Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-07
CHAPTER xxx
Continued
demand for Coalition Cabinet

(SOuIlIlucuJ
Demand for Coalition Cabinet
Immediately after the war mes
sage there arose an insistent de.
mand for a coalition cabinet. 1t
was the beginning of the Republi-
can drive for what was called a BIZ
partisan government. Republicans
chose to forget the experiences of
England and France under their CO.
alition cabinets, and when the pres
ident refused to act upon the sug-
gestion, the impression was subtly
conveyed to the unthinking that the
presidents refusal arose from his
dislike of counsel and cooperation,
and his unwillingness to share the
responsibilities and glories of the
/, war with people outside his own
party.
AS a historian, the president knew
the troubles of Washington with a
coalition cabinet; Lincoln's embar-
easements from cabinet members
not of his own party; Mckinley S
sagacious refusal in 1898 to form a
coalition cabinet. He also knew hui
imam nature; knew that with the
best intentions, men sometimes find
it difficult to work intellectually
with a leader of political party not
their own. He could not risk a
chance of division in his own Off
cial family in the face of the COM
mon enemy.
The president looked upon the agi-
tation for a coalition cabinet as a
partisan effort to hamper and en-
barrass his administration, and so he
coldly turned away from every sug-
ho 1a01yn1 tnIu1r1 thn
Enlistment of a cabinet Of the kind
suggested by his too solicitous Re
publican friends.
The following note which I adj
dressed to the president, and his
reply, bear upon the subject:
The White House, Washington,
Dear Governor:
The newspaper men asked me
this morning what the attitude
Of the administration was to-
ward the proposed super-cabinet.
hedged as much as l could,
but asked if it was not the
same proposition that came up
some months ago, advocated by
Senator Weeks, in a new dis
guise-if it was not the same
kind of a commission that had
harassed Mr.. Lincoln. 1 think
we ought to let our attitude be
known unofficially for the guild
ance of men who wish to help
us. If we do nothing at this
time to let it be known it would
seem that our opposition to this
kind of legislation had been ST.
fenced over the furore of the
fuel order. In other words, we
ought to show by our attitude
that the tantrums on the hill
are making no impression on us
whatever.
TUMULTY.
Dear Tumulty: Of course I am
opposed to the idea of a super
cabinet" and regard it as moth
ing more nor less than rem wal
of the perpetual effort Of the Re
publicans to force representa-
ton in the administration. Re-
publicans of the finest sort and
finest capacity are working for
and with the administration on
all hands and there is no need
whatever for q change at the
head of the administering de-
partments. I am utterly OPP
posed to anything of the sort
and will never consent to it. You
will know how to create the i'm
preston on the minds of the
newspaper men that L regard it
as merely partisan effort to
hamper and embarrass the adj
miniStratiOn.
THE PRESIDENT.
There were many misgivings in
the minds of the people when war
was declared in April, 1917, and the
nation embarked upon the most gl-
gantic of all it's wars, under the
leadership of a college professor, j
doctrinaire, who did not believe III
war as a method Of solv interna-
| tional problems, and secretary OF
war who was an avOwed paclflst'
There was another matter which
greatly disturbed the peace of MIND
! of the average American. The po
| ntical party that was conducting the
struggle was the Democratic party
| the party of the plain folk, OF the
average men and women of Ameri
ca. Our Republican friends had sc
| cleverly "advertised' their conduct
| Of tho Civil war and the SnaniJh