The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-02-22


The appointment of General Cas- to the i'm
portant office of Premier to the incoming admin
istraton appears 10 have been partly an act of ne
cessity and partly stroke Of policy. Our latest
pecial despatch from Lancaster gives some Of the
for the reconsideration of the case of Gene
Ial Cass and for the final resolution TO give him
trial But there are still other reasons which have
had their due influence over the mind of Mr. Bu-
chanan, and which IRE worthy of consideration.
AS our Lancaster correspondent informs US,
Mr.. Buchanan had concluded to dispense with
General Cas-, and mainly on account of his age,
the venerable Senator having past the boundary
line Of three score years and ten Next the Pre-
sident elect had almost decided TO make Mr.. Cobb
the head of the State Department, from his sound
conservative anteccdents and from his vigorous
qualifications for the laborous duties of the Office
when this Walker or Southern ultra conspiracy
in the camp was organized at Washington 10
break down Cobb and to give q Southern fire.
eating aspect to the new administration in the
appointment Of Walker. But Cobb, Il appears.
would not consent TO play second fiddle to the
hre-eaters, nor was Mr. Buchanan inclined to
surrender, while they were willing, upon pinch,
10 accept anything except Cobb, for they could
not forget the battles In which be had beaten
them In this dilemma Of the family Mr.. Bu-
chanan has simply split the difference by giving
the State Department to General Cas- and the
Treasury to Mr.. Cobb, leaving Mr.. Walker out
altogether.
General Cess is old. He is hardly equal 10
the laborious requirements of from twelve to
fourteen hours hard official work, upon which
Marcy appears 10 have fattened considerably.
But General Cas- has had vast amount Of diplo.
matte experience, as Senator, as Foreign Minister
and as Cabinet member heretofore. His know
ledge aud experience thus acquired will be valu-
able TO Mr.. Buchanan at the outset OF his ADM
istrston, and very useful In putting the new ma
chineIy into motion. When this shall have been
accomplished, should General Cass find the active
demands of his Office superior to his strength, he
will retire, and Mr.. Cobb will, by right Of promo
ton, succeed him. Thus General Cass and his
frcnds will be satsfied and In due season the full
hlment Of the original design Of Mr.. Buchanan
viii be quietly brought about.
But The most important sgni6cation Of this ap
pcintment Of General Cas-. this appointment of
Howell Cobb, and this setting aside Of Mr.
Walker lice in The fact that It is shot between
wind and wste 10 the fire-eating. disuniou, agi-
tsting seccssionists Cd the south. General Cas-,
sidc 10y side with Clay and Webster, was the de-
rnocrstic leader in the Senate In behalf of the
greet compromise measures Of IsJ0-kr. OobS
vas the mos, conspicuous Southern democratic
advocate o. those measures in the House. Their
appointment, therefore, TO The two most important
positions IN Mr. Buchanan's Cabinet Is Equivalent
to The positive and emphatic restoration Of the
Union conservative policy compr.hcnded in
those healing measures Of 1850 and IL 10
declaration Of war against all frc-eating dis
uniooists of the Southern Jefferson Davis school
on The one hand and against all seditious agita-
tors u no more slave States y Of the school OF
The Van Burcn democracy, the Seward republi-
cans and the abOliionists OF the North, on the
other hand These appointments of Cas- and
Cobb arc thus proclamation from the President
elect Of 8 rctu u ~ tha' Union policy upon