The Washington herald., 1921-02-19
LOwden Withdrawal Re-
wives Gen. Wood Boom
In War Post.
ONLY THREE PLACES
SAID TO BE FILLED
President-elect Hopes to
Pick Men Acceptable to
Business World.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
ST. AUGUSTINE. Fla, Feb. IS
1t looks as If the Harding Cabinet
might be in the melting pot. With
drawal of Frank o. Lowden. one OF
its expected pillars. precipitated a
situation which may lead to surpris-
ing shifts, a complete reshuffe Of
portfolios and names is within the
range of possibilities. 1t is the
desire to crafty the
cOuntry's expectation of a strong
cabinet that has unscrambled the
eggs almost at the eleventh hour.
Unduestionably Harding is being
to pressure to eliminate
the political and emphasize the ef-
hcient note in the makeup Of his
He is being urged
TO draft, while yet there is time. the
big men at the Republicans psrtys
He is being assured
there is no dearth of them and that
the electorate which gave him So
overwhelming a mandate will not
be satisfied unless they are liberal
lyrcprescnted in the incoming ad-
Not Easy Sailing.
Harding is not. and has not been,
nse nsiblc to those considerations.
Frank o. LowdCn is not the only
man who found ii impossible TO
CnarII.- ~,
pies he considered insUrmoUntabIe.
It was not easy. for eample, to per
suade Charles L. Hughes to become
Secretary Of State. Hughes is aban-
dOninC the most lucrative law prac-
tice he ever enjoyed. The President
elect encountered others who frank
ly were terrified by the prospect Of
becoming the targets for public
happy. content, respected and well of
in their present status and would be
ilf-adEIsed TO step out into place
where they could be shot at
Meanwhile, the President elect
undoubtedly is after a couple OF
siN-footcrs comparable, in public
esteem to Hughes. Gen. Leonard
Wood is being incessantly pressed
upDn INV ItSlutIll -tlttN = d tent lN'll
One OF the concrete suggestions is
to find place for him.
Wood for War Post.
Wood. of course. could come into
the Cabinet picture only for the
Secretary OF War. requiring trans
fer of John W. Weeks from that
post. but Weeks would fit into
either the Treasury or naval port
folios. The Mellon Treasury ap-
pointment, while looked upon as a
fixed star in the Harding frima-
ment. may turn out to be less inn
mobile than people think.
The Pittsburgh bankers ability
is questioned less than his temper
fitness for the finance port
folio.
Tonight this much can be saIo
with authoritative assurancP-the
country may wake up on March 4
and find itself with a Harding Cahi-
net containing numerous surprises.
Perhaps with the eCeption Of
Hughes, Daughcrty and Hays. no
man as yet has had a positive ten
der from President-elect Harding.
Mind sHH Open.
Within two weeks Of the hour he
will take the oath Of office the Pres
ident elect is understood virtually
to be hcartwhOle and fancy free con-
cerning the makeup OF at least two
thirds of his Cabinet. The meItinE
process is in fullest blast. The pot
is boiling. but the finished product
still has to emerge.
Today Harding gave himself up to
a series of important conferences
with invited Counselors. For two
hours this forenoon he was in ami
mated consultation with Otto H.
Kahn, Of Kuhn. Loeb and Company,
the New York bankers. With Kahn
the President elect discussed taxa
ton, internal revenue form and in
finance.
81 found Harding with a compre-
hensive and sagacious grasp Of the
Fundamental problems" said Kahn.
HE realizes the urgency of coming
to grips with them promptly. i
gathered the distinct impression he \
essays no spectacular or radical
policy for their solution. He pur-
poses taxing them in a spirit of
commonsense and help |
fulness. Those will be his watch
words, 1 believe. in the realms both |
Of domestic and foreign affairs"
Kahn Travelled down from Wash |
ington with Representative Fordney, Z
Of Michigan, chairman of the Ways
and Means Committee of the House.
who has come to discuss emergency /
tariff legislation with Harding. The |
President elect is fully alive to the .
necessity of the emergency of the
measure" said Fordney. He real I
ICES there must be a modus vivendi |
to carry us over the interval be [
tween now and the enactment of our
new tariff legislation.
The Dumping Ground.
"He remembers, as we all do, how
preceding the passage of the Ding |
ley law, the United States was the !
dumping ground for indiscriminate
imports. We want to prevent any
recurrence this year. The special |
session the new President. prospec-
lively will call will deal promptly |
with emergency traiff matters, pre-
along the lines OF the bill
Congress just passed and which ap
parently, President Wilson is eX-
pected to Veto
Senator Albert b. Cummins, of
Iowa, was the luncheon guest Of the
President-elect this noon. Former I
W. T. Durbin, of Indiana.
was another caller. Charles Z.
Hughes is expected to arrive late
tonight. The President-elec plans
to devote most of the weekend to
with him.