The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-05-09
General TaylOr's AdministratiOn-Its Pros
pects-American Socialism.


The new administration of General Taylor has
been gradually, for the last two months, assuming
form and shape, so far as the personnel of public
office Is concerned. Up to the present time, 1t is
probable that five or six hundred removals have
been made of old incumbents, and an equal number
of new men have been put in their places. This,
however, is but drop in the ocean. The public
service numbers an army of twenty or thirty thou
sand officers, of all classes, from the highest cabi-
net office to the lowest postmaster position re-
ceving pay from government. A great deal of
noise has been made In certain journals at Wash
inpton and some other larger cities, in relation to
these removals and appointments. But we believe
the great body of the people remain quiet spectators,
and manifest but little concern in the matter To
lose fat office is indeed something to those who
have been living in clover for years past, and of
course the loss must excite not little of the pity
and sympathy of his particular friends. To get fat
office Is also very fine prospect and very encourag-
ing to those who are successful, while the feelings
of the unsuccessful candidates often resemble those
of discomfort, chagrin and opposition. Thus far,
however, the acts of the new administration have
created no unusual stir among the great masses Of
the people, whatever sensibility may have been felt
among the mere office-beggars and office-hoders.
But the distribution of Offices, the removal of
public servants and the appointment of new men,
forms only small part of the great business which
comes before a new administration. Its foreign
and domestic policy-those general measures
which are to be discussed and decided upon in
Congress-are far more important to the great body
of the people, and far more interesting to foreign
nations The letters of General Taylor before his
election, and his inaugural after he took posses
sion of power, are the only means by which any
opinion can be formed of those great national mea-
sures which may be facilitated or brought forward
by his cabinet at the next session of Congress
Matters have been assuming such shape re-
Gently, throughout the country, that the mind is
irresstbly brought to the belief that Of those
public measures which have heretofore ds,in-
guished the wing party, have the slightest chance
of passing successfully through both houses at the
next session of Congress. Both the great parties
which have agtaed the country for the last TWEEN
ty-ive years, under the shape and name of wings
and democrats, have been gradually losing their
original energy and vitality, and merging into new
divisions new interests, and different attitudes, In
different sections of the country. In fact, ii may
be said that these two great parties, both the de-
mocrats and the wings, have, by the an-slavery
agitation which has been growing up for the last
eight or ten years been brought nearly to a state
OF dissolution and ruin.
According TO all appearances, the wings, as
class of politicians heretofore known by that name,
will be in the minority in both houses at the next
Congress But the democrats, or the opposition,
although numbering more than the wings, will be
as irreconcably divided among themselves on
certain great questions, any two most violent
factions could be between each other. The demo-
cracy of the North and the democracy of the
South will occupy towards each other a more hos
tile position than any two distinct parties ever did
before in this country. Now, in such state of
things, Gen. Taylors administration will neces-
sary be left without party TO back it in either
house of Congress, and will, therefore, have to
depend only upon chance or the accidental COM
binauons Of interests tor carrying out any measure
which II may wish to propose.
This position of Gen. Taylors administration
may be called an accidental, but radical, Tyler
izauon of the cabnet but it will be placed in this
position by course of events which has been gra-
dually maturing for the last fifty years. Let US
explain.
The Two great ideas which have, heretofore,
welded their force upon the public mind of the
United States, have been the enlargement and
grown OF The republic, by the annexation of new
teritcry, or the agitation of the question relating
TO an institution which originally belonged to
every State of the Union, but which, since the re-
volntion, has been peculiar TO the South alone.
We mean the institution Of slavery. In the early
political contests Of thus republic, symptoms, now
and then, would break out in the journals of those
days, manifesng the depth Of feeling which ex-
jsied upon this subject Nothing could have prevent