The Washington times., 1938-12-16
Who IS next?
WOODRING And
(OR) PERKINS?
designations Welcome,
But Will They Quit?
By THEODORE HUNTLEY

by ThEOUOHE HUNVLEx
Exit Attorney General Cum,
mings and Secretary of Commerce
Roper from the Roosevelt Cabinet.
Who will be the next to go?
Washington knows the logical
answer.
The trouble Is, the two whose
designations would be cheerfully
accepted at the White House have
refused thus far to be budged or
influenced by repeated publication
Of stories suggesting that they
have perhaps outStayed their wei.
come.
IT'S NO SECRET
Since there Is no secret about
| it, they can be identified again as
Secretary Of War woodring and
Secretary Of Labor Perkins.
| Assistant Secretary Of war
Louis johnson was given to under.
stand when he gave UP a big West
Virginia law practice to come to
Washington that he would be
moved up before long to the top
post in the War Department.
He has hung on, worked hard
and played the game, but nothing
has happened. Secretary Wood
ring likes his job and refuses to
permit himself to be shifted to an
ambassador or something equally
ornamental.
President Roosevelt is under
stood to have rather definite ideas
about strengthening the Labor
Department before 1910 also.
But Madame Perkins, like Secre-
tary Woodring, finds nothing else
quite so much to her liking as a
place at the Cabinet table. And
the man who sits at the head Of
the table has been too kind
hearted to force a resignation.
THESE WILL STAY
On the other side of the Cabi.
net ledger it seems settled now,
since Secretary IckeS has decided
to stay in Washington instead Of
running for Mayor Of Chicago,
that these CabineteerS will go
through to 1910:
State-Hull.
Treasury-Morgenthau.
Navy-Swanson, If his health
permits tor perhaps whether
it does or not, since the President
seems satisfied with the way As
sistant Secretary Edison and the
Chief Of Operations, Admiral
Leahy, are running the Navy now.
Interior-IckeS.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
FARLEY? UP TO HIM
That leaves Justice and Com
merce to be filled, and leaves
Jim Farley'S future as Postmaster
General to be determined by him
self. If ne wants to stay, he
can. If he wants to go into bust
ness, the President will not insist
that he remain, as 1t looks at
present.
Although Solicitor Genera !
Robert H. Jackson is most fire.
quently named as the probable
successor to Cummings, and WPA
Administrator Harry Hopkins is
supposed to be in line for Roper's
post, there are those who believe
neither decision Is final.
SoundtngS as to Hopkins stand
ing among business leaders, as. q
prelude to the Presidents decision
as to whether to shift him to
Roper's job, have developed q
wide divergence Of opinion.
BACKGROUND NOTED
Some Of the Presidents close
advisers rate Hopkins highly.
Others question his ability as an
executive, and In addition doubt
the wisdom Of appointing man
with a welfare workers back
ground to q Cabinet position
which touches business more
closely than any other except the
Treasury, and usually Is filled
although not in Roper's case-by
a man with q business background.
Solicitor General Jackson'S
views on business also are not cal
culated to effect q rapprochment
between the New Deal and the
business community, If the Presi-
dent should decide this Is desir-
able as q contribution to recov-
cry.
Governor Horner Of Illinois
would welcome appointment as
Attorney General, but since Ickes
has decided to stay Is probably
out Of the picture.
WHITTIER BENT?
Hopkins and Jackson would be
confirmed by Congress without
question. The decision as to their
appointment to the two impend-
{vAn Ho1NSV1a$ NoxN0iaO CaaVnS IN