Evening star., 1924-11-04
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

{ Williani VI. Butler of Massachusetts
is almost certain TO be a member of
/ the Coolidge cabinet, if such there is
after March 4. 1925. Appointment of
! the victorious G.. .. 2. national chair
man TO cabinet post is a Republi-
! can tradition of many years stand
! ing. The Postmaster Generalship is
! the portfolio usually assigned him.
| George Il. Cortelyou, who piloted the
| Roosevelt campaign of 1904 to sue
cess, was rewarded with it Frank
| II. Hitchcock, who conducted the first
| Taft campaign in 1908, became Post
master General in the succeeding
March. History repeated itself in
/ 1921, when President-elect Harding
| named Will H. Hays to take charge
| of the Post Office Department in the
incoming administration. Whether
Butler would supersede Postmaster
| General New or be given some other
berth in the presidential household
remains to be seen. Sweeping
changes in the makeup of his cabi-
net are inevitable If Mr.. Coolidge is
perpetuated in the White House.
Since it's establishment in the first
Cleveland administration, the Secre-
| taryship Of Agriculture has always
gone West. Henry c. Wallace's sue
cessor is not likely to be taken from
any other region. Wallace was the
Iowan to hold the office. Nebraska,
Wisconsin and Missouri are the other
States that have had the portfolio.
Missouri obtained the first Secretary
| ship in 1859, when Norman ]. Col
man was appointed, and David F..
Houston of Missouri was Woodrow
wilson's first Secretary Of Agricul.
ture. Edwin T. Meredith of Iowa
established the precedent Of an link
farmer" as head of Uncle Sans rural
affairs, and Wallace, a fellow pub
Usher of Des Moines. succeeded him.
If Pennsylvania were less rock
! ribbed Republican, and therefore en-
| titled to cabinet favors, a Philadel-
| phia link farmer" Charles F. Jen-
kins, proprietor of the Farm Journal,
| would be strongly in the running for
the Agriculture Department.
X X X
w. H. Moran. veteran chief OF the
| United States Secret Service, enjoys,
| amazing physical resemblance to
Bainbridge Colby, former Secretary
of State. Once upon time they were
| both giving testimony at a congress
| sional hearing. The day Moran turn
ed up the chairman of the committee,
| waving him aside, said: Thank you,
Mr.. Secretary, but we finished with
| you last evening" A little later in
| the day Colby put in an appearance
and was greeted by the chairman
with: Good morning, chief. but 1
don't think we'll need to call you,
| after all"
Western newspapers during the last
! week before election published a five
| column display advertisement enti-
| tied, "Why I am for Coolidge-by
| Henry Ford The near-billionaire
| begins with this confessionA First
| let me state that this advertisement
me to explain my support Of Calvin
| Coolidge for President" Then follow
| the statements given out by Ford at
| Detroit a week or ten days ago. 1t
seems to have escaped the notice of
! the Borah investigating committee
| that the motor king was financing
some extensive pro-Coolidge public
| ity on his own account. The Iowa
papers were literally patronized, for
every second Hawkeye farmer pilots
a fivver or steers Ford tractor.
| X X x
| Director Allen Of the Institute Of
| Public Service, at Boston, vouches for
| the following answers sent to the in
stftute by persons interrogated on
American politics and foreign af-.
| fairs: -. -.
what is the Ruhr? A German army
trying to keep the French out of Ger
many.
! came Governor Of Pennsylvania!