Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-03-11
The New Cabinet.

President Buchanan, on Friday transmitted to
the Senate his Cabinet, and the nominations
were as usual confirmed by that body. The
Cabinet is composed as follows:
Secyetqyy of State. LEWIS CASS, of Michigan
Secretary GfMe Treasury. HOWELL COBB OF ia,
Secretary Of Var. JOHN b. FLOYD, OF va
iSecretory Of the Interior. JACOB THOMPSON Miss.
Postmaster General. AARON '. BkOWN, Tenn
1ttoyaey- General. JEREMIAH ). BLACK, IA.
With the exception of Judge Black, OF Penn
sylvania, all these gentlemen have been assigned
for some weeks past to places in the Cabinet
The supposed arrangement however differs some
what from the popular expectation. Mr.. Toucey
takes the Secretaryship of the Navy instead OF
the law department,and Ex-Gov. Brown is trans
ferred from the Navy to the Post Office Depart
ment. Mr.. Cass and Mr. Cobb have been so
long connected with the public service that re-
ference 70 their anteeedents is not necessary for
the information Of our readers lion. John bu-
chanan Floyd has never served in either branch
of Congress, nor before occupied any position
under the general government. lie has hlled
the gubernatorial chair of Virginia and been for
many years one of the most active and intiuen-
tial politicians of the western part of that State
In the last Presidential canvass he was one OF
the State electors and received the recommends
ton of his colleagues for Cabinet appointment
The success OF this precedent may lead to imi'a-
ton hereafter, and our future Presidents find
their Cabinet appointments forced upon them by
the political influence of certain States. Mr.
Floyd is strong Southern man, but not seces-
sionist. Hon. Isaac Toucey has represented Con-
necticut in both Houses of Congress and was
only released from Senatorial duty by the ex-
piration of his term of service on the 4th inst
| He is remarkable for nothing but his strong par
tisan predictions, and the answering deter
mination with which he pursued them. lie be-
longs unquestionably to the ranks OF mediocrlty,
and owes his present elevation to the fact that
he suffered with the defeat of his party in Con"
necticut.
Hon. Aaron Y. Brown was q member OF the
House of Representatives from 1889 to lS4o.
holding distinguished position as one OF Its
most prominent speakers and debaters. lie was
then elected Governor of the State, but was de-
feated as the candidate of his party for second
term. He was member of the Nashville Con
yenton in 1850, and concurred in the resolution
passed at its first session, but dissented from the
address it issued. At the second session of that
body he dissented altogether from its action and
prepared what was then known as the tennessee
| platform, which embodied his tavorite idea OF
retaliation as the remedy for Northern aggres
sion on Southern rights lie is somewhat cele-
brated as political platform maker, the most
important of his manufactures in this line being
that adopted at the National Democratic Con-
vention in 1852 He possessed undoubted talent
and habits of great personal industry,a qualltca-
ton for which he will find abundant exercise IN
the Post Office Department.
Hon. Jacob Thompson represented MISSISSIPPI
: in the House of Repl esenaives for several ses-
sions previous to 1850. He was frequent speak
err and an industrious member In politics he
is strong States Rights Democrat, but has OPP,
posed the utraists of his party in Mississlppi,and
was candidate for Congress on the compromise
side, in the compromise and anti-compromise a.
citation in 1850.
Judge Black is a thorough-going and deter
mined Democrat of the Pennsylvania stamp,and
owed his position as one of the Chief justices OF
that State rather to party thanktulness thans
cial fitness Neither elevated talent nor high
judicial requirement have been generally credit
ed to him. His selection now is probably
compromise, produced by the necessity OF giving
Pennsylvania voice in the Cabinet, and the
impossblity of reconciling the party in that
State to the choice of another man.-BGltan0re
! 49nsricon