AMERICAN POLITICS.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14547, 26 December 1912, Page 10

AMERICAN POLITICS.

THE XEW PRESIDENT. ATTACKING THE CABINKT AND FILLING THE CABINET. (FROM Orn OWN CORRESPONDENT.) SAN FRANCISCO, November 2-5. It has bocomo moro and more apparent since the Democratic success in tho recent national election that tho ono outstanding task which President Wilson and Congress fool themselves called upon to accomplish is to substantially reduce the protective duties of tho Customs tariff. Already the President-elect has announced that upon his induction into office ho will convene a special session of Congress to deal with the tariff. In tiie present tempt r of President Wilson and tho members of tho Democratic Congress that will come- into existence on March 4th, there is likely to be enacted a tariff that will strip protection from almost every industry that now enjoys its influence. At any rate, the promise is to reduce the duties to a purely revenue basis. The opposing force of vested interests, many of them established in the Democratic Southern States, will, of course, operate as a brako on tho exuberant ,- tariflsmashers,' , but that the new national Administration will undertake and carry through a rigorous r< vision ot ttio tarilf in the early days of its power is now undoubted. Considerable pressure was brought to bear on President-elect Wilson from tho 'very day after tho election to persuade him into summoning a special session of Congress lor the purpose. It was not his intention to express himself on the subject until several weeks had elapsed, until his return from the vacation of a month's duration ho is now enjoying on the island of Bermuda. But, finding, as he stated, that opinion in favour of a special session was practically unanimous, he announced before, sailing that the session would bo called. With the time to bo consumed in discussion, Mr Wilson said ho felt that if the extra session wero not called, "the benefits of tho tariff revision would be postponed practically two years. ,, Tho session will convene on April loth or earlier. In his official pronouncement on the subject, Mr Wilson said: — "I shall call Congress together in extraordinary session not later than April loth. I shall do this not only because I think that the pledges of tho party ought to bo redeemed as promptly as I possible, 'but also because. I know it to Ibo in tho interest of business that all uncertainty as to what the particular iems of tariff revision are to be should bo removed as soon as possible.' .

In tho last two years a number of tariff reduction bills have rpassed Congress, but none of them received the assent of President Taft, and consequently all of them failed to become law. Democratic Congressmen who have been, prominent in this resultless legislative work highly approve Mr Wilson's decision, and arc reported from Washington to bo delighted with tho prospect of again "tackling the tariff." The belief is that Congress Avill begin with tho wool, ; cotton, and iron schedules. The Ways and Means Committee will ho at work from now on, preparing for tho submission of tho Bills to the House of Representatives, whero such legislation originates.

On tho other subject of cardinal importance connected with the administration of tho new President —that .*f the composition of his Cabinet —tho public is just about as much in the dark as it was tho day after the election, -when Mr Wilson said he had given tho matter no consideration. The original weakness of Mr Taft's administration, it is now generally conceded, was tho fact that he got together a team of mediocre unknowns, speaking of most of -his departmental heads. Sly Wilson may bo depended upon to take warning. What looks to have been an attempt to smoke out tho Presidentelect was tho publication of a newspaper statement that Mr William Jennings Bryan had been chosen for tho post of Secretary of Statt —tho highest Cabinet post —and -was about to proceed to Bermuda to discuss with his chief the filling of the other positions. Both Mr Wilson and Mr Bryan denied this, and tho latter is still at his home at Nebraska. Even so, ■ popular opinion designates Mr Bryan as the next .Secretary of State, a post which is occasionally referred to as the "premiership." Certainly it was directly due to Bryan swinging from Champ Clark in tho Democratic Convention to Wilson that the latter was nominated and elected. His appropriate reward for this and for his great services to the Democratic party would appear to be that which the public has already awarded him. At the same time, thero is extant a letter written by Mr Woodrow W;json some years ago, in which the opinion was expressed that the Democratic party had had too much of Mr Bryan. This niav cause a lack of full confidence between the two leaders. Mr Bryan's ambition to run again for the Presidency in 1916 may occasion still another embarrassment.

The prominence, of Champ Clark, Speaker of tho House of Representa-f.vi-s, seems to mark him out for a. Cabinet position, but his bittor contost with Woodrow Wilson in the Democratic Convention for tho Presidential nomination has probably left in hmi a want of sympathy with tho now party leader, and it is the general view that ho will remain in the Spenkership. William McAdoo, of New York, William McCombs. of New York, Lotus Brandeis, of Massachusetts. Walter L. Fisher, of Illinois, and Rudolph Sprockets, John linker, and James 1). Phelan, of California, are others whose names are boini; canvassed. Meanwhile, Mr Wilson says no one has been offered a Cabinet position. He demands to be left to himself in P<ermuda, and tho other day threatened to thrash a photographer who attempted to snapshot him. . . Wood row Wilson lias let it be known that ho intends to be a democratic (with a small "d") president, and not merely a party leader. A lew days after'his election ho stated that .so tar as oossible there would be an "open door" at White House. President Cleveland, it is recalled, went into office with tho announced purpose of transacting public business ' behind glass doors." but he. found the accommodation at White House not well fitted for such a degree of publicity. President Taft and his :mmec!uite predecessors hiivu pursued the course of living an hour or two each day, except m times of pressing business, to shaking hands with visitors who have the scrutiny of the doorkeeper vid the President's nrivate secretary. For the rest of tho "day. however access to xh<- chief executive has been civen only to those having business with him." In Washington it is bei lirved that Mr Wilson will find it inadvisable to extend to the general public any greater degree of pr.nlego than this. ' °