, 1864-12-13
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Cabinet 5peculaffons-The Chief Jus.
ttce-A Rich Development,

nUp wAeuyKnrnN rC7vTCD
oVA% "'AoAAts"A v" AAAA 4 AAAs'
f,absncx ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS rn,.< vn.
tace-A nich Rereiopment.
Especial Correspondence Of tho Chicago Tribune, j
WASHINGTON, DEC, .. 1854.
The ouid nuucs Of tbIs eyer enecn1s.
t;np Community am ;ust 49, tar-,h,v
sG9..a5 ~ -. s w" $3.50! n,t
ag1iAted 3a toe question OF Cabinet
clIques, each animated By some secret desire,
and impel1ed by some secret influence. ara
l t,,.z -aao,.+r,o.,,r ~. r.It-.4 s.1.:.1
uuo3 s' ~ tuo oao1neS' ocpoase
this officer and creating that, according
to their own notions Of what Will suit their
,1,e,n of iyo tid bfta which hare lasted then,
= ,orr vh,1e Nv amounting 4ta A+tornev
Ae5 "I, y ~, ~ seo'AeS
ucntra nno Inc Cmei Justice' VI Inc former,
know nothing, except that he Wasyesterday
admitted for the first tlme to practice before
- 49, :. ,na,a.,a-ast,s ...o,,,ssta - nor,..
u nos III 'AusptuSao!e fc4u!s1to' " coo17e,
that man to be fit for Attorney General
should have practiced In the Supreme Court.
pnt the fact that Mr. Sncea never
49, ea-,sa 1,a,o,o t1,ot ~:
o1a argue cause oe'ore 'hat tfl-
bunal, suggests that his practice
must hare been limited to State courts. How
ever. Hnce 1t WAS lated that the. Attorney
General must come from the border States,
and since Judge Holt had declined the posi-
ton, perhaps Mr.. Lincoln might have done
worse. hear but one expression among all
dlsinterested men as to the appointment Of
Chase as Chief Justice, and that Is of unqual-
if1ed approval. H1s high character for learn
Ing and integrity seem to have marked him
with peculiar emphasis for the place. It will
be gratifying change for the members Of that
has +Se 19e 3y1n$fsa1 f1rr1
face Of the late Secretary Of the Treasury re-
place the weazen face and puny frame Of the
degenerate Ianey, the too willing father Of
the Infamous Dred Scott decision- 1 have
heard 1t said that Mr. Chase once remarked
that be would rather reverse the Dred Scott
States. May the opportunity soon occur,
In rpIte Of the general and spontaneous
outbuI6t Of popular feeling on the return OF
Robert J. Walker to this country, and the
universal design u that he should preside
over the destinies Of the grecnbacks, Mr..
public idol consequently, though two weeks
ago The gossips Of Washington and the cor
respondents Of the press, were as busy Us bees
selecting new place for Ar. Fessenden, and
installing Mr. Walker In tue Treasury, they
have become tired Of that novelty and fitted
to another flower, which bids fur to aturd
them considerably more material for the sup
port Of their active md innocent lives. One
Of those drcadiully spontaneous exhibitions
Of the public will, is now going on in favor Of
John ". Forney, as Secretary Of the Interior.
All Pennsylvania is assail1ng the President
through newspaper articles, te1"grams, psi-
yate letters, town meetings aud delegations
In favor Of salting Nr. Forncy away in the
Department Of the Interior. Cameron, the
restless busybody, and factotum 'ot the poll
tics Of the keystone State, Is in favor OF the
appointment, because he still itches for the
rt11 Ia Fl.
val. Curtin is in favor Of 1t for the same
reason, And 60 this loving pair whose firm
hatred and bitter quarrels and narrow minded
sclfshncss nearly lost us the State Of Pennsyl-
yania nrc united in harmonious concord, and
all the swarthy sons of iron and greasy sons
is more probable than that this appointment
will he made. Of that am quite sure. Col.
FoEney has made himself O position as jour
nalist which gives him great influence md
power. His "0ccasionln letters a1tord him
. means Of reaching the public personally,
| ipdcfatigable worker, and not day passes
but thai many thousands Of people read some
| article known to be from his pcn. uc owns
two large and valuable newspapers, the Press
at Philadelphia and the Chronicle in Washing
| ion. either Of which is an assured fortune 70
| its owner. Whel, he burics himself in the yerY
] interior of the Cabinet he loses most Of E5
| iufluencc. his f1nportance and his promtnenct4
and satisfies his VANITY. I understand that ho
is very aesirous of the appointment. He may
| not have to lire long TO see his error.
Rather rich Development has been made
in the Post Office Department latterly, Of
which have seen no account except vague
| hint in the Mroaicle. though it is known gen
orally about town. The fncts in the case,
which have obtained from the most authcn.
tic sources, are as follows; Grun Adams, late
| Auditor OF thc Postof1ce Dcpartmeut. and
| John +. Sharrctts, his chief clerk. had been
in tile habit Of selling the waste paper Of the
| department, which accumulates very rapidly,
to dealers, and putting the muney in Their
own pockets. During three years they have
I sold over &, 900 worth, not one dime OF which
hive they erer paid Inio The Treasury. They
even went farther. They cut down the wages
| of the laborcr who had been employed to pre-
| pare the paper for selling, from forty dollars
month to, fifty dollars q quarter. They said
that in the present rebellion, when the coun.
{tr NnE f1t}ire under such A terrible 11nA 0f