Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-05-04
Movement to get ID. #. Bntier Into
the Cabinet.


There seems to have been great haste
among some Of the members of the Admin
istration party ut Washington, after the as
sassination of President LINCOLN, in dis
cussing the propriety of re-casting the Cab
met. The haste amounted to indecency'-
Efforts were to be made to lift B. F. BUTLER
into the Cabinet. That object was contem-
plated by the men who thought their duty
to the country required such immediate
discussion of Cabinet changes. The Wash
ington correspondent of The Boston Adrsr-
tiser, an Administration journal In which
there Is no guile, has ventilated the subject,
and he considers himself justified in believ-
ing that In no event, and under no condi-
tion of circumstances, will "B. +. BUTLER
ever get into the Cabinet of President AND
REV JOHNSON" This correspondent makes
this reference to the matter
Within twelve hours after the death OF
Mr.. Lincoln, certain "friends" Of Mr.. john
son, to the number of about twenty, met In
an upper chamber in Washington for the
purpose of reconstructing the cabinet. That
JneIe WAS WIDc dllu CDCC1 dDOub OiO DOoA v
need not be said, for these are always pres
ent at political meetings in Washington
There were two wocorner-stones on which the
new cabinet, as all agreed, must rest-viZ'
Rddicdlism and General Butler. Whatever
else should be represented in the cabinet,
that opinion or sentiment which, in the In
terest of the negroes, opposed MIR. Lincoln's
plan of reconstruction, must be represented
ard, whoever else went into 1t, General But
Ter must have place. By eight O'Clock Of
that Saturday evening, the claims Of rival
men were all settled to the general satisfac-
ton of this conclave of reconstructi0nists
and word was quietly circulated that there
would be change in the cabinet within the
course of couple of months. The new
cabinet was to be constructed as follows:-
Secretary OF State, Benjamin F. Butler;
Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton; Sec
retary of the Navy, Henry G.. Stebbins, OF
New York; Secretary OF the Treasury, Hugh
McCulloch; Secretary OF the Interior, James
Harlan; Postmaster General, John Covode;
ATTORNEY General, ID. X. Cartier of Ohio,
at present Judge of the Supreme Court OF
the District of Columbia. The programme
also included the appointment of ex-
Senator Wilkinson, of Minnesota, as Com
missioner of Indian Affairs, and of Mr..
Arnold, lately representative from Illinois,
as Solicitor of the Treasury.
Brief mention of this handsome scheme
was made in the special Washington dis
patches of that Saturday evening to The
Advertiser. That it was not fully ventilated
during the ensuing week is due to the fact
that the pen of the telegraphic censor was
drawn through every paragraph relating to
cabinet changes that was filed for telegraph
ing on Sunday evening, and that it became
generally understood among the cores
pondents on Monday that it would be use
less to attempt the transmission Of anything
respecting the matter just then-Govern-
ment thinking that the public mind was in
such state that no good could result from an
agitation of the question of changes in the
cabinet. The restriction was apparently
removed during the week--perhaps by
Thursday or Friday-but the solemn fune-
raj obsequies then engrossed the attention
OF correspondents.
On the Sunday following Mr..
Lincoln's death, friends of General Butler
remarked very significantly that he had
been sent for-being them in New York city.
The General made his appearance on Mon
day, sure enough, and INDUCED in brief
concise, pointed speech, trifle more un-
compromising even than that made on
Saturday in New York.