Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-11
CABINET SELECTION
HOOVER'S PROBLEM
Embarrassing Situation Seen
S as Many in Offices Want
to Stay.

If ever a problem of cabinet selec-
ton presented endorsements, 1t is
the lot of President-elect Hoover to be
confronted with multitude thereof.
Having served in the cabinets OF
President Harding and President Cool
tdge. Mr.. Hoover knows the capacity
of his colleagues. And now ne mas
himself obliged to pass Judgment on
them. Some want to stay, others nave
business plans. To ask the one or TWO
to remain and not retain the others
is difficulty. To assume that Cool
idge cabinet member is unsuited TO the
Hoover administration is to repudiate
the main platform of the last cam
paign, in which Coolidge policies were
defended and the promise was made to
carry forward the Coolidge programs.
President Coolidge himself sees no
reason why any member of his admins
tration should feel that he must be
retained in the new administration. A
hint to this effect went out to the
ambassadors and ministers, some Of
whom we're not thinking of resignlng
when the custom calls for designations
from everybody.
All Expected to Resign.
Every member of the Coolidge cabinet
will present his resignation and it will
be up to Mr. Hoover to decide whether
he will continue them in Office. II
Secretary Mellon is retained, 1t Will not
be necessary to send his nomination TO
the Senate. 1t was not sent in after
MIR. Harding died, nor when Mr.. Cool
idge was inaugurated in March, 1920.
There are two ways out OF the
dilemma for Mr.. Hoover. One is to
make an entirely new cabinet and the
other is to retain all these who wish to
stay and then to fill vacancies as they
occur during tn next year. There Is
some talk that one or two OF the caoinet
members would like the privilege OF
serving a few months in the new ao-
ministration so as to have the privilege
of service under Mr.. Hoover. 1t also
would indicate that Mr.. Hoover accepted
them and that when they left 1t was OF
their own volition.
Few Changes Seen.
For these reasons it is being inferred
that there will be few changes from the
Coolidge cabinet. except in those in
stances where definite plans have long
ago been made by cabinet officers to
retire after March no matter who was
nominated at the Republican national
convention.
The general assumption that Secre-
tary Mellon will remain in the Treasury
is the only one, however, that is based
on anything that can be traced to the
President-elect himself. When Mr..
Hoover was still candidate he told a
caller that he wanted a man OF Mr.
Melons type in the Treasury if he
were available.
All Washington knows he is available
and would like to continue. Much of
the business support given Mr.. Hoover
in the campaign came from men who
believed in Secretary Mellon as the
fiscal adviser of the Government.
The opposition to Mr.. Melons ap--
pointment from some of the radical
Westerners is a natural development,
but MIR. Hoover is not going to start his
administration by alternating the con-
servatives.
AS for the other groups, it is believed
the Hoover cabinet, when finally con-
stitnted. will recognize the progressive
groups in the party.
It is quite possible that the transition
from the Coolidge to the Hoover cabinet
may take year or so. d. L..
(Copyright, 1920