The Portland daily press., 1871-01-05

tive powers and influences which the posses
sion of the Federal patronage made too for
midable already. When, however, the pat
ronage abuse shall have been DESTROYED, eve
ry reason will seem to favor giving the Exec
utive legitimate presence and pure influence
in the legislation of the country, where for
mery the influence was none the less real,
and the means OF exerting it every way de-
morallzing and corrnpting
A great advantage to be derived from such
participation OF duties would be found in
the necessity which would then exist for the
Cabinet to be in the proper sense of the
word ministry, with definite and avowed
policy on public measures OF Importance The
tendency in our government has been strong
ly in the direction of bureaucracy, each de-
partmeht, TO use vne OF Mr.. Linco!n's sayings
concerning them, running its own machine"
with little or no attempt at harmony or CO.
operation. Indeed. what difference does it
make whether the Secretary of State or Post
master-G General agrees with or dissents from
the financial policy Of the Treasury Depart
ment? The agreement or disagreement can
scarcely be felt, except in casual conversation
those gentlemen may have with members of
Congress in tleIr leisure hours. There is no
legitimate and regular method provided by
which the Cabinet shall exert its influence as
a whole, unless it be supposed that the annual
message of the President furnishes such a
channel of influence. But no one familiar
with our public affairs for the past dozen
years will pretend that the message has any
such significance, or that if it had, its weight
with Congress has borne any definite proper
ton to the power OF enforcing pol cy by
welding the patronage. Let the Cabinet,
however, be placed ia the eyes OF the public,
where they must express their agreements or
their differences upon matters of public inn
portance, and, from the very necessity of the
case, they will become at once compact and
thoroughly organized body, who can only be
selected with a view to their known agree
ment on general policy and their special fit
ness to be its representatives in their several
departments. No doubt this would result in
their being more uniformly chosen from
among men OF experience upon the floor OF
either house; but, with the elevatng influ-
ence of thorough reform of the civil service,
and the devotion of our rulers time to states
manship instead OF oficejobbing, we may ex-
pect to find congressional career growing
more attractive 10 a large class of our best
men who have pfoverbially avoided it; and
there would be much less objection to making
Congress the common route to high admins
trative employment.
With great hesitation, another and final adj
vantage of such a change is submitted, which
we may not be permitted wholly to overlook.
As the Cabinet would be before the country
where their acts, opinions, and views could
not be concealed, Cabinet changes, like minis
terial crises in other constitutional govern
ments, would carry with them their own ex-
PLANTATION and be freed from the degrading
gossip concerning personal motives and char
acter, and the compromising and contradicto.
ry stories OF newspaper 'interviewers," which
are now the bane and the shame of American
noltioc