Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1849-07-25

President Taylor and his Cabinet.
The Opposition presses have been making merry
Tor several weeks falsehood that has been in
dustously circulated, to the effect that President
Taylor is merely Of eight in his Cabinet; that
he is in the habit of submitting his nominations for
office TO that body giving vote with the rest of
them, and abiding by the result 1t Is said lin terms,
that he has abnegated the Presidential power and is
OF no more weight account in public affairs than
any one of his seven Cabinet officers.
We have never thought it worth while to contra
dict ihs absurd falsehood. 1t never occurred to us
that sane man would give it credit for moment
1T is entirely Inconsistent with Gen. Taylor's
weIl-known character, with his habits of thot and
his habits OF life, that we supposed the statement
carried the lie on the face oft To believe that "A
man whose whole career has been passed in school
IN which the relations Of position and duty are SO
well understood, and 50 uniformly regarded-to be-
i,eve that soldier of forty years service could SO
unlearn all that forty years had taught him, as to
place himself in such false attitude with regard 60
Cabinet officers of his own appointment requires
such marvellous development of the bump of Gre
dulity that we could not imagine there was man
outside OF a museum or a lunatic asylum who hon
estly believed it.
But it is unfortunately true that the continual re-
petitions even of an absurd falsehood gives it ul-
Maely some sort of credit with those who are dis
posed to believe it. Perhaps, if it should be pub
!ished daily in the Opposition newspapers that Pres
ldent Taylor woro his head under his shoulders
some people, in the of time, would believe
1T, and foruty their belief on the ground that if il
was not true, his friends would contradict it, 1t is
this which leads us to notice and to contradict the
statementto which ave have alluded.
We aver, therefore, most distinctly, that all the
statements which have appeared in the opposition
newspapers, OF the character and effect of those TO
which we above refer, are absolutely and unqualif-
eddy false.
The President of the u. States in no instance
submits his prerogalive to the chances of vote in
the Cabinet. The appointments vested in the Pre-
sdent the President has made on his own resposibl-
lty. The applications for such appointments that
have been refused have been refused on his own re-
sponsibll,y. He has sought to implicate the
Cabinet, or any ..ember Of the Cabinet in the re-
spo3sibity OF such refusal. Every diplomatic APP
Polntment OF any Importance has been made by the
president HIMSELF of his motion, and from his
own judgement, on the merits and claims of the re-
spective candidates With regard 10 the inferior
and local appointments which belong properly to
the heads OF Departments, he has left them where
they belong without seeking TO Interfere In making
these appointments the members of the Cabinet
have of course, been compelled consult together
In order TO arrange and equaize the appointments in
different sections and to prevent conflicting or dou-
bic appointments, too great preponderance in
particular localities. These appointments the Pre-
sdent has not nerfered with, because it is no
part of his Presidential duty It has never been
considered part Of the Presidential duty except by
one or two of our Chief Magistrates, who have been
afflicted with that species of egotism which germi-
mates in the temper Of despot or demagogue
President Taylor does not interfere with the clerks
porers, and messengers in the Department. In our
judgement he ought not TO interfere with them. II
is difficult for us TO conceive that any gentleman
could remain at the head of a Department without
being left at perfect liberty to select the subord-
mates for whose attention. capacity, and fidelity he is
responsible. We do not know any President who
has, at any time, undertaken TO regulate these mat
tiers, except possibly the late Chief Magistrate and
President Jackson. 1t was matter of notorious COM
plant against the late President that he was contin-
ually intermeddling in appointments that belong to
the heads of Departments and it is very much TO
the discredt of the several members his Cabinet
that they condescended retain their places i'm spite
OF such interference
President Taylor, then, has done precisely what
all other well advised Presidents have done Where
it was not his province TO interfere he has permitted
the Cabinet TO arrange their appointments in their
own way. Where the responsibility of an appoint
Tnent in the President, he has exercised il; and
the idea Of a conflict, collision, or comparison Of
opinion as between himself and the Cabinet and of
his voting with or against members Of his Cabinet
of his being out voted voted down, or his hay
ing failed ia any instance to exercise the entire Pre-
siden,ial power as vested in him by the constitution
and the laws of his country. is all fable and false
hood. 1t has never been Gen. IaylOr's habit to
shik responsibilities, to interfere with the duties
that properly belong to his subordinates. He has
looked his officers for the proper discharge Of their
duty, and has not sought TO thwart embarrass
them in the mode of doing it. Nor has he ever per-
mitted them, in any situation in which he has been
placed, to control his Judgment or to substitute their
will for his own.-RepubHc.