The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-06-26
cabinet MEMBERS
ARE INDEPENDENT
Can Express Their Own
Opinions on Matters of
General Interest
DO NOT COMMIT
ADMINISTRATION
President Not Disturbed by Talk of Sec
rotary Weeks - Differs from Wilson
Who Dictated What Members of His
Cabinet Should Say

feIdfy weeks - DINERS from hiisOH
Who Dictated What Members of His
Cabinet Should Say
By DAVID LAWRENCE
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON, June 26-President
Harding feels that every member of his
cabinet has right to express himself
on any subject without necessarily COM
hitting the administration to his view.
His attitude made known at thee White
House is regarded as the administra-
tion's answer to the recent utterance of
Senator Capper of Kansas who sug-
gested that Secretary of War Weeks
ought to resign because of his speech
suggesting modification of the Volstead
law and criticizing the direct primary.
The President has noted the speeches
in congress and elsewhere commenting
on Secretary Weeks address but has
not felt that Mr.. Weeks was expressing
any Official administration opinion but
was giving simply his own comments.
Mr.. Weeks as former member of the
United States senate from Massachu-
sets and before that as a prominent
member of the house of representatives,
has had the opportunity to make his
own ODSeTNdIlO0S OF modern tendencies
III government and although his speeches
have aroused storm of protest there
Is every evidence that MIR. Harding will
not take him to task for them even
though he may disagree with Mr.. Weeks.
1t SO happens that on the question of
the ill-effects of the direct primary sys-
tenn President Harding is in accord with
his secretary of war. Mr.. Harding has
openly advocated a return to the con-
yention system of nominations As for
modification of the dry laws, the Presi-
dent hasn't discussed that phase of pro-
hibition at all except to insist that he
favored rigid enforcement of the pres
ent statute.
Capper Forces Discrimination
Senator Capper of Kansas has, how
ever, accomplished something by his at
tack on Mr.. Weeks. He has forced the
White House to differentiate between
cabinet members view and that of the
administration Sometimes members of
a presidential cabinet take otfense if it
is pointed out that they are not spokes
men of the administration to which they
belong. In one case at least-that of
Secretary of War Garrison resigna
ton followed the inference that a mem
Der of the cabinet might hold one view
and the administration approve the ad-
dition of another policy in congress.
Former President Wilson always
sought to have his cabinet ministers con
fine their utterances to things that
would not embarrass the adminiStra-
ton Under the present regime. Win
HAYS. who until recently was postmas
ter-general, used to take his speeches
TO the White House and read them to
Mr. Harding so as to make sure that he
was rejecting accurately the admins
tration viewpoint.
Harding VIII Not Be Censor
The President doesn't feel that he
should act as censor over the utter
ances of his cabinet officers. If they
wish to bring their speeches to him be-
forehand. he will give the benefit of his
counsel but the Harding idea is that
democratic system of government is
best developed by permitting freedom
of speech inside as well as outside the
official circle.
The presumption is that Mr.. Harding
does not mean to be taken literally but
that his idea embraces only the discus
sion of subjects which are not under
consideration officially. II is not deemed
probable that the President would sane
ton, for instance. speeches favoring the
bonus by his secretary of the treasury
while he opposed the grant of a bonus.
Nor would it be approved if Mr.. Hoover
were to make speeches favoring the
league of nations as he did before en-
tering the cabinet. But most cabinet
members will be discreet enough to
draw the line between matters pending
in cabinet council and those which are
general in character and which NAV be
said TO be academic questions so far as
Immediate action bv the government
il concerned Freedom of speech for
cabinet officers really means discretion
after all with little more tolerance on
Mr. Hardinr's part than has been presi-
Ipufi1l