The intimate papers of Colonel House arranged as a narrative by Charles Seymour.

NEWTON D. BAKER OFFERED A PORTFOLIO 109

things, not to let any one know he was coming to my apartment or was having an appointment with the Presidentelect....
'I met Governor Wilson and brought him to the apartment. We had about forty minutes before Baker came, and
we discussed the Cabinet and other appointments....
'Baker came and we had a very delightful dinner; politics
were not discussed at all, stories were told, Mark Twain and
various other persons and matters were talked of. After
dinner I left the Governor and Baker....
'In about a half-hour, I returned. The Governor said he
had offered Baker the Secretaryship of the Interior and that
he was considering the matter. Baker finally decided he
could not take it. He said there was no one to carry on the
work in Cleveland which he had begun, and he thought the
government of our American cities was the greatest disgrace
to our citizenship; that Cleveland was emerging from that
state and would soon be an example to her sister cities
throughout the land.
'Both the Governor and I urged him to take a broader
view of the situation and do the bigger work. He finally
decided to take the matter under consideration for the
night, and said if he changed his mind he would wire me
to-morrow, quoting a line from Shakespeare which I would
understand.'
The cryptic line from Shakespeare was never sent, and it
was found necessary to look further for a Secretary of the
Interior. Baker's refusal led Wilson definitely to decide that
he would return to House's original suggestion of McReynolds as Attorney-General. The Colonel pointed out that
Walter H. Page might be offered the Interior and Lane be
shifted to the War Department. Wilson acceded and
authorized House to see whether Page would accept. He at
once called him upon the telephone, but learned that he had