Evening star., 1933-02-23
CABINET VIEWED
AS CONSERVATIVE
Roosevelt Choices "Thor.
oughIy in Symapthy With
His Ideals and Purposes"
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

On the whole, a conservative cabi-
net. This is the verdict of official
Washington on the slate as informally
proclaimed, to date.
Those, who, during the campaign,
feared Franklin Poosevelt's radicalism
can not find in the principal portfolios
that relate to business, anybody who
has been identified in the past with
movements against concentrated wealth
or anybody who typifies the spirit of
imitation or currency tinkering that
is nowadays the cause of so much
apprehension in financial circles.
Political reasons have been basic in
Mr.. Roosevelt's choices. Beginning with
Cordell Hull, junior Senator from Ten
neSsee, who used to be chairman Of
the Democratic National Committee, the
men selected had much to do with
Mr.. RooSevelt's victory. Thus Sena-
tor Hull really organized the pre-con-
vention group in Congress which early
threw its great influence toward Mr..
Roosevelt's candidacy.
Friend and Contributor.
Mr.. Woodin was not only a big
campaign contributor, but a close
friend. His selection for the Secre-
taryship of the Treasury must be graft
flying to the conservatives, for his back
ground is that Of a business man and
director of the Federal Reserve Bank
of New York
Gov. Dern of Utah, scheduled for the
War portfolio, was one of the first to
espouse the Roosevelt cause. Daniel
Roper, said to be slated for Secretary
of Commerce, is another Indeed he
was active in the original McAdoo cam
paign of 1924 and was helpful to the
Roosevelt cause in the South in pre-
convention days of 1882
Mr.. Farley, who is to be Postmaster
General, was, of course, campaign man
ager before and after the conventions.
and thus earned his portfolio in ac-
cordance with custom in American
politics. He is an able business man
and administrator.
Henry Wallace of Iowa and Miss
Frances Perkins of New York, due to
be heads of the Agriculture and Labor
Departments, respectively, may be
classed as liberals along with Harold
Ickes, friend of Senator Hiram John
son. Mr.. Ickes is expected to be Secre-
tary of the Interior. BY adding Sena-
tor Walsh to this group it may be said
that there are at least four liberals in
the cabinet and there are enough evi-
dences in the speeches of Gov. Dern
and Senator Hull that they are deeply
imbued with the philosophy of the new
deaP' as expounded in the campaign.
Two Are Catholics.
From the point of veiw of religion,
Mr.. Roosevelt has two Catholics in the
cabinet, James Farley Postmaster Gen
eral, and Senator Walsh OF Montana
From the geographical viewpoint he
has taken account of all sections of
the country, with slight preponder-
ance to New York State He will have
appointed the first woman to the
cabinet. He will take three United
States Senators-Walsh, Hull and
Swanson (Secretary of the Navy
and this will mean three new Demo-
Gratis in their places, as all three States
have Democratic Governors.
If the tentative list is officially con-
firmed the Roosevelt cabinet may be
described as a group thoroughly in
sympathy with his ideals and pur-
poses-a cabinet of co-workers who
will make a good team. 1t is not
cabinet of business men, but it has
business men in it. 1t is not a cabinet
of radicals, but it has a sprinkling of
them in it. 1t is not a cabinet of eX-
perimentalists, though it has one or
two in it. On the whole it must be
called conservative in the sense that
it is not the unsafe and unsound
group which political opponents pre-
dicted would be chosen when the last
campaign was at its height
(Copyright. 1889