Evening star., 1940-08-25
Jesse Jones Invited
To Succeed Hopkins
In the Cabinet
Texon Said to Have
Presidents Offer
Under Advisement
~ the Associated Press.

UAy " CAkc OVcT tllc pOSI VI OcCiC-
tary of Commerce, succeeding
Harry L. Hopkins in the cabinet.
Announcement of the offer was
made by the White House in max
ing public a letter of resignation
from Mr.. Hopkins, who said that
because of his health he felt he
should not continue in the ONCE.
Associates of Mr.. Jones presumed
he would accept, but there was no
| direct word from him. He was out
of the city and was said to have
the offer under advisement.
Mr.. Hopkins was understood to
have no plans for the immediate
future except to rest. There were
reports, however, that he might
take the position of librarian at the
Hyde Park IN. " library built to
house the Presidents ofhcial papers
and expected to be opened next
summer.
Has Stomach Ailment.
The 50year- former relief ad-
ministrator who stepped into the
cabinet shoes of Daniel c. Roper
in January, 1899. has suffered from
stomach ailment for two years.
He and Mr.. Roosevelt have been
| close friends for many years, and.
in accepting the resignation, the
President told him, You may
resign the ofiice-only the Office
and nothing else. Our friendship
| will and must 60 on as always"
In making public the correspond
ence, Stephen T. Early, White
House secretary, said Louis johnson
| of West Virginia, recently resigned
Assistant Secretary of War, was
considering an offer to become Un.
dersecretary of Commerce. This
place was recently vacated by Ed
ward j. Noble. Connecticut Repub-
lican, who quit 10 campaign for
the election of Wendell L. Willkie,
Republican presidential candidate.
Mr.. johnson resigned from the
little cabinet" to permit Secretary
Of War Henry L. Stimson to name
his own assistant. Robert P. Patter-
son of New York He rejected a
proffered appointment as an ad-
| ministrative assistant to the Presi-
dent.
Fifth to Leave Cabinet.
Mr.. Hopkins is the fifth to leave
the cabinet since shortly before the
July Democratic National Conven-
ton. Harry H. Woodring and
Charles Edison quit the War and
Navy posts, respectively, making it
possible for the President to name
two Republicans-Mr. Stimson for
War and Col Frank Knox for Navy.
Postmaster General James A. Far
ley resigned, effective at the end Of
this month, to accept private busi-
ness offer and Henry A. Wallace re-
signed the agriculture secretaryship,
effective September S. to campaign
for the Vice Presidency as Mr..
Roosevelt's running mate. ..t
Claude r. Wickard of Indiana was
confirmed yesterday as Mr.. Wallace's
successor. Frank c. Walker OF New
York has been mentioned. among
| others, for the post office assign
ment.
Under date of August y, Mr.. Hop
kins wrote the President that the
European war made it necessary for
the United States to build both eco
nomically and militarily for defense.
and added:
That you have resolved these fun
| damental questions in your own
mind. that you are now leading the
Nation in its gigantic effort to de-
fend itself is the surest guarantee OF
peace for America"
Wanted to Resign in May.
He said he wanted to resign last
May because he believed the country
needed the services of cabinet ON
GERS whose strength permitted Wig
orous and continuous assumption OF
the duties required of them"
He noted that the President asked
him to remain throughout the sum-
mer in the hope he would completely
recover his strength, but he said this
recovery had not been fully ac-
complished."
! Mr.. Hopkins was Mr.. RooSevelts
personal representative at the Demo-
/ cratic convention in Chicago and
had been credited with being
leader in the 1888 administration
effort to defeat Democratic critics OF
the New Deal.
Accepting the resignation, the
President wrote today that it was
/ possible only for you to break the
| official ties that exist between us
not the ties of friendship that have
endured so happily through the
years. I am accepting your resig-
nation, therefore. to take effect at
date to be determined later and,
I repeat, that this resignation is
accepted only in its official sense"
Greatest Money Lender.
A Houston builder. financier,
operator, Mr. Jones entered the
Federal service in the Hoover ad-
ministration.
| AS chairman of the Reconstruc-
ton Finance Corp, he lent ovre 10
billions of dollars of Government
money and has been called the
greatest money lender in history"
He takes pride in saying that these
loans have shown profit.
When the President merged the
r. F. G. with several other Federal
lending agencies in July, 1899, the
tall, white haired Texan and friend
of Vice President Garner was put
at the head of the combined agen-
cies as Federal loan administrator.
Representative Woodruff, Repub-
lican. of Michigan, declared yester-
day the resignation of Mr.. Hopkins
was welcome news to the American
people because he has never func-
toned in his cabinet post.
In a statement issued through
the Republican National Commit
tee, Mr.. Woodruff said 1T has been
generally understood that the real
reason" for the resignation was not
i'll health, but Mr.. Hopkins desire
Ito continue as Mr.. Roosevelt's per-
sonal representative during the
c0iIrSe of the procopf tb{rd to~,..