New-York daily tribune., 1861-08-22
WHY A CHANGE IN THE CABINET Is
NECESSARY.
- n. p..,,n


We have no great cool, executive, leading intellect
in the Cabinet, nnd such mind II now Indispensable
10 the President and the country. Ine distnst Of TWO
Of the bea0s Of departments OF our Government is 40
ereat that II cannot he much deepened by plain truh
snd any suppose i'll e.ieoie Of exposure, In want OF
confidence Will he overwhelmingly ouweighed by the
GOOD eects wlich the iacte and ihs indignation OF TIE
people wild have upon the President aud III Cabinet.
rlis war cannot Ls long without our engratn pTic-
ticaly upon the working powers Of the Lower Hcuse
the nj lit 10 cause the resignation or iharge VI OBJ
poxious members a the Cabinet IL was perfectly
competent ior lie lie House OF Representatives to have
rassed vote Of " want Of confidence in the Secretary
of War aud the Secretary # the Navy. and TO have
withheld supplies until the Presideni had dismissed
them. Congress has LEFT 1t TO the PEOPLE, aud their
universal opinion and determination must be made
known through every avenue not eloeed by pOL.icsl
machinery.
In great national emergencies Tests raTid crucial
ani absolute. The President and his Cabinet baye
ri,cs. that teir tapacity bas beea gagged by he
whole country Tbe Inst six weeks OF Mr.. LlpcOin's
Administration taught our peopl- that the Secretary
of S.afe the supposed mtster-mind OF tie Cabinet,
had failed ia satesmHlke pres ience and executive
capacify; that lie bad been aiiempi ing 20 thge
lebersteiy- -pltuned and widespread rebellion
pue of p0iss instead Of str1, gle for national eN
tebce. His inability to Oresee realize the Posiiion
of the Goyerumeut bnd people, eulminated and pro-
cliped itself in ris depTeCaHg letter 10 Gov. Hicks,
o. irh enid that tie tfo0ps asked 10 be allowed 10
come through Baltimore were "0ul intended for tie
| deienfe of tie capial.'
lie az last saw bis mistake, learned the de,emiaa-
tion Of the people, above his defenfiye war
policy aud retrieved bis position 70 far as rhetoric ard
king sail anew could avail but he 4 tborn to-day
OF ali claims TO stand al the helm ia the that Is
TO make or unmake forever one entire national
existence We would not derogite from bis great
parity for The s,c duties Of lis Department. TIE
isopie do not de- Ire another Secretary Of Sae they
onIS insist oa new Secretary OF War and new See
retary OF the Navy, on ore Of whom at least, the
President and the PEOPLE conbdeuty lean for hon
est calm decisive, comprehensive, siaesnanlike di.
rocoh aud the other OF whom they can depend Tor
energetic, thorough AUD elective administration Of
the duties Of bis Department.
OF tho other members Of the Cabinet Il Ia only
necessary TO say word. To the Secretary OF tie
Treasury IL universally conceded absolute honesty aud
honor, brain cool, capacous, judicial ard night
appreciauon OF the ICtIlOn aud true poll y oi the
county. lie hes made some financial mistakes, but,
on the whole, has performed the highly important
duties Of his department with marked capacity. But
even his admirers do not claim that he Is httsd by
ture or triiuipg, the o1TeTonce Of the llst Eve
months, for the shsping and controlling mindin The
Government. To tbs Postmaser-Generil our PEOPLE
already recognize their deep Indebtedness for Ills ap
prehending from the start, the full proportions of
Ills rebellion and the necessity fjf AS prompt and en-
efgelic suppression and for bis eecng the plan 10
relieve SUMTER looking far be ond the mere military
question 70 The unanimous upririDg Of whole people.
lie may DO somewhat rash; be ga0y have pressed
" forward movement unwiseiy; but lie has shown
that be has OF the elements of real executive
shall MOI forget these Ia any temporary olamOr after
the late dieaster n any minor mistakes Of admins
tratiOn.
We return TO the necessity for two removals 10
make way Tor alcertained and Indispensable capacity
for direction selected 10 tile people aud
20 merge party spIIt in patriotic and national uuiy.
OF the Seefetary OF War have heretofore spoken.
His post is nov the most important 10 the Govern
nent. We will not waste words over impniaiions
and proofs Of ofcorupion IN contracts bis depart meD
IL l. enough for the President II stant action, that IN
every way IN which people more restrained to-day
than represented by pOitIans and BY press pleatiy
parLan virtually subddhedl can oXpreso their NJ
dignaton, they have parsed, by an overwhelming
majority OF an parties, =" vote Of want OF conf
dence' II is enough tba. appointments in the army
have uoorOusly becu made from perSons and political
favoritism. H. is enough that tie Secretary of War
stands convicted, The history Of i've all important
months, Of clear, tneer. want OF executive caiaci-
ty. But if, in utter disregard Of these imperative
re asons for his removal, the PRECEDENT insists upon
proof as 10 coutrRcts, let tie proper step5 DO
taken 10 salsgy h's Mlid, ana m one week Penn-
sylyania alone will convince It, let the Secretary shell
ter himself "a ho may behind the heads Of his bureaus
But no such proof il necessary The facts Of nbsointe
want OF public confidence and Of demonstrated hyoTt
lem and uhEtness aIo more than enough IoT he sum
mary disuissl Compared with tho whoIs weight oi
thcse c,arzes ,he Keeping ey0wed tiDnlsts em-
IL,yed under his very eyesas CLERKS, the neXcss1Io
oss oil Harper Ferry and ~ armory, the inexphbie
management Of Fort Pitksns, pulling MIR. Russell
thsie ~ much whOlo peoplo hepe, the allo"ea
resignation ot traOTous ad able otce's' without ND
pyisonmen, or even raio nis acting upon Cen scott
Unfortunate advice in rejecting regiments o. eaNairy
aut artilery-tecome separately as insigiiEeapt hs
ih,y sIs hamiiaiing This nation cannot afford TO
teach bm an uncertain and partial relthlance 'nu ,i-
proyemeDt through other dFg Fgneeiul lessons Ike Ms-
pss a. We bold him mp, nt once Tho scofn ana as
grace Of distressed people before the oyes oi ffeS-
dent, through whose want d recognition OF We ul.-
yenal popular will he s,ileoniros tpe slos enquiry
4. L.