Evening star., 1933-02-10
GLASS UNDECIDED
ON CABINET POST
Acceptance Probably Will
Depend on Opinion of
His Physician.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
The decision of Senator Carter Glass
of Virginia to accept or decline the
Office OF Secretary of the Treasury still
hangs in the balance, and upon it
rests in no small degree the ultimate
makeup OF the Roosevelt cabinet.
Senator Glass has strong ideas re-
garding public service and duty to serve
That he would accept the invitation to
become Secretary of the Treasury II
convinced his duty lay in that direc-
tion. his close personal friends are
confident.
With the Inauguration Of President
elect Roosevelt only three weeks dis
tant, ana his necessity for announcing
the personnel of his cabinet by March
4, or soen thereafter, it is expected
that the Virginia Senator will make
his decision in the matter known to
Mr.. Roosevelt as soon as the latter
returns from his present sea trip, If he
does not communicate with him before
VIII Take Physicians Verdict.
In the meantime. it is reported, Sena-
tor Glass will give serious considera-
tlon to the personal as well as the
public side Of the question. The two
are co-mingled in this case, for If Sena-
tor Glass is convinced that, notwith-
standing his rs years of age, he is cap
able OF standing the strain of the ardu-
Gus duties Of the Secretary of the Treas
ury in the coming administration, it Is
believed he win accept. It is his plan,
1t Is said, to take the verdict Of his
physician in this respect. Indeed, it Is
believed he will undergo thorough ex-
animation before he makes known his
decision to the President-elect.
The acceptance Of the Treasury post
by Senator Glass would be widely salts
factory to the Democrats-and also to
the Republicans and the business and
financial interests of the country. While
a strong advocate of reform in banking
and financial matters in this country
the Virginia Senator Is just as strongly
opposed to destroying the soundness OF
the money system in this. country. As
chairman Of the House Committee on
Banking IN the wilson administration
Mr.. Glass was largely responsible for
the legislation which brought about the
establishment of the Federal Reserve
System, and later he served as Secre-
tary OF the Treasury under President
Wilson. resigning to enter the Senate
Senator Glass has been reported as
having accepted and also as having re-
lected the tender of the cabinet post
In both instances he has insisted there
was nothing to the reports If he finally
decides his best service can be rendered
by remaining in the Senate, Mr.. Roose-
velt will necessarily pick another Secre-
tary OF the Treasury. Many names have
been mentioned in connection with this
post. including Bernard M. Baruch oi
New York. Senator Cordell Hull oi
tennessee. who now Is reported to be
slated for Secretary of State; Howard
Bruce of Maryland. former Representa-
tive Swagar Sherley of Kentucky, anc
more recently, Representative Steagal
Of Alaba ham, chairman of the House
Banking Committee.
Other Virsinians Talked.
A declination by Senator Glass t.
enter the Roosevelt cabinet may brine
the selection of Senator Swanson o.
Virginia to be Secretary of the Navy
1t is obvious the President-elect woulc
not place two Senators from the same
State in his cabinet. However, Senator
Swanson has long been intensely in
terested in the affairs and at present
he is ranking Democratic member oi
the Senate Naval Affairs Committee as
we'll as the ranking Democratic member
OF the Committee on Foreign Relations
Furthermore, there has been great pres
sure to find an opening in the Senate
for former Gov. Harry Flood Byrd ol
Virginia, who was strong supporter
Of Roosevelt for President last year. i
either Senator Glass or Senator Swan.
son steps from the Senate into the
cabinet, Mr. Byrd is expected to move
into the Senate, first by appointment
and then by election The selection Of
Mr.. Byrd for the Senate would give
the President-elect a strong advocate
for many of his policies in the upper
House and would offset in measure
the loss to the Senate growing out Of
the entrance Of one of the veteran
Senators from Virginia into the cabinet
Involved In the discussion of the mex
Secretary Of the Treasury is the atti-
tude of President-elect Roosevelt
toward the proposals for currency in
hation that have sprung up rapidly or
Capitol Hill. Senator Glass, as he hac
made clear in the debate on the Glas.
banking bill, would oppose bitterly pro.
posals which he considered unsounc
and likely to debase the American dol
lar How far the Virginia Senator
would be willing to go on the patti
toward imitation is still to be de.
with the President-e on his twc
visits to Washington before he wen
on his present trip South, say thai
they are convinced Mr.. Roosevelt stands
ready to try some measure of imitation
in an effort to better conditions eco.
nomically. But they are unable to say
what his plan will be or how far il
will go.
Dill Sponsors Imitation Bill.
Among the bills introduced proposing
various measures of initiation is that o.
Senator Dill of Washington, Democrat
one of the original Roosevelt-fo Pres.
ident leaders. 1t Is believed Senator
Dill discussed with the PreSident-elec'
the provisions of this measure when the
latter was in Washington, although II
is not understood that Mr.. Roosevelt
definitely committed himself to it. Tht
Dill bill authorizes the Secretary of the
Treasury to purchase silver bullion, fol
which he would issue to the sellers sill.
yer certificates in denominations of S5
$40, $40, $50 and S100, up to the
amount of $250,000,000.
The Dill bill differs from a number
of the silver bills which have been intro
duced in that 1t proposes the amount o1
silver bullion back of each silver GER
tificate shall be the amount Of silver q
gold dollar would purchase at the time
the silver certificate is issued. In Other
words, the Dill measure does not seek
to take the United States off the golo
standard, but to increase the use oi
silver as a basis for currency in this
country. He does not propose any arbi-
trary 16-to-1 or any other ratio be-
tween gold and silver, except the actua
market value Of the silver when paid
for in gold.
: Senator Dill's contention is that BY
the adoption Of his plan the market
price of silver can be greatly increased
thereby making it possible for the silver
using countries OF the world to purchase
far more products from the United
States than they are now able to dc
with silver selling at its present low