Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-01

is a lawyer of ability. His service as
secretary of the national Republican
committee deserved recognition"
"The identity Of the senatorial muck
rakerS who are posing as defenders Of
the country against predatory wealth
Is so well known that to publish the
roll call on Secretary Vests appoint
ment would be waste of ink" says the
Detroit Free Press Independently, and
that paper concludes: Secretary West
wins; and the muckrakers have been
put in their place. where they. VIII
writhe uneasily until the name Of an
other cabinet appointee. who has risen
above the $5,000-a-year class Is tossed
to them to fight over"
Il y
The Morgantown New Dominion Gin
dependent Democratic) assumes that
"the Senate believed either that Mr..
Vests personal integrity and honor
were suficient to guarantee his devo-
ton to his country's welfare above any
other consideration or that It would
be an act of discourtesy to q President
personal appointee who would not
possibly continue In service for more
than six weeks longer"
The difficulty In finding worthy cab
met timber Is commented on by the Fort
Worth Record Telegram (Democratic)
with the statement: ITO be cabineteer
one must be big enough to deal with big
men and handle big questions. To be q
cabinet member one must not have be-
come entangled with anything SO big as
to leave even hair brand on the ap-
plicant. This new Secretary Of the In
terror seems to have brushed so closely
A. II kHAA Aa RaI
from the contact with stray hair or
two on the lapel Of his political coat.
Ergo! The Senate went into the star
chamber session over the discriminating
evidence. Not that we are writing q
brief for Secretary West. SO far as we
know his only virtue Is his nAme-even
that not being far enough to gain our
unstinted praise. Our modest reference
Is to the TRANSPORTATION Of bumps rang
ing from mole hills to prairie dog towns
into replicas Of the high Sierras by the
heavy deliberations of the United States
Senate with its galleries cleared and its
doors shut and bolted."
Secrecy In congressional proceedings
appeals to the Springfield Republican
independently as producing discussion
which is bunk" for, it contends, 'the
for any, or all, of the proceedings Of its
executive sessions whenever the 96 mem
mers Of the Senate want it." The
Worcester Evening Gazette (independ-
ent) offers the Judgment: EITHER Mr..
West Is or Is not q proper man for the
post to which President Coolidge has
named him. Apparently he Is, since the
President appointed him and the Sem
ate has confirmed the appointment
overwhelmingly. So why all the Sc
crecy? Maneuvering Of this kind Is
likely to disturb public confidence In
the Senate and in Mr.. West, too
cit Is possible" says the st. Paul Dis
patch independently. "that II Mr.. West
had four years instead Of only q little
more than four weeks left 70 serve ~
Secretary OF the Interior, the decision Of
the Senate would have been different.
To many Of the Senators favoring his
confirmation It must have seemed that
his appointment was really an accom-
plished fact not to be undone by any &C.
ton at this late hour and that conse-
quently the central issue could be put
to one side" The Springfield Union
(Republican) concludes with the sug-
gestion: eThe belief prevails that Presi-
dent-elect Hoover does not intend 10 In
clude him among the members OF his
cabinet. Otherwise. the opposition might
have been much more determined"