The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-14
The President and the Cabinet.

From he ~ Y. Times.
Intimations grow more frequent and authOri-
tative that the President intends to change his
Cabinet The result of the recent elections is
said to have prompted him to this courses and
under the same instigation, if he changes it at
all, he is expected to make it up wholly from
the Democratic party.
We see no very strong political objections
which anybody can have to this, except per-
haps the Democrats themselves. The present
members of the Cabinet would probably be
quite willing to quit positions which for year
past must have been anything but agreeable.
The Republican party gains nothing by their
remaining, nor can it lose anything by their
leaving. The Democrats who may succeed
them will come into possession of very little
power for the Civil Office bill of last session
puts the whole patronage of the country out
of their reach, so long as the Senate is con-
trOlled by the Republicans. Such change as
is suggested would render the Democratic
party more directly responsible for the mea-
sures of the Administration than it has been
hitherto, and would thus do the country a
service. Public affairs are sure to go wrong
when no political party is responsible for their
management
There is preliminary difficulty to be en-
referred to, members of the Cabinet cannot be
removed at the mere will Of the President;
and though they may be suspended from
Office upon charges of misconduct, that sus-
pension may be terminated by the Senate
when it meets in December. Under ordinary
circumstances, request from the President
to resign would be promptly acceded to, as it
certainly shouldbe. But where great interests
| are at stake, and the policy to be inaugurated
| by new Cabinet is so unwise as that of the
| President is held to be, Secretaries may feel
| warranted in declining voluntarily to relinqush
| their posts Mr.. Stanton did SO, and his ex-
ample may be followed by others. In that
| case the President seems to be quite poweress
| in the premises.
There is one department of the Government
| with which we hope he will not tamper The
| administration of the finances of the country is
| at once too important and too delicate q mat
| ter to be made the football of cOntending par
| ties; and our finances are Just now in a critical
condition. Mr.. McCullOch has administered
the department with steady good judgment
| and decided success. His measures have been
| prudent and wise, and if they can be steadily
followed out, will give the country as much
relief as can reasonably be expected under the
| heavy burdens it is compelled to bear. The
country is satisfied with his official action and
| would look with distrust and apprehension
upon his displacement, Its credit has been
| sustained, and that, too, without seriously inn
| pairing the resources or embarrassing the in
dustry of the nation. To bring in a new man
now, who should reverse the policy he has
pursued, would have a most damaging effect
upon the credit of the Government and the
| general welfare of the country.
In no other department of the Government
would any change be so disastrous. Mr.
Seward has managed our foreign relations
with so much ability and success during the
last six years, that his retention would seem to
be a matter of common justice; and the coun.
try would probably be glad to have the few
! remaining subjects of difference with foreign
| powers settled by the same strong and prudent
| hand that has steered us through the dangers
| and difficulties of the past. But gratitude Is
| a weakness to which neither great oommuni-
ties nor their rulers are subject; and both are
quite apt to find obligations to any one man,
after time, exceedingly irksome and aunOy-
ing. Mr.. Seward would probably retire upon