The Portland daily press., 1867-08-14
The Cnhinef Crisis.

#I
or the original Cabinet, appointed by Mr..
Lincoln in 1861, Seward and Welles ale the
spared monuments. Stanton can hardly
claim to be one OF the original seven, though
he received his appointment in season to i'm
press upon the management of his depart
ment the ideas which gave it whatever of ef-
ficiency it had during the war. The first Re-
publican Cabinet was queer agglomeration
of disappointed presidential aspirants. Cam
eron made as good Secretary of War as an
inveterate politician could be expected to
make; Bates as good an Attorney-G General as
a man who aspired to the place which would
enable him to snake" Attorney Generals,
would usually be; Blair was as quiet and use
full in the Post Office Department as one OF
his race can we'll be anywhere; Mr.. Chase
wears the ermihe with better grace than he
carried the keys. a e 5o s,is gstes
Seward was the right man IN the right
place, and so after his appointment, was STAN
ton. The former had sufficient obliquity of
moral vision to make him an expert in diplo-
macy, and the latter had the courage and en-
ergS requisite for directing the ponderous ma
chinery of war. That Mr.. Stanton is no IA
vorite at the White House has been secret
to no one since he refused to be 'smoked
out" when all his colleagues came forth in an
swer to the seductive notes OF a brass band
and declared themselves enthusiastic adher-
ents of their superior in office. Since that
time he has been retained only because of his
own strength of character, his POPULARITY
with the people and the tenure of Office act =
But at length the wave of Presidential indig-
nation has burst all these barriers, and
the strongest man in the Cabinet goes into
retirement. He withdraws, however, in a
manner calculated to afford the President TIE
least possible qualification. He protests
against the iIegalty of the action of the Ex
ecutise, and plainly intimates that it is rath-
er through Difference to Grant than respect
or fear of the President that he gives up the
portfolio which he has held ever since 1851
Ultimately he will suffer nothing on account
of his illegal dismissal. AS soon as Congress
meets it will be seen whether it is safe for
President to violate the law for the purpose
of crafty ing personal or party spite. Ifit is
not made clear to the Senate that Mr.. STAN
ton has been guilty of crime or official mis-
conduct, he will at once be reinstated. Who
er? Ii uneompromising host ility to disloyal
ty and thorough devotion to the cause of lib
erty and justice are disqualifcations for office,
the Secretary of War deserves the shabby
treatment he has received but il they are vir-
tues, heavy judgment will fall upon him
who has treated them as objectionable sins.
But to the astonishment of all who are not
aware of the internal convulsions that have
been going ON in Mr.. Johnson's happy family
of constitutional advisers during the last few
months. the Cabinet difficulties do not end
with the ejectment Of the Secretary of War
Even Seward, who next to Stanton, has con-
contributed most to the respectability of the
administration is under cloud What could
divide the hearts of the Orestes and Pylades
of politics? What could have destroyed the
the two members of which have so cheerfully
reciprocated in eulogizing each others great
ness? 1t is no mystery. The President is
unscrupulous and reckless; the Secretary OF
State is equally unscrupulous, but has the
cautiousness fthe Talleyrand school of states
men to which he belongs. The astute old
diplomatiist knows full well that the mad
course the President is taking is carrying him
straight to destruction, and thar it can end only
in the involuntary retirement OF himself and
his familiars to the obscurity of private life,
where they win be lost 10 sight and hateful to
memory forever. But, like Cardinal Wolsey,
the uniaithtul prophet of the irrepressibie
conflict finds that, having once connived a.
executive usurpation and violence, ne ca''i,o'
restrain il within safe limits. The man VINO
has for many months assented to sys'ema''s
attempts to thwart the clearly eApfesseo
will of the people, must not make q
stand in opposition when those At
| tempts take a form that is dangerously Of
fensiye to the public. 1t is not to be suppos-
ed that affection for Stanton has caused him
to oppose the removal, but regard ior the CO