The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-04-22

A calm has succeeded the late tremendous
uproar among the ofice-seekers at Washington
"a great calm. The fat places--the collec-
tors Of the customs, navy agents, naval officers,
governors Of territories, secretaries and judges,
land receivers and registers, and long cata-
logue Of postmasters- been distributed
by the President and duly ratified. The mis-
sions to England and Spain are also disposed
Of and some first rate consulates. After WORK.
ing diligently and almost without remission
night and day, the President, with the aid OF
the Senate, succeeded in clearing off the hum
CRY swarm of expectants gathered at Washing
ton, and they having been thus dispersed, the
Senate adjourned. and from that day there has
been calm at Washington great calm.
General Pierce did wisely to follow the
Scriptural injunction, Whatsoever thy hand
fndeth to do, do it with all thy might" He
found prodigious job of work before him-an
immense amount of plumber to be distributed
among the faithful, and great army of office
seekers, filling up all the hotels and boarding
houses at Washington, calling, like Demos
themes, for -action-action! And he has
acted with the energy of Hercules but with
the discretion of an old campaigner. The
conflicting interests and claims of sections,
and factions, and individuals, have been
managed, after fashion, and time only will
show whether there will be any future trouble
in the family in consequence of the miscella-
neous and curious dispensations which have
been made Of the spoils The storm has passed
over for the present, and there isa great calm at
both ends of Pennsylvania avenue. No desperate
applicants for the big loaves infest the purlieus
of the Senate chamber-no disappointed candi-
dates for the small fishes, or very few, are now
to be daily seen coming from the White House,
breathing vengeance upon the powers that be.
The hungry swarm has been dispersed and diff
fused to the subordinate fountains Of patronage
in the large cities and towns of the Union. Still
there are few hangers-on at the federal city,
and here and there struggling Senator or a
belated member of the House may be picked up
in the streets.
Quite a number of foreign missions, first.
second and third rate-quite lot Of consul
ates, good, bad and Indifferent a cata-
logue of village postmasters and various other
pickings great and small-remain yet to be
divided round among the democratic brethren
in good standing and there is not shadow Of
doubt that they will be attended to without
unnecessary delay. Four years soon run round
in this age of progress and steam, and with
even the democracy in power time is money.
By the meeting of Congress in next December
there will probably not remain over one in
hundred of the wings who were luxuriating upon
the treasury three months ago. They have them
selves fallen into the doctrine of rotation, and
there is no appeal; for, according to Marcy, ITO
the victors belong the spoils." The very blanks
Of accommodation left over by Thomas Ewing
former Secretary Of the Interior, are now en-
ployed in reading wings out of Office by his
democratic successor Such are the DEGREES of
fate-such the ups and downs Of our free and
enlightened institutions.
+ Having reaped the thickest Of the harvest.
the administration, we are now given to under
stand, are busied in the tri-weekly sittings of
the cabinet, in cleaning up the scattered
sheaves here and there, so that nothing may be
lost. And they are doing the work by States.
which indicates the broad principle Of method
in the business-that sort of triangulation
which, from few commanding points, embraces
everything which lies between them, down to
the petty postmaster of fifty dollars a year.
And there is sound political sagacity in reading
out these obscure gentlemen. A country post
Office is generally established in country gro
Gerry, the headquarters Of the little tributary
neighborhood for whiskey, tea. sugar, coffee,
1rr, hor ri 1ru md a. nd
politics. Under such combination Of advan-
tages, for good or evil, it becomes matter Of
no secondary moment in political immortality,
to have the right sort Of man for the country
postmaster. These small potatoes, however.
not being worth special pilgrimage to Wash
ington arc committed to members of Congress.
or some general agent, by whom, we suspect,
the political value of every post Office in the
Union above hundred dollars income has been
duly laid before the Postmaster General. We
would therefore say. in the language of st. Paul,
to those postmasters still holding over from the
late administration, Examine yourselves, whe-
Their ye be in the faith"-for the object Of the
new administration is unquestionably to put in
the pruning knife wherever it will pay. Re-
memDeT, tudb dltuUuSu tHtft Is q CdiiH ~ W ucH-
ington the cabinet are cleaning up the work by
States.
The next question is, how long will this calm
continue? Old Bullion is said to have remark
ed to cluster Of applicants, the other day. at
Washington. that the chief end of man was to
seek Office, in these days Of idleness, extrava-
gance, and dissipation. But was the dispensing
of Offices the sole object Of the political revolu-
ton of last November? Did it not signify that
the great American people expect something
more? How long is this calm at Washington
to continue? Is everything done when the
plumber is divided? BY no means. 1t is but
the clearing away of the rubbish preparatory to
the serious work of the administration
We are informed from time to time that
even now the cabinet consultations upon the
epOils are varied occasionally by dis