The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-07

The CabInot-wby IL Has Not Been
Changed, and why IL should be
Changed.
Ftom the ~. Y. Herald.
Again we have a report from Washington
that Mr.. McCuloch is about to leave the Cabi-
net. For two years we have been hearing
rumors of changes in the Cabinet 1t has
been stock theme all along for Washington
correspondents, who rung the changes some
times on one Secretary and sometimes on
another, and occasionally on all the Cabinet
at once. Nor have these reports been without
foundation at times, so far as the wishes or in
tentions of the President went. But most of
the old Cabinet have remained, and those
members of it especially who should have
been removed long ago. The President has
been vacillating and undetermined, badgered,
and threatened by his enemies, aud pulled
this way and that by his professed friends till
he knew not what to do. The consequence is
that Mr.. Seward, Mr.. McCulloch, and Mr.
Welles have hung on to their places. Had
Mr.. Johnson made a complete change at the
commencement of his administration, he would
have saved himself and the country great
deal of trouble. But that is past. The ques-
ton now is how far the evil can be remedied
and what course the President should take
hereafter
The old members of the Cabinet have neither
the confidence of the people nor of Congress,
except, perhaps, that Mr.. McCulloch is insidi-
Ously supported by the Chase radicals and the
national bank men. Yet this is about as
strong a reason as the President could find for
dismissing him. Weles is a nonentity
Seward is a trimmer and a marplot, and
McCulloch is running the country into fnan-
cial embarrassment by his incapacity and i'm
practicable theories. They are all positive
weakness to the administration; but McCul-
loch is more than that-he is great calamity
to the country.
The Secretary of the Treasury is simply the
creature of Mr.. Chase and his friends. He
runs the Treasury machine for their benefit.
The complicated system established by Mr..
Chase and perpetuated by him provides places
for an army of that portion of the radical
party, and creates colossal fortunes for the
national bank capitalists. Two objects are
reached by this Treasury machinery
and financial policy, if policy it can be called.
First, Mr.. Chase and his friends and partisans
are made rich at the expense of the people,
and, second, powerful combination is estab
lished for the purpose Of controlling political
affairs and placing the Chief Justice in the
White House.
When we leok at the manner in which our
national finances have been managed from the
time Mr.. Chase went into the Treasury Depart
ment up to the present time, we are forced to
the conclusion that the objects have been as
we have stated. 1t has been one system all
through; system to enrich friends and part-
sans, and to create a moneyed power in the
republic. Mr.. McCuloch has faithfully carried
out the purpose of his chief and patron.
Bankers and politicians from Ohio, Indiana
and other parts, have had control of the Trea-
sury and the resources of the country. What
that has cost the people it would be hard to
guess. The sum must be stupendous. In fact
our enormous national debt is the cOnse-
quence. We need not have been burdened
with this debt. If any debt had been nee ssary,
it would have been comparatively small had
Mr.. Chase followed the advice and accepted
the offers of the New York bankers at the be-
ginning of the war, as it was understood he
agreed to do. A hundred and fifty millions in
gold was raised for him by the bankers then,
and had he sold his securities for what they
would bring in the market at the time, as he
had been advised to do the capitalists of this
city and other parts of the country would
have furnished all the money he required.
But this would not have made Mr..
Chases friends rich, nor would it have
erected a moneyed power in his interest.
We should have had no suspension of
specie payments and comparatively small
debt; but Mr.. Chase would not have attained
the object he had in view. Mr.. McCullOch is
but the agent and tool of Mr.. Chase in per-
petuating the ruinous financial system Origi-
nally established. He is merely small coun-
try banker, has no idea of national finauce
and only follows his master. Such is the Sec
retary Of Treasury with whom this great coun-
try is cursed. We are losing hundreds of
millions through his incapacity. Unless he
be removed we shall be plunged into dreadful
financial disasters. If the President has not
courage or sagacity enough to remove the
other old Cabinet officers, he should, at least,
request Mr.. McCuloch to resign, and appoint
some able man in his place. We need a states
man. and not a small country banker, at the
head of the Treasury Department.