The New York herald., 1863-10-20

was moderately active.
The Presidontial Question In tho Cabl-
nct-The Ball Fairly Opened.
Wendell Phillips, shrewd observer and
philosopher in his way. has said that the Cabi-
net Of President Lincoln is nothing moro nor
less than committee for the management Of
the next Presidential election. The learned aboli-
ton orator, however, has told only one-hslf the
story; for the Cabinet is composed of two dis
tinct committees in reference to the succession.
One is conservative Union committee and
the other is a radical abolition committee. or
the radicals Mr.. Secretary Chase is the chosen
champion and leader, while the conservatives,
with the discovery that Mr.. Seward has been
"played ont" by Thurlow Weed, have fallen
back upon "Honest Old Abe" himself, as the
only man capable to cope with his powerful
chancellor of the exchequer.
The old Jacksonian Blair family-and "there
were giants in those days"-have undertaken
to run the conservative machine against the
radicals. Montgomery Blair, the Postmaster
General. in his speech the other day
at Rockville, Maryland, boldly and elo-
quently drew the line of demarkation between
the abolition war programme and the Presidents
Union saving programme, and proudly planted
himself on the side of sold Abe" About the
same time General Francis P. Blair, Jr., in
frontier speech Of the cut-and-thrust style of
the Missouri border, delivered to the Missou-
rians, threw down the gauntlet to Secretary
Chase, with declaration of war involving
no quarter. Both these warlike Blairs are
sons of the veteran Francis P. Blair, ST., whose
trenchant battle axe, as the right hand man of
Old Hickory, hewed down all impedIments
that stood in his way-Henry Clay and his
magnificent American system, Calhoun and
notification, Nick Biddle and the United
States Bank, and every grumbler and demo-
ralizing clique Of the fighting democracy.
This mighty man in Israel, this father of all
the Blairs, this Abraham Of the tribe, stands at
their head, and directs their movements from
his chateau at Silver Spring against Secretary
Chase and all his tribe, and in support of
Father Abraham Of the White House for
another term.
But Secretary Chase, at the head Of the Trea-
sury in these war times, with his countless mil
no holds over the bulls, bears, spread eagles and
lame ducks Of Wall street, and over the whole
financial business of the country, is host in him
self, an antagonist tenfold stronger than Nick
Biddle or Calhoun; and he is backed by host
of followers, more numerous than the Israel
ties when their heavy columns, led by Noses
marched dryshod. through the miraculous pas
sage of the Red Sea- Secretary Chase, in fact,
is the Moses Of the radicals. His mission il is
to lead them from the deshpots of Egypt to the
Promised Land and the New Jerusalem of uni
versal emancipation, from the waters of the
Potomac to the borders Of Mexico.
Thus, then, the matter stands. The admins
tration, which is represented before the coun-
try by the great war party Of the people, is re-
presented in the Cabinet by two candidates
and two parties for tho successon-the con-
servative Union candidate, Abraham Lincoln,
and the abolition war candidate, Secretary
Chase; the party whose policy is to restore the
Union as soon as practicable, though a rem
nant of Southern slavery may be saved, and the
party who contend that the first essential step
to the restoration Of the Union is the absolute
extirpation Of Southern slavery. This, as Sir
Lucius O'Trigger has it, sis mighty pretty
quarrel as It stands, and 1t would be pity to
spoil it,"
Mr.. Secretary Chase, with the consent of the
President, has recently made political recon
noissance through Ohio and to tho State capi-
tai of Indiana. He has been lionized at every
point along his journey as the father of the
administration system Of "greenbacks" He
has made frequent racy and familiar little
speeches, Of the style Of that peculiar homespun
political literature of which "Uncle Abeo-as
his keeper of the strong boxes pleasantly styles
him-is the fountain head. But, although the
jokes and the anecdotes on the stump of Mr..
Chase are pretty good for q fnancier, they fall
short Of the JUNCTION Of the happy hits of his
"uncle." We may say that the man with
-''' natural gift for VI. -. =, .as numo' =, ~.
D.,rsd iDrons'. ~" schools q the railspxtter,
the Hatboatman and the prairie LAWYER can
safely challenge the world to a trial of familiar
and pithy and pungent illustrations Of living
American characters and passing events. Such
is "Uncle Abe" our Prcsident-a man who, &C.
cording 10 the testimony Of Mr.. Chase himself.
may wisely be trusted with another term
And 90, with the issue in the Cabinet re-
duced to two Presidential candidates, notwItb.
standing the powerful Secretary of the Treasu.
ry Is one, we incline to the opinion that the
other, being his still more powerful and popu-
lar "Uncle Abe" holds the inside track and
will keep Il to he end Of the race. Who can
claims - against his Secretary ere backed up
BY ths great Blair family, from the old nan
down. cot Of men thoroughly conversant
with al The machinery, ell the ins and outs, all
the highways and bywsys, all the pipes, wires,
pullies and trap doors, and oil the strategy
and tactics, Of every political party Of the coun-
try and every Presidential candidate from the
uprising Of Old Hickory 10 the advent Of "Old
Abew II h evident that President Lincoln Il
"a A.