The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-04
THE Fist TEST QUESTION FOR CONGRESS-

THE FIST TEST QUESTION FOR CoNoREss.-
There iii be no test question for Congress till
the con drmation of Mr.. Collector Redfeld comes
up before the Senate. The election Of Speaker
OF she House will convey no information. No
political principle is involved; and however
Justify the friends of Boyd aud Disney may
contend for their respective proteges, there can
be no party struggle on the issue. Nor will
the election of a Clerk prove any guide to decide
the political complexion of the House. The
vote will be valuable in one sense, as it will
show the relative strength of parties, divided
according to morality. We shall then know at
a glance which are the men from whom cor
ruption, and Indifference on matters involving
moral principles, may be expected; and how
many members think honor worth caring for.
But it will tell us nothing of their political be-
lief That will first come right when Heman
J. RedGeld is placed on the tapis and better
opportunity of bringing out mems views of the
past policy of the administration could hardly
have occurred. The issue will be extremely
complicated. In the first place, the vote for or
against Redfeld will decide whether or no
the Senate approves Of the Federal govern
ment exercising close supervision over APP
pointments OF subordinate officers in local
custom houses. or whether it thinks the Presi-
dent and his Cabinet ought to busy themselves
with concerns of higher moment than the choice
of tide-waiters and weighers. Secondly, it will,
by implication, express the sense of the Senate
on the course pursued by Judge Bronson, and
either censure or sanction his fidelity to the
Union. and his antipathy to free solers Thirdly,
it will afford Senators an opportunity of giving
us their views of Cabinet interference in State
elections. Fourthly, viewing the character of
Mr.. Redfeld's appointments. and the use he has
made of the power entrusted to him, it will
show whether the Senate intends to sanction
the revival of free soilism in the North or not.
Finally, Mr.. Guthrie's letters will come on the
taps, and the Senate can hardly help express
ing pretty plainly it's opinion both of that gen.
tleman's policy, and of the general course of
the administration. Mr.. Redfeld's case will DO
awaited anxiously.
Mr. BUCHANAN or THE CABINBr.-A small
paper published here by the free sellers of the
Custom House for their private reading, has
found its way into our hands, and we find in it
sort Of catechism addressed to us on the sub
Ject Of Mr.. Buchanan. For the novelty of the
thing, we don't mind encouraging our little CO
temporary with an answer. ecan't tell what
conversations took place between Mr.. Buchanan
and Mr.. Cobb during their stay in this city
nor can we say what they had for dinner. or
whether they read our amiable contemporary or
not, though we suspect they didn't. We can
tell what Mr. Buchanan thinks of the Cabinet,
and have done SO on more than one occasion.
He entertains O decided aversion to Cabinet
organized on spoils basis, and whose members
are VIGOROUSLY pledged to opposite principles.
This he deems to be the character of the pre-
sent administration, and is, therefore, among
its foes. These opinions were expressed to va
rious parties, among others, we believe, to Mr..
Douglas; and had our cotemporTy devoted
less time to the advocacy of free soflism and
abuse Of ourselves, he would probably have
heard OF the fact as well as other people.
So far as the HERALD is concerned, the Custom
House organ will be gratifed to learn that
we were parties to no such arrangement be-
tween Buchanan, Cobb, the London Times, and
the JonynI of Commerce., as it believes to
hsyc taken place. Our opinion Of the present
administration was formed when the Cabinet
was appointed that opinion was expressed at
the time, and was confirmed by the domestic
and foreign policy of the President in filing the
Offices OF state. We were pleased to find that
the views of Mr.. Buchanan conceded with ours,
w won not it,E IN
no less from statesman of his integrity and
experience. But so far from borrowing our
sentiments from him or any one else. we are
free to inform our little neighbor that our
mind was made up some time before we had
any opportunity of ascertaining what any of
the leading statesmen of this country thought
of Pierces administration. With such appoint
ments as those of Marcy Davis, Guthrie,
Cochrane, Fowler, &C., before us, there was, 10
fact, no room for hesitation or doubt.
A CASE FOR Mr.. CUTTINGS FRIENDS Our
telegraphic correspondent from Washington in
forms us that, the Torney letter" has not i'm
paired Mr. Cuttings opinion of the writer; but
that, on the contrary, he rather likes him bet
ter in consequence. Every man has right to
his own humor and taste. Ii Mr.. Cutting pre-
iers people who are adopts at the stool-pgeon
business to those who are not, he is welcome to
his view. Men have been known to like rotten
eggs, and to eat them in preference to fresh
ones; and it may be-though we have our
doubts-that an established reputation for ras-
cality is an additional recommendation for a
candidate in Mr.. Cuttings eyes, II matters
very little to the country whether our cor
respondent be right or not-these affairs
concern Mr.. Cutting and the House. But one
thing is very certain. AT his great speech
in Metropolitan Hall, Mr. Cutting prided him
upon ..boip0 obIo IN looJ, an bo,o,t r,o,,