The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-01-11
WALK IN THE WATER.



Disagreement iA the Cabinet.
Lincolns Cabinet is anything but har-
monious. This is to be deplored at this
critical period Of our National affairs.
There should be no diversity of opinion
among the men who administer the Gov.
crnment Letter writers state that when.
ever the Cabinet meets petty jealousies
and disgraceful chickering's characterize
its proceedings. Seward and Cameron
both aspire to succeed Lincoln, and what
ever one proposes the other is sure to Oh.
pose. Both have friends in the Cabinet,
who Of course side with their chief. Jeal.
GUS and envious and ambitious, they make
out reports without consultation, and
place the President in an embarrassing
position by their conflicting suggestions.
Seward, the ADLER man, has contemplate
opinion Of Cameron, his rival, and takes
no pains to conceal it; and it is Shrewdly
suspected that he caused articles, dispar-
aging Cameron's capacity and suggesting
his removal, to be inserted in the news
papers Cameron will not resign, and the
President fears to take the responsibility
Of removing him. Cameron is bidding
for the ultra Republican vote; Seward for
the conservative. Cameron's friends are
active and influential; Stewards nuuner-
Gus but quiet. To steer between the two,
without offending either, the President
finds a difficult task; and though con.
scious that so long as they both remain
in the Cabinet there cannot be any uni
~ Of feeling, he yet has not the nerve to
remove either. How long this unfortu-
nate state Of affairs may last it is not easy
to predict. What The effect will be,
should they both continue in the Cabinet
until the expiration of President Lincoln's
term, is easily surmiscd. If it do not
destroy it will at least diSorganize the Re-
publican party.
We have many evidences Of their disa-
greemenL The Washington correspond.
ent Of the Philadelphia Inquirer, under
date of December 4;h, makes this startling
disclosure, which certainly reflects no cred.
it on the Cabinet;
last Thursday, General Cameron compile
ted his report and sent it To the printers with
out submitting il TO the inspection Of any one
On Sunday last it was completed, and the
proofs tell into the hands of Gov. Seward. He
became very much alarmed. and on Monday
morning, Cabinet council was called and the
Presidents message, which had been completed
on SUNDAY night WAS also brought up.
After y lengthy discussion il was concluded
to keep the message back until Tuesday, and
further consider the question. AT another
meeting on Monday night, Mr.. Seward secured
mn Interpolation Ut his ideas in the Presidents
Message, rerbdtim, and the Presidents matter
was cat ovt. Arranged in this way it was sent
IN tn Congress IN Tuesday.
In the meantime, General Cameron was ask
ed To change Or moderate his report. He re-
fused, and up u eleven O'Clock, +. NJ. Tuesday,
il was thought To be inevitable that either
General Cameron or Governor Seward must
leave the Cabinet, and an entire recast be made.
The President finally settled il by going to
General Cameron aud insisting upon his conf.
ning bis report To statement Of the past, aud
not dictate to Congress what they should do.
Cameron insisted that his policy WAS correct
and must be carried out at 0nce. The Presi-
dent assured him that It did not follow, if he
changed his report or left out any of it, that he
must necessarily change bis policy. but that he
could carry it out only let Congress take hold
If the matter first. With this understanding
General Cameron made an alteration, which
we telegraphed you after midnight. 1t WAS re-
quested ot US that We would not publish the
original cupy, bit Hs IL has been - public
rh other sources. we append the original.
Secretaries Welles and Chase both sided with
General Cameron but Weles would not make
any tight on it. and would leave it 10 the
President" Chase, also. would not stand up
To the tight, and Cameron Consequently. at the
last m0neut, modied-it. In the meantime. it
only remains for the Senate aud House to die
tate what shall be done"
1t would seem from the above that
Cameron tried to steal march on Seward,
but was detected and compelled to alter
his report in accordance with Stewards
suggestions. What a humiliating posi-
ton for the Secretary of War to be placed
in TO be forced to submit to the dicta-
ton Of his hated rival! The above shows,
too, who is the master spirit Of the Ad
minlstration. Even the Presidents mat
ter was cut out of his own Message, and
Stewards substituted for it. What the
Objectionable passa &c was in the Presi-
dents Message, which Seward erased,
probably may never be known, but it is
SUSPECTED that it contained something
similar to that which Cameron was forced
to suppress.
In addition to the aboVe, the Washing
ton correspondent Of the New York 1rt-
6une--good Republican authority--says
that at the Republican caucus Thaddeus
Stevens
"Startled the caucus by declaring that after
Cameron's report had been accepted by the
President, General cCIelian went to him and
threatened TO resign ifit Was sent into Congress
with tue passages respecting tuS e""N,t =,
and arming of the slaves Of rebels unmodlhed.
1t is evident from the above that Cam
eron submitted his report to the President,
and that it met the Presidents approval.
We have the authority Of prominent
Republican member of Congress for stating
that the President accepted" Cameron's
report without modification. and it is
questionable whether he would have
agreed to its modification had he not
feared McClellen's resignation. He did
not ask Cameron to modify it because he
disapproved Of emancipating and arm
;nO the slaves" but merely because he