Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-12
Still Guessing.

Herbert Hoover, the PreSldent-elect, Wal
become Chief Executive at that time
and President Coolidge has merely fol-
lowed the usual custom. of calling the
Senate to meet in executive session at
the opening of a new administration
One of MIR. Hoovers first actions as
President will be to send to the Senate
the list of his appointments to the cab
met. The President-elect Is closely
guarding the secret of his selections for
membership in his of1icial family.
Rumors of the appointment of various
men spring up overnight and most of
them die almost as quickly. Literally
scores and even hundreds of names
have been put forward as possible"
members of the Hoover cabinet. There
has been no authoritative statement
from any source connecting any one
definitely with any cabinet Office so far,
Generally the belief has grown up that
Secretary Andrew W. Mellon Of the
Treasury Department will continue
in his present Office after Mr.. Hoover
becomes President. But this is largely
because it is believed that Mr.. Melons
retention would be not only proper, but
wise move on the part of the next
President, and not because Of anything
that Mr.. Hoover or Mr.. Mellon may
have said.
Henry L. Stimson, governor general
of the Philippine Islands and former
Secretary of War in the Taft admin
istration, has admitted he is coming
back to the United States to take
new post under the Hoover administra-
ton. Mr.. Stimson is slated, according
to report, to head the State Depart
ment. But neither Mr.. Stimson nor Mr.
Hoover has given any public indication
as to the truth of this report
From California has come the word
that President Ray Lyman Wilbur of
Stanford University is preparing to
leave the university to come to Wash
ington to take the ONCE Of Secretary Of
the Interior, and it Is reported that the
board has arranged a. leave of absence
for him to do so. But there has been
no oficial confirmation of this rumored
selection for cabinet post.
Other cabinet posts are filed accord
ing to rumor, usually advanced ION high
authority" but without connecting Mr..
Hoover directly with the rumors. For
example, it Is reported that Secretary
Jardine Is to remain as head of the
Department Of Agriculture; that Col
william j. Donovan. Assistant Of the
Attorney General. is to be Attorney
General, or. failing that. Secretary Of
War; that Walter r. Brown is slated to
be Postmaster General, provided, Of
course, Postmaster General Harry New
is not retained or First Assistant Post
master General Bartlett is not pro-
NOTED. These are samples of the guess
work now going on in Washington.
The Senate is not likely to remain
long in session after March f.. though
there have been threats from various
Senators to fight this or that man If
he were appointed to the cabinet. In
the old days, a Presidents cabinet Sc
lections were approved by the Senate
largely as q matter of form. 1t was
considered that a Chief Executive had
the right to pick any one he desired to
help him run the Government. But a
change has come. The Senate turned
down one Of President Coolidge's ap-
pointees, Charles Beecher Warren of
Michigan, to be Attorney General, and
has attacked others. Opposition to the
reappointment Of Secretaries Mellon and
Jardine has been voiced already by
members of the Senate, and threats Of
opposition have been made against the
appointment of Col. Donovan to be At
torney General. MIR. Hoover, however,
II he determines to retain. any Of the
present members Of the cabinet, Is not
forced to submit their names to the
Senate. Under, the law. these gentle
men may continue to hold office in
which they have already been confirmed
by the Senate. with the exception Of
the Postmaster General, whose term Of
Office has been hxed by law at four
years. Mr.. Hoover may or may not
have cabinet surprises up his sleeve.
One thing Is certain, however: He has
shown shin1self can adept at keeping the
guessers guessing.
q
There are cynical suspicious to the
effect that there is no more hope of
stopping stock market gambling than
there is Of prohibiting bets on q horse