Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-05
WILBUR SELECTION
BELIEVED CERTAIN
Reports College Head Will Be
Secretary of Interior
Thought True.
BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG.
staff Correspondent of The Star.

stan Correspondent OF The Star.
BELLE ISLE, Miami Beach, Fla,
February 5.-There is a feeling of GER
tainty among those close to President
elect Hoover here that reports from
California. that DR.. Ray Lyman Will
bur, president of Leland Stanford Uni
versity, is to enter the Hoover cabinet
as Secretary of Interior, are true.
The President-elect himself has made
no comment for publication nor has
there been anything official said in
his behalf. Regardless of this, the be-
belief is that Mr.. Hoover has invited
his old university friend to be in his
official family and that the latter has
accepted.
Granted Leave of Absence.
Dr.. Wilbur is known to have been
granted two years leave of absence from
Leland Stanford, which fact has tended
to confirm the belief that he is going
into the new cabinet. Moreover, the
intimation here is that Senator Reed
Smoot of Utah, who Is spending few
days with President-elect Hoover at
Belle Isle, has made little progress In
his advocacy of Louis S. Gates, proml-
nent mining engineer of Utah, as Sec
retary of Interior.
Senator Smoot told newspaper cor
respondents today that one of the first
things he took up with Mr.. Hoover, after
his arrival yesterday at Belle Isle, was
the appointment of Mr.. Gates to head
the Interior Department. The fact that
the Utah Senator is understood to have
not progressed in this matter as well
as he had hoped, has caused feeling
among some here that Mr. Gates
chances have been spoiled by Mr..
Hoover,s prior selection of DR.. Wilbur.
Feeling Points Way to Principles.
The feeling that Senator Smoot has
not been successful in booming Mr..
Gates is taken to serve as another In
6ication of the principles upon which
President-elect Hoover is proceeding In
his quest for cabinet members. The
fact that Senator Snloot, one OF the
leaders of the "old guard" In the SEN
ate, could tell the correspondents Moth
ing of Mr.. Gates chances to land in
the cabinet is taken as being signifi-
cant, at least to the extent that DR..
Wilbur stands in the way.
This indicates also that those per-
sons close to Mr.. Hoover who have
maintained that the latter would give
small consideration to politics in max
ing his selections. knew what they
were talking about.
Col. Henry w. Anderson of Rich
mond, Va, who conferred with Mr..
Hoover Sunday, expressed the opinion
the country would expect Mr.. Hoover to
$ro 70 hi
action by the appointment of men who
would reflect his own views.
Politicians Sure on Arrival.
When Mr.. Hoover arrived in Florida
two weeks ago, politicians confidently
said they knew four or five and even
more of the names selected by Mr.
Hoover for his cabinet. First, they were
confident that Secretary Mellon would
be retained at the head of the Treasury
Department. They felt fairly sure that
Secretary Jardine would be named to
carry out the Hoover agricultural pol
icieS Some were ready to bet that
Postmaster General New would be kept
on because of the splendid manner in
which he has handled the postal serv-
ice and because Mr.. Hoover wants him
to complete the expansion of the air
mail service. They spoke with certainty
that William j. Donovan would be ap-
pointed Attorney General, and there was
some feeling that Dwight F. Davis might
be found as head of the War Depart
ment after March 4.
There is a feeling that the retention
of Secretary Mellon is safe guess
Some are almost equally sure about
Henry L. StimSon becoming Secretary
of State.
Jardine Post Held Uncertain.
There is no certainty about Secretary
Department of Agriculture, as Charles
S. Barrett, retiring head of the Farm
ers' Union, who was here boosting Mr.
Jardine, went away feeling not at all
hopeful.
Mr. Hoover is maintaining COM
plete and most painful silence regard
ing his cabinet. The impression is
gaining strength that when he does
announce his official family, the poll
ticians are going to be greatly surprised
Mr.. Hoover was at his Office shortly
after 9 o'clock this morning, and re-
ceived few callers, but none of them
of any political significance. Among
them were George Wits, Republican
antional committeeman of Wisconsin
Mrs. Bertha Baur, national COM
mitteewoman of Illinois, and David
Baird, jr., Republican leader of South
Jersey. This afternoon, Mr.. Hoover
with Mark Woods of Nebraska and one
or two other friends, is going fishing in
the Gulf Stream off Miami Beach.
DR.. Hubert Work, chairman of the
Republican national committee who ac-