The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-25

nast amonnts on pretense that he purposed to
| nav some of his debts with 1t several years
| henoe. would be hooted as q swindler. EIery
one would say, "Pay what you can now and
| the rest whenever you shall be able." That
Ia the true policy Of nations as we'll.
We will not debate the comparative wisdom
| of paving bonds or paying greenbsoks. We
| believe IL best for all our creditors that every
| dime the Treasury can spare should be de-
| voted to buying up and canoelling bonds
| that we can thus bring our greenbacks to par
much sooner than otherwise. But only use
the cash on hand to pay off some form OF dsbt,
and we shall be content.
Geographical Distribution OF the Great
Offices.
From the ". z. World.
President Grants first cast of a Cabinet so
filed the country with amazement, aud his
own party with CONSERVATION, that the ques-
tion Of geographical distribution was sunk
and overlooked in the astonisbment felt at the
weakness, inexperience, and un6tness of his
selections on personal grounds. The pro-
digious blunder Of appointing Secretary of
the Treasury who was legally disqualified,
and, when the blunder was discovered, OF
asking Congress to suspend one Of the most
wholesome laws in the statute book to enable
him to serve, and then, when even Republi-
can Congress was shocked and revolted at so
strange and impudent a request, back
casting the Cabinet, so engrossed the
public attention with shifting exhibi-
tions Of vacillating absurdity, that it is
no wonder that the minor absurdity OF the
geographical distribution has, thus far, passed
without much notice. Personal capacity is,
of course, altogether more important than
geographical fairness. A Cabinet of preGmi-
nept fitness for the discharge of official duties,
and strong in public confidence, would not be
| very severely criticized on the ground Of mere
| locality. But such mediocre statesmen as
| General Grant has selected can be found in
| abundance in every part of the country.
| There is hardly State in the Union which
could not supply materials for Cabinet Of
| more ability, weight, and experience than are
comprised in either the first or the final cast of
| the new President. He has, therefore, no
| apology for his fagrsnt disregard of local
| fairness In the bestowal of the great offices.
1t seems pretty well settled that the mis-
| sion to England is to be conferred upon Mr..
Motley, which accumulates upon one of the
| small New England States three of the most
| honorable positions in the gift of the Presi-
| dent. Massachusetts has the Secretaryship
of the Treasury, the most important of the
| Cabinet Offices, the Attorney Generalship,
| and the first in rank of all the foreign mis-
sions. But Messrs. Boutwell,, Motley, and
| Hoar have 40 such superior qualifications,
| nor any such standing in public estimation,
|
honors upon little narrow district in the
eastern part of Massachusetts. Mr.. Bout
| well has been the lead ORA bureau in the
Treasury Department; Mr.. Motley has held
second-class mission; Mr.. Hoar is quite
a novice in Federal politics. Nearly all the
| members of President Grants Cabinet are
taken from the Atlantic seabosrd. Mr.. Fish
ia from New York, Mr.. Borie from
Philadelphia, Mr.. Crsswell from Maryland,
which, with the two froM Eastern Massachu-
setts, gives five of the seven members of the
Cabinet to narrow strip on the coast between
the mouth of the Merrimao and the Potomac.
The whole vast region stretching from the
Hudson river to the Pacific coast, and the
whole vast region between the Potomac and
the Rio Grande, have only two Cabinet offices,
Offices of minor Importance, and filed by men
of SO little mark or note that no other Presi-
dent than General Grant would have ever
thought OF selecting them. General Rawlins
was appointed for no other reason than be-
cause he has been General Grants military
chief of staff. MIR. Cox is young man who
has never been known in national politics.
II the whole country west of the Hudson and
south of the Potomac had been told that it
was to have only two places in the Cabinet,
and had been allowed any voice in the seec.
ton, most certainly these two men would not
have been its preference.
General Grant is exousable enough for not
recognizing the South in the composition of
his Cabinet. He is under a party obligation
to appoint only Republicans, and there are no
Republicans in the Southern States who are
fit for Cabinet places or foreign missions. The
carpet baggers get great deal more than they
deserve in local offices, and positions in the
bastard State governments. But the slight
which General Grant has put upon the
West is inexcusable. The Republican
party has larger proportion OF
capable men in the West than in the East.
Moreover, that great and magnificent section
has not that weight in the legislative branch
of the Government to which its population
entities it, and there wsuld be a fairness in
redressng the inequality by giving the
West more than proportionate share
of the executive Offices. We are now
raj census, and during the decade which
is closing the growth OF the West has alto
gether outstripped that OF other parts of the
, country. In the redistribution Of Congress
men after the new census. next year, the East
, will lose and the West will gain great mum
ber of Representatives. After 1870 the West
If united, will control the legislation of the
country, and control the national convention
: for nominating Presidential candidates. Tn,
West is equitably entitled to this superior
weight now; but it cannot receive the benef
r OF its wonderful growth since 1860 until afte
: the ten years are fully up, when, by asuddel
stride or leap, 1t will make great advance il
political Influence. Suffering, as the Wes
8 does, from the inequality incident to the las
o year OF decade, II was entitled to recog
Q milton of its real Importance at the hand
& Of the new President by receiving a nun
o Der of the great Offices bearing fair proper
n ton 10 its actual population. Instead Q