The New York herald., 1850-01-06
The Cabinet Nominations and the Action
OF the Senate


From all appearances, and from the glvings out
OF Mr.. Clayton's own organs in Washington and
In New York, it is evident that he cabinet await
The action of the Senate on the appointments, with
'ear and trembling. They are conscious that their
whole policy of removals and appointments since
they came into Office is about to be reviewed, and
that they are about to be called upon for rigid
accoun; of their stewardship. Knowing that they
stand poor chance OF encountering the ordeal to
| which they are compelled to submit, they have
commenced manufacturing exceptions to the law
under which they will be tried, and which they
have most fagrantly violated, in the face of day
and with malice prepense. How stands the case
Previous to General Taylor's election, he ex-
pressed, in his letters, and after his election, in his
inaugural address, sentiments on the subject of re-
movals and appointments, that received the appro-
baton of all political parties and of all classes OF
| the community. Nor can it be denied, that those
pledges and promises, expressed IN his letters con-
trbued greatly to his election, for the country had
become sickened with the prescription for opinion
sake, which had ch racterized the career of every
administration since the first Presidency of Gene
raj Jackson. Those pledges and promises, thus
given voluntarily by General Taylor, were sub
mitted TO the cabinet. Mr.. Clayton and his asso-
ciates took Office under them, and by doing so,
bound themselves to adopt them as the rule of
their policy, in the matter of removals and ap-
pointmen's, provided even they were not expressly
laid before them by General Taylor himself, which
we have every reason to believe was done. No
sooner, however, were the cabinet in Office than
General Taylor's promises and pledges were cast
to the winds, and career of prescription for
aved fha anual IF
which was never before seen in this country.
Every department of the government was re-
volutionized-thousands and thousands of Office
holders were displaced, and IN a great many in
stances their situations were filed by favorites of
their own, who were utterly incompetent to per-
form the duties assigned to them.
Such the circumstances under which the
cabinet appointments are submitted to the Senate.
1t no wonder, then, that Mr. Clayton and his col
leagues should fear the result or that they should
endeaver as much as possible to evade the law, to
discover a flaw in the indictment, to make out as
of no account the pledges and promises of General
Taylor, which were placed before them as their
guide. Accordingly, we see an effort made in the
cabinet organs, to invadate those pledges and
promises made by General Taylor. This cannot
be effected without convicting General Taylor of
duplicity, of double dealing, of triding with the
reople of the United States But the cablaet have
resorted to this trick, and their past policy gives
abundant evidence that they would have no hesita-
ZION IN sacrificing the old General, if he stood in
the way. Let US read what the cabinet organs
say. The Washington correspondent of the
Courier and Enquirer, who is known to be the
same individual who corresponds with Mr.. Clay
IONS own organ In Philadelphia, and who is
the confidential medium of communication be-
tween the cabinet and the public, says, in re-
ference to the probable action Of the Senate on
the appointments about TO be submitted to them -
ait was never pretended asserted excep. by par
tsan prints having sinister purposes to that
voivng competency or character while the ina ugura
address declared that the absence # honesty fidelity
or capacity would furnish ground OF removal no i'm
to those Who properly displaced for being openly
opposed to the policy and principles Of the administra
tion.n
This is decidedly a mos, barefaced and un.
scrupulous attempt to violate the history of the
past two years. If General Taylor meant any
thing all in those promises and pledges, he meant
that he would not, when elected, adopt the policy
Of former administrations in regard to making in
discriminate removals from once. Notwlthstand
ing, then, the tenor Of those promises, as it was
Tay lor himself, as well as by the public, proscrp-
ton has been adopted by the cabinet to greater
extent than any cabinet ever followed with n the
same space of time. Now, the case resolves Itself
into ths:-Adopting General Tsylor's pledges and
promises as guide and rule Of action Tor the cab-
net, they have either deliberately falsifed those
pledges, and thereby injured the reputation Of
General Taylor TO the utmost extent in their
power or else all Of the removals that have taken
place were made from coed cause, and because
the persons removed lacked the essential qualiica-
tons OF honesty, fidelity, and capacity In the
Brega correspondence to the New York Herald,
which we published the other day, and IN which
we showed, TO the satisfaction Of every candid and
disnterested person, that the present cabinet en-
deavored TO tamper with the independent press,
and in their ignorance OF our individual and
public character, attempted to make pufier In
general to the cabinet, "for u consideration
we say in that correspondence, and IN the columns
of the Republic, the organ at Washington, il was
expressly and emphatcally declared that no remo-
walls had been made, except for good cause. The
opposition journal at Washington, the Union, took
advantage of this statement, as soon "a It WIS
made, and clinch.d the cabinet to iuhlment of
General Tayl pledges, by saying that all the
democratic ofiice.holders thus removed must con-
slider, Of course, that they did not possess the qua
lfca,ions referred to. and, as the fact was
ascertained, they were dismissed. Here, then,
we have the cabinet blowing hot and cold in al
most the same breath-for the purpose, in the first
place, OF excusing themselves tor prescribing to
the great extent which they have prescribed and
IN the next-thc case before us-for that Of convey
ing the belief that nothing was meant or intended
by General Taylor in the pledges to which we
have referred. and which were. as we said before,
voluntarily made by General Taylor himself.
such, then, is the condition in which the cabinet
are placed by their own showing. and by proofs
emanaung directly from themselves. They de.
ctiyed the President, in the first place. by violating
his pledges and prescribing all who disagreed with
the administration; and now they wish to brnf
him into dlscredit by inducing the belief that thos,
pledges were never intended to mean anything
There ls an ATTEMPT 10 smooth over the matter, b.