The New York herald., 1862-12-27

80 Vo0h0e-gn0 OA80Ro0 Ooa8o0o&
66r N B0eisat Adminastratisn.
Tho late Cabinet imbroglie as Washington
has apparently been adjusted upon the extra
ordinary compromise Of leaving the elements
Of the quarrel exactly - they were. A recon-
ciliation of this sort, however, Is at best but .
temporary armistioe. Itcannot last, it can be
productive Of no substantial reform; but While
1t continues it will continue to aggravate the
discords which produced the late disturbance.
In word, without at least partial reconstruc-
ton of the Cabinet, President Lincoln will fail
in the all important object of vigorous, sfa-
cient and successful administration.
He has had favorable opportunity for
adopting the decisive and comprehensive action
of General Jackson in a complete ministerial
reconstruction; but in these stormy times
the great object in view might be gained
by simply changing the heads Of the three
departments directly associated with the pro-
secution of the war-namely, the Treasury the
War and the Navy Departments The able
sagacious and conservative statesman at the
head Of the State Department has given ample
satisfaction to the country. He may be wisely
and proftably retained ~ the vgilant, faithful
and trusty guardian, Of our foreign affairs
The present Postmaster General, too, in his vo-
cation has proved himself an acceptable public
servant. As for the Department Of the Interior,
any honest and intelligent man, who will be
content with good report of his management
Of that department, will answer. Nor need the
Attorney General be disturbed, as he is a Ca
binet make-weght of but littlepractcal impor
lance in the matter Of the vigorous prosecu-
ton of the war.
But Mr.. Chase the Secretary Of the Treasury
has had entirely too many irons in the
Gre-too many financial irons and too
many political irons. He has thus fail
cd as fnancier and failed a. manag-
ing politician. He has been thoroughly
tried in the furnaces and found wanting, and
ought to be removed. Nor need we here re-
peat the evidences which the experience Of
many military failures, botches and blunders
have furnished of the misdireoted zeal of the
lawyer at the head of the War Office, and of the
drowsy imbecility Of the venerable Rip Van
Wrinkle at the head of the Navy Department.
Each of these men has been and is an incubus
upon the administration, obnoxious to the pre-
dominant public sentiment Of the loyal States,
and both of them ought to be dismissed.
Nor do we thu propose that the present
Cabinet shall at least be partially pulled down
without proposing to rebuild the fabric with
stronger and more enduring materials. In
the place of the present radical Me-
phistopheles at the head of the Treasury,
we would appoint some such man as Samuel
Hooper, of Massachusetts,, a practical financier,
and, though d republican, not an intriguing
political Marplot. In the place of the present
indefatigable but bluAdering and incompetent
lawyer at the head of the War Department we
would put the calm, capable experienced and
comprehensive military mind OF General Nc
Clellan. At the desk vacated by Mr.. Secretary
Welles we would place some such thoroughly
trained and experienced professional man in
naval affairs as Admiral Porter or Admiral
Dupont.
We believe that, with his Cabinet thus recon.
stituted, President Lincoln would soon realize
the important fact that the dsplorabls failures
Of this war may be. charged upon an in
competent and discordant Cabinet, and
that the secret Of military success lies
in an efficient, capable and united ad-
ministration. All other expedients to Sc
cure military success" will, we fear, prove
deplorable failures while this expsdient Of
reorganization of things at the fountain head
Of all our disappointments remains untried.
The government may send out formidable ex-
peditioU by sea, but the first reports from them
will be the sinking of their rotten ships, furnish
mense armies may be advanced upon the ragged
battalions Of the rebellion, bnt they will be
frittered away in the circuitous combinations
of Stanton and Haleck. Nor can we hope for
any improvement in our crippled finances and
deprecated paper currency. While cooperating
with the present radical blunderers of the War
and the Navy Departments we shall still be
subject to the financial makeshifts and Cabinet
and Congressional party intrigucs Of Mr.. Secre-
tary Chase.
In one word, the great want Of the admins
tration is reconstruction. As the same causes
produce the same effects, we may expect the
same. results in the future that we have expert
enced in the past from the Same controlling
agencies Of this war. Above sll things, we
want some such redistribution of the Cabinet as
this which we have indicated. With this reor-
gsnization and a new military programme the
rebellion will soon be put down: but without
this work Of reform we fear that this exhaustng
civil war, which was the legacy Of James Bu-
chanau to President Lincoln, will be transmit
ted as Mr.. Lincolns legacy TO the next admins
tration.
ASTOUNDING ARMY FRAUDs.-We publish this
morning highly important account OF the Of
fetal investigations by government commits
sioner into a series Of systematic and astounding
army frauds. For the last two months Colonel