Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-06
NEW SERIES---NO. 1872

/. Barry, Amos Kendall, John N
IS Niles, Francis Granger, Charlie
! A. Wickliffe, Cave johnson, JacoI
Collamer, N. X. Hall, s. D. Hub
+ bard, James Campbell, A.V. Brown
q Joseph Holt, Mr.. Dennison and A
: W. Randall.
The act providing for tho APP
pointment of an Attorney Genera
of the United States was passed il
1899, and the Office has been helC
by Edmund Randolph, VIM. Brad
ford, Charles Lee, Levi Lincoln
, Robert Smith, John Breckenridge
Z. A Rodney, William Pinckney,
Richard Rush, VIM. Writ, John NJ.
Berrien, r. B. fancy, B. F. Butler,
: Felix Grundy, Fl. d. Gilpin, J. ].
; Crittenden, H. s. Legare, John
Nelson, John Y. Mason, Isaac Tou-
cey, Reverdy Johnson, Caleb Cush-
ing, jeremiah S. Black, Edward
Bates, Mr.. Speed, Mr.. Stanbery,
and VIM. NJ. EYarts.
We believe we have placed the
names right, and in order, but, hay
ing to depend upon memory, it is
possible we may have made a slip
or two. 1t must strike the reader
that very few persons have held
cabinet places since the 18th ofSep-
tember 1879, the day on which Col.
Hamilton became Secretary-for
Hamilton was the first of our cabi-
net officers, as he was the first of all
the men who have belonged to the
cabinet. Many of the men in the
lists held more than one cabinet
otfice-as Pickering, Randolph,
Marshall, Dexter, Smith, Crawford,
Monroe, Rush, McLane, Cass,
fancy, Woodbury., Ewing, Upshur,
J. Y. Mason, Calhoun, Marcy. and
Ioucey-mOst of whom We're first
rates. Mr.. Webster held the same
office Secretary of State) twice.
The State Department was held by
MIR. Madison, Mr.. ]. Q. Adams, and
Mr.. Seward, twenty-four years, less
six months in Mr.. Adams case. Mr..
Gideon Granger held the Postoffice
Department more than twelve years,
but we are under the impression
that the Postmaster General was not
a cabinet officer in his time. Mr.
Writ was Attorney General more
than elven years. Mr.. Woodbury.
was in the cabinet almost ten years,
Mr.. Forsyth almost seven years,
and Mr.. Dickerson for about the !
same time. Mr.. Crawford was there |
ten years. Mr.. GalIatin entered the |
cabinet in May, 1901, and left it in
1913. Mr.. Meigs was Postmaster
General about nine years. Mr.. |
Wells has been in his present office,
that of Secretary of the Navy, |
since March 4, 1861. The num-
Der Of cabinet officers would have
been much less than it is but for |
the exigencies Of Mr.. Tyler's Adj
ministration-for during his Presi-
dency there were three Secretaries
of State, four Secretaries of the
Treasury, four Secretaries of War,
five Secretaries of the Navy, two
Postmasters General, and three |
Attorneys Generator twenty-one
officers in all, though but nineteen
names occur, as in two cases the
changes were promotions. 1t was
much the same as a consequence of
the death of President Taylor, as
his constitutional successor, Mr..
Fillmore, madelap entire change in
the cabinet-and other changes oc-
Cured in the latter part of his
(Fillmore's, administration. The
deaths Of Harrison and Taylor
added twenty names at least to our
list Of members of the cabinet.
President Lincoln's death also added
to the list, the johnson cabinet be-
ing essentially different from that
which Mr.. Lincoln left to his sue
cessOr.
The cabinet, it must be admitted,
has been constructed of good ma
terial, so far as ability is concerned
There never has been a cabinet
which has not contained one strong
man. Perhaps the weakest cabinet
ever known here was that which ex-
listed in the latter years of Wash
ington's administration, after Ham
ilton, Jefferson, Randolph and Brad
ford had ceased tC serve; and that
cabinet President John Adams felt
compelled to keep in existence.
Pickering was its best man. Jeffer-
sons cabinet was quite strong; but
Madison's, on the whole, was weak,
though it had some able men in it
at all times. It was weak from cir
cumstances. Monroe's cabinet was
the ablest the country has seen in
this century-for it contained such
men as j. z. Adams, Calhoun, Craw-
ford, Writ, Southland and Mclean
and Rush was in it for some months
j. q. Adams had a good cabinet
CLAY, Rush, Barbour, Southland,
Mclean, Porter and Wirt-largely
continuation of the Monroe cab
met. Jackson's cabinets were famed
for the talents of the men in them
Van Buren,, Livingston, Cass, Wood
bury, McLane, Berrien, Kendall,
Forsyth, fancy, Butler and Eaton.
Mr. Van Buren, kept in most of the
Jacksonians whom he found in
office. Harrison made a strong
cabinet, and Tyler always had able
men about him-Webster Calhoun,
Spencer, Henshaw, Legare and Mel
son. Buchanan and Marcy were
the principal men ofPolk's cabinet.
Taylor, and after him Fillmore, had
some Of the ablest of the old Wings
in their cabinet. Pierces cabinet
was q very strong One-Marcy,
Cushing, JEFF. Davis ard Guthrie
being of it. Buchanan s firstcabi-
net proved a lot of rogues, but it
was not wanting in ability-Which
was mostly devoted to mischief.
Mr.. Lincoln called around
him some strong men - Sew
ard, Chase, Blair, Cameron, Stan
ton and Bates. Mr.. Johnson
has not wanted for men who might
have advised him well, whether they
did so or not. Generally, the ADLER
a cabinet, the more difficult it is to
keep the team well in hand, each
horse pulling different way. Soon
we shall see what skill Gen. Grant