Knox’s Eligibility for Secretary of State
There is a perplexing legal question which has come to Mr. Taft and Mr. Knox regarding the choice of the latter as Secretary of State. While both are excellent Constitutional lawyers, they had forgotten, in the multiplicity of duties, Section 6 of Article 1 of the Federal Constitution. A portion of that reads: “No senator or representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased, during such time; and no person holding any office under the United States shall be a member of either house during his continuance in office.” During Mr. Knox’s present term of office as senator, the salary of the Secretary of State has been raised from $8,000 to $12,000. In fact, he voted for that law, Jan. 18, 1907. It is said that Mr. Knox will refuse to serve. Congress has done its part in repealing the act to raise the salary of the Secretary of State, so as to make Senator Knox available for that office. Whether the repeal shall become good law has not yet been determined.