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

VARIOUS APPOINTMENTS CONSIDERED 97

'I thought if I were in Wilson's place I would take only
men I knew, that in making a selection it was like walking in
the country- one could always imagine that something
better was beyond, but upon reaching the given point the
view was still in the distance like the rainbow.
'Bryan was also discussed freely. I advised him to offer
Bryan the Secretaryship of State, but afterwards to suggest
that it would be of great service if he would go to Russia at
this critical time. He thought Bryan would want to discuss
with him the personnel of his Cabinet and that they could
never agree. I argued that there were many people and
things that they could agree upon, as their object was really
the same only their ways of getting at it were different. He
might, I thought, mention the names of Burleson, Daniels,
and others he was considering for the Cabinet who were also
friends of Mr. Bryan.
'We discussed again the Attorney-Generalship.... We
went back to McReynolds and I thought he seemed to
understand the different phases of the situation better than
any one I had talked to. He asked if I considered McAdoo
suited for the Treasury, and I thought he was; under ordinary conditions I should say an Eastern man would be a bad
choice, but that in this instance I heartily approved McAdoo.
'December 19, 1912: Governor Wilson called me over the
telephone and said that McCombs was distinctly disappointed at the ambassadorial offer made him yesterday, and
no decision was arrived at. He wanted to know again about
Bryan and my advice about it. I advised being cordial in
making the offer,1 and to make it plain afterwards that he
would appreciate his taking the foreign post [the Ambassadorship to Russia].
'B. M. Baruch, McCombs' friend, told Wallace that he
had advised McCombs not to accept office, but to resign from
the National Committee and to go into the practice of law
1 Of the Secretaryship of State.