The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-04-20
The New York Collectorship-The Admlnls-
tration-The Cabinet stiN Unit.

The acceptance Of the Collectorship of this
port by Judge Bronson, with its patronage of
some seven hundred offices. great and small,
removes mountain weight of anxiety from
the shoulders Of the administration. The strug
gle is over-the trouble is disposed of-and
the cabinet is still unit.
The direct issue between Secretary Marcy
and Augustus Schell was but trife--a mere
personal matter; but had General Pierce been
a rash man or an uncompromising hard shell,
the fight might have ended by cabinet explo-
sion, q cabinet reconstruction, and succession
of cabinet difficulties of the most serious char
acter till the first Monday in December next.
And all this has been avoided by avoiding the
mortal offence which would have been given to
the Premier in the appointment OF Augustus
Schell as Collector of New York. That was
the issue with the President of the United
States. Any other man than Schell, if you
please. l will consent to Dcknson's appoint
ment-the Msgnus Apollo of the hard shells
but appoint Augustus Schell, and the Premier
surrenders his portfolio
Now suppose General Pierce had taken him
what would have been the consequence? .Ay,
there was the rub" Has anybody, except
General Pierce and cabinet contemplated the
dreadful results which would have followed the
dismissal of Secretary Marcy? Perhaps not.
Then let the cool-headcd reader bear with us
while we briefly recite the string of disasters
which would have followed the forced retire
ment of Governor Marcy from the cabinet at
Washington to the intrigues OF the dangerous
soft she'll wire-workers in New York and
Albany.
With the appointment of Mr.. Scheli then,
Mr. Marcy would have quit the cabinet in a
high state of positive indignation. That's GER
tain. General Cushing, perhaps, would then
have been advanced to the State Department.
That act would have reused the old party Bour-
bons all over the land. They have already
signifed that Tyler man at the tail of the
cabinet was a hard dose for the hereditary de-
mocracy; SO that to place him at the head
would have been utterly insuferable. There
would have been precious rebellion among
the aged chiefs Of the party, and perhaps
several members of the cabinet, sympathizing
with the old fogics, "would have resigned. In
that case, who does not appreciate the manifold
difficulties ths4 would have presented them
selves in a cabinet reconstruction ? The question
is could the thing have been done at ALL with
out the disrupture and total decentralization o.
the democracy all over the country? Mighty
doubtful. AT all events, the return of Marcy to
New York would have been the signal for the
e H. Il IL AL
between the hunkers and barnburners in 1S4S
The armistice of 1852 would have been fore
closed in a new declaration of war /; and a spirit
of embittcred hostility between the hard shells
and soft shells would have been instantly excited
without parallel in our history since the an
cient feuds between the Dutch colonists of New
Amsterdam and the Connecticut Yankees.
With the democratic party thus ostracised,
victimized, demoraiized, and paralyzed in New
York the inevitable consequences soon would
follow. OF the Generalization and division of
the party in other States. in both houses of
Congress- and ia the cabinet in spite Of the
most commemorate, discreet, and perseverng
efforts to reorganize it as a unit. And what
then. All the promises, ell the expectations,
all the advantages Of position, strength. popu-
larity, and power of Gen. Piercc's adminstra-
tion-all VI the prestige of the democratic party
and the Baltimore platform, would be lost.
thrown away. scattered to the winds. The
election of 1852 would turn out fash in the
pan. an unmeanipg carnival a mirage, de-
fusion, like The grand delusion Of 1919. Awful!
Awful
But worse than all this-upon the ruins of the
democratic party. the abolition elements would
rise into active operation again. They would,
undoubtedly, be strong enough among the frag
ments of both the old parties, to make such an
onset upon slavery, slavery extension, and the
annexation question. as to endanger the very
existence of this blessed Union cemented so
beautifully together by the blood of our fore
fathers and the compromises Of the constitution.
Even to that extremity might these evils have
been carried
But all these evils, and this final and most
dreaded Of all calamities-the revival OF the
issue ola dissolution or the Union-we have thus
far escaped. by escaping the non-appointment of
Augustus Schell as Collector of the port of New
York. Gov. Marcy is still the Premier-the
Cabinet is still . Rnit-the New York demo
crazy are quoted upon Judge Bronson-thc
whole party, all over the Union, is still in a fine
state Of dsciplinc-the people are hopeful of
good things--Y Dung America is sanguine of
great things-the :" old fogics" are certain of
restoration; and the country thank God. is
safe--not only prosperous and happy, with
plenty Of bread. plenty OF meat, plenty of
work, plenty of land. plenty of gold, and plenty
of Offices, but perfectly safe. Nay. more-the
prospect for Cuba is auspicious,' for another
slice or two from Mexico decidedly "susp-
cious," and the administration continues under
full sail, before spanking breeze, because the
Cabinet is still unit. And all this we owe
to our narrow escape from the appointment Of
Augustus Schell as Collector Of New York
Let the Cabinet, them stand as long as it can