MR. TAFT'S CABINET.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 448, 5 March 1909, Page 7

MR. TAFT'S CABINET.

PERSONNEL. SEVEN NEW MINISTERB. MR. KNOX SECRETARY OF STATE. (bt TEi.Eaitirn—riiEss association—copruianT.) Now York, March 3. Mr. W. H. Taft, who enters on tho oflGco of President to-morrow, has appoiut-cd tho following Cabinot :— Secretary of Stato—Philander C. Knox, of Pennsylvania. Secretary of tho Treasury—Mr. Franklin Sevoagh. 'Attorney-General—Georgo W. Wickorsham, of Now York. Secretary of War—Mr. M. F. Dickinson, of Massachusetts. Secretary of tho Navy—Mr. Geo. von L. Meyer, of Massachusetts. Sccrotary of tho Interior—Mr. Richard A. Ballinger, of Seattle, Washington. Postmastor-Goneral —Mr. Frank F. Hitchcock, of Massachusetts. Secretary of Agriculture—Mr. James Wilson, of lowa. Secretary of Commerce and Labour—Mr. Charles Nagol, of Missouri, THE NEW MINISTERS. Senator P. C. Knox, who was United States Attorney-General.from April 9, 1901, to .Tune 30, 1904, was also tho second candidate in the poll for tho Republican Presidential nomination, securing nioro votes than _ Governor Hushes, who was third. It is considered he will be a strong man in the Department of State, which means the control of the foreign affairs of the United, States. Tire New York "World" (Domocrat) says of tho new Republican Secretary of State:—"He is one of the ablest men in public life—one of the ablest the generation has produced. His mind is clear, comprehensive, vigorous, acute. logical, and thoroughly trained. Ho will go into historv as one of the greatest of Attorney-Generals. In tho hands of the man who first demonstrated the validity of the Sherman Anti-trust Law against tho power of tho trusts, who brought the railroad .giants and beef trust magnates to terms, and who framed t.n Anti-rebate Law which worked, tho standard of work in tho Stato Department is not likely to fall below that established by Hay and Hoot. And, personally, Mr. Knox's hands am clean."

Tho Washington correspondent of "The Times" comments:—"Possibly, apart from exSenator Sooonor, Mr. Knox is tho best man that could be selected to succeed Mr. Boot. Of Into years the Presidents-elect have found it difficult to tempt Senators to accspt, Cabinet posts. Presidents Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, M'Kmley, and Roosevelt all made overtures to Senators, and, I think it is safe to say, failed to secure the men wonl"d more often than they succeeded. Next to Mr. Toft, Mr. Knox, as"was said at the time, was the strongest candidate in Chicago for . tho Presidential nomination, and for this reason, nnd_ in accordance with an old custom of offering tho first place in tho Cabinet to tho principle competitor for tho nomination, it was anpronriate that the plne« should be offered to Mr. Knox. Mr. Knox" will mako a most acceptable Secretary of State."

Another notaW" fienre in the new Cabinet, is Mr. Prank H. Hitchcock. Postmaster-General. As chairman'of the Republican National Committee that promoted Mr. Taft's campaign, he became more familiar than any other porson with tho political phase of questions likely'to arise at the beginning of the Taft Administration, and tho knowlcdjo ho (rained regarding the personnel of the part should be of great service to Mr. Taft. Besides fhesa reasons tho national chairman possesses a comprehensive as well as a technical knowledge of postal affairs, gained by a protracted experience as first assistant and His distingnishincr characteristics as an official aro his hard work and his wonderful capacity for detail and system. Born in Ohio in 1867. he served with, success in the Department of Agriculture and in tho Department, of Commerce , f and Labour, Jfr. Cortelyou ,find.!.n<*, his sstaf for. sysfematisation very useful in the latter Department. He had to travel all ovt the country in connection with the organisation of the Department, and improved tho opportunity to form a wide acquaintance with public men. He got an intimate acquaintance with political situations all over the United States, aud the result was that he resigned in 1901 his place in tho Department and was made assistant secretary of tho Republican National Committee when Mr. Cortelyou became chairman. After the 190t campaign Mr. Hitchcock returnedto the public service with Mr. Cortelyou, being First Assistant Postmaster-General. It was this office ho resinned on February 15, 1908, to take up tho Taft Presidential candidacy. Two members of President Roosevelt's retiring Cabinet are included, in the new one. They are Mr. George Von L. Meyer (Post-master-General under Mr. Roosevelt, now Secretary of tho Navy) and Mr. Jas. Wilson, who retains tho post of Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. Georgo Von L. Meyer has been a very energetic Postmaster-General. He is a merchant and company director in a big way, and prior to becoming Postmaster-General had diplomatic experience as United States Ambassador to Italy and Russia.

Mr. Wilson has been Secretary of Asriciilture since March 5, ISO 7. Born in Ayrshire, Pentium!. in 1835, he came to tho United States nt tho ago of seventeen, became a farmer, and represented lowa in Congress in the 'seventies and 'eighties.

Mr. ft. A. Ballinsrer is, a lawyer, born in Inwa in 1858, who has practised widely and published books on law. Mr. Nagel and Mr. Dickerson arc also lawyers. 1