Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-06

L
tary of State sits at the right hand
OF the President. The Secretary Of
the Treasury takes the seat next the
Secretary Of State; and then comes
the Secretary of War, the Secretary
ofthe Navy, the Secretary of Waffle
Secretary of the Interior, the Aftor-
ney General and the Postmaster
General. In public estimation the
Secretary of State stands far above
his colleagues. Yet it was supposed
when the government was formed
that the Secretary of the Treasury
would be the chief man among the
officers thereof, after the President;
and it was natural that such should
be the general belief, not only be-
cause of the Importance OF the
financial business of every govern
ment, but because of the factthat our
system had been created through the
pressure of financial circumstances.
For time the Treasury Depart
ment was, in public estimation at
least, quite as high as the State De
partment, and Hamilton's vast tai
ents helped make it so but foreign
affairs soon became of the first i'm
portance, because of the occurrence
of the French revolution, which led
to war that almost lasted a quarter
of a century, and which closely at
fected ali nations, and our own not
the least. Hamilton's prodigious
success, too, made the financial
business of the country something
that any man of ordinary ability
could manage, till a great crisis
should come. Then for many years
the Secretary of State passed from
his department to the Presidency,
Madison succeeding to Jefferson,
Monroe to Madison, andJ. @. Adj
ans to Monroe This gave to the
State Department degree of con-
sideratiOn that placed it far ahead
Of all other departments, and the
more so that no other Department
ever saw its head pass to the Presi-
DENTAL chair. Mr. Crawford was
Secretary of War when first he was
talked of as a candidate for the
Presidency, and Secretary of the
Treasury when he became a eandi-
date for that Office, but he failed
to get "a nomination in the first in
stance, and he was badly beaten
when he received a nomination.
When Gen. Harrison was making
up his cabinethe proposed to place
Mr., Webster at the head Of the
Treasury Department; but Mr..
Webster preferred the State De.
partment, and he was in every way
too great man not to be allowed to
say where he would serve. Since
he Inauguration of j. Q. Adams
March 4, 1S25-nO man has passed
rom the cabinet to the Presidency;
md only two men since that date
rave been placed in the Presidential
hair who had served in the cabinet;
Fan Buren, and Buchanan and they
lad held the Office of Secretary of
,tate-the first-named, during the
irst two years of Jackson's Presi-
lency; and the other, throughout
he entire term of Polk. Jackson,
Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fill
more, Pierce, Lincoln and Johnson
lever belonged to the cabinet.
Host Of the men who have aspired
o the Presidency of late years never
we're in the cabinet; Scott, Stewart,
Fremont, Breckenridge, Douglas,
Seymour, Grant and
,thers. Cass and Seward did not
70 into the cabinet till their chances
If reaching the Presidency had be-
,ome desperate; and of Mr.. Chase
t may be said that he destroyed all
he hopes of himself and his friends
when he became Secretary of the
Treasury. In fact, the cabinet has
become kink Of Hotel des IRCali-
les, in which great political soldiers
pass their latter days; or,
t can be called the American tower,
n which politicians, not princes,
ire smothered-and where the last
ropes of age, not the first dreams
If youth, are forever dispelled--
Boston Traveller.