.
and didn't propose to go down to his
grave in bath of mud.
One in Business ..t.
Another Of the cabinet suggestions
has been in business in large way in
his home state and persons opposed to
him filed with Harding a resume OF
business transactions with which the
candidate had been identified and
which turned out badly for the per-
sons involved. A third man under
consideration for a cabinet position
had been involved in a law suit of
peculiarly personal nature. And the
details of that were brought up.
In the case of Mr.. Hughes, the old
story was brought up of why Taft,
when president. after having deter
mined to elevate Mr.. Hughes from the
position of justice to that of chief
justice, changed his mind. The story
cio
an objection.
Protest Hoover
Concerning Hoover. the protests
made to Mr.. Harding have been less
personal. of course, but they have
probably been greater in volume than
in the case of any other suggestion
Probably a larger number OF the pub
lie at large is interested in seeing
Hoover in the cabinet than in the case
of any other one man. Hoover has Il
personal following in a sense that no
other man likely to be in the cabinet
has. excepting possibly Hughes.
/ have heard man very close to
Harding estimate that fully 20 p2r
cent of the public are interested in
seeing Hoover in the cabinet 1t
might be expected that this large back
ing would out shout the whisperings
of those that laid objections TO Hoover
before Senator Harding, but it doesn't
work out that way.
Support Unoreanized
Support is unorganized and has no
initiative. while objection is energetic
All the old arguments have been re
vived about Hoover's long residence
abroad, about his not voting, about the
regency of his Republicanism. About
his letter asking support for Wilson
in the wartime election. Against this
the support Of Hoover has been un
: energetic, and if Hoover finally turns
up in the cabinet it will be because of
Hardings steadiness of adherence to
a first purpose.
1t is not possible to say to what
extent this Trial balloon" method OF
cabinet making was deliberate on Mr.
Harding's part, and to what extent il
merely grew up out of the guessing
after it. was underway
Mr. Harding said on one occasion
that the newspaper surmsing was not
emha IRA ssing to him. but on the con
trary had elements of value.
First to Oeplore.
Harding would be the first to de
plore the painful consequences to some
of the mon concerned. because consid
Grafton for the feelings of others is
one of his strongest characteristics
This quality. in fact, goes almost &c
the point of being weakness. On
the other hand. Harding, with all his
simplicity. has a streak of canniness
in him and it NAV be that the advant
ages were not wholly unforeseen o
bringing out in advance everything
that might otherwise come up after
the event.
The men mentioned have no rea
grievance Cabinet posts are public
Offices And no one ought to aspire
TO one who is not capable of coming
,nscatched through just cas- much
scrutiny as would happen If the office
were an elective one. In any event
most Of II is over now, The time re
maining is comparatively short, and
suspect the cabinet is more nearly
chosen than the public commonly
kIows.
Copyright 1921 by the New York