The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-04-23
MisGellanenns.
The distribution Of the Spoiis-
The Cabinet AsseS the Troubles
In the Republican Camp.

When the office seekers are ten times or
even five times in number the offices to be
filled by the President he is sure to make
more enemies than friends in the distribu-
ton of the spofls. He cannot avoid it. It
is simple matter of arithmetic. We may
then safely conclude that however wisely
General Grant may dispense his favors his
administration will not be strengthened
thereby. General jackson commenced the
system Of rewarding his political friends
and Furnishing his enemies, and the squab-
bles among his friends kept him continually
in hot water. Van Buren,, in following
in the footsteps of his illustrious prede-
cessor,p completely broke down. Polk,
adhering to the same idea that his strength
was in his patronage, found himself too
weak at the end of his first term to make
any serious struggle for second. Ditto
poor Pierce and Buchanan; ditto Tyler,
Fillmore and Andy johnson. To be sure,
in the cases of Pierce and Buchanan the
spoils were overshadowed by the revolt
tionary issues raised on the slavery ques-
ton; but still both these men were sadly
worried in the division of the spoils.-
Pierce, for instance, it will be remembered,
in his appointment of Redfield as Collector
of New York, reopened the old quarrel be-
tween haTdshells and softshells, and split
the democracy Of the Empire State into
two nearly equal hostile factions in the
next State election.
In short, there is only one plan in which
General Grant may possibly satisfy in sue
cession decisive majority of the office
seeking patriots of the republican party.
This plan is to change his Cabinet every
month and to leave the distribution of the
offices to his secretaries. But when we
come to think of it even this will not do /;
for ifthe collector, assessor, marshal or post
master appointed in April is to be turned
out in May the difficulty, instead of being
mended, will be made worse by these
monthly rotations, even with the consent
of the Senate. But we like none the less
General Grants fundamental proposition
to change his Cabinet whenever he finds it
inefficient, although he may thus be re-
quired to change it every week. We hear,
too, that change of two or three members
may be soon expected, and we are not sor-
ry to hear it; for if half that is said of the
present Cabinet be true it is "a balky team"
and not calculated to pull together up the
steep hills of our foreign relations nor
though the mudholes of Southern recon-
struction. 1t is said that Mr.. Fish is too
much of the sold line whig" of twenty five
years ago on Cuba, st. Domingo, Mexico,
Canada and the Alabama claims for the
"Young America" of the present day that
Boutwell, has not the grasp of mind for the
reforms needed in our financial system,
and that Mr.. Borie is not the Secretary of
the Navy. A copperhead journal. which
assumes to know all the ms and outs of the
administration, attributes this observation
to Admiral Porter MIR. Borie is nice
little man; he does everything that
tell him to do"
Such things as these may be only the
weak inventions of the enemy" but they
are creating troubles in the republican
camp, The late faceticus and enthusiastic
Dana, the devoted and persistent volunteer
| Cabinet maker for General Grant till the
General has made his own Cabinet, is no
longer facetious over Greeley for the Court
of st. James nor enthusiastic over the hero
OF Vicksburg. Dana, indeed, has become
sour and spiteful over the Presidents APP
pointments and perfectly outrageous in his
filings at Borie and Porter. Greeley is evil
IDENTIFY under cloud, Raymond is befog-
ged, and the waterfowl poets of the
Post, in most unseemly wrath, have been
exercising their poetic fancies against Sen.
ator Fenton's influence at headquarters. All
these clashings and family jars in this To-
cality may be divided between. Messrs
Morgan, Conklin and Fenton, in Wash
ington, and one result will most probably be
with the aid of the Albany Legislature, a
general decentralization of the party in this
State in time for the next fall election.
But what more could the republican
managers or expectants of any faction OF
color ask of General Grant in giving out
the loayes and fishes than he has done and