The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-28
Cabinet Mutations Under President
Grant.

have already gone out are his first Secretary
/ of State; his first, second and third Secretaries
of the Treasury; his first Secretary OF the
Navy; his first and second Secretary
/ of War his first Secretary of the
Interior; his first second and third
Attorney General, and his first Post
master General. In most of these numerous
changes the country has felt no regret
at the designations Of the retiring
officers and no satisfaction with the
appointment of their successors. The
selection of Mr. A. T. Stewart for Secretary
of the Treasury, though respectable in itself,
was ridiculous blunder, the result of sheer
| ignorance. There is a statute which forbids
that Office to be held by any person engaged
in foreign commerce, and it was unlucky for
President Grant that one of his first acts be-
! trayed his ignorance of the laws with whose
execution he was charged. That blunder was
| the parent of several others. He was COM
| PEELED to make sudden recast of his Cabinet
on the spur of the moment, and lost the adj
vantage of the four months of deliberate in
quiry and consultation which interviewed
between q Presidents election and his
Inauguration. A President elect who EN-
ploys this period wisely can compose Cab
| met with suitable reference to personal fitness
1 geographical distribution and party expedi-
/ ency. President Grant forfeited this advan-
| tage by his laundering selection of Mr..
| Stewart. 1t was his original purpose to give
New York one Cabinet Office, New England
one, Pennsylvania one, the border States one
and the Western States three, which was
fair enough geographical apportionment in
condition of things which shut out the
South. But his singular blunder in the New
York appointment destroyed the SYM
metry of his original arrangement and
compelled him to repair the blunder by sud-
den makeshitts. Mr. Fish was appointed
Secretary Of State for no other reason than
because it was necessary to give one Of the
great Cabinet offices to New York; and as the
law excluded Mr.. Stewart the President
selected Mr.. Fish as the best impromptu ap-
polntment Mr.. Fish, who thus came in as
the result of Presidential blunder and was
not selected by foresight or sagacity, has
proved to be the most respectable member of
compelled the President 10 make hasty APP
pointnent of q Secretary Of the Treasury,
and he caught up Mr.. Boutwell,, whom
nobody had ever thought of in connection
with the Cabinet and he violated geograph-
ical equity by giving two Cabinet appoint
ments to the small State Of Massachusetts,.
Mr.. Borie proved SO incompetent that the
4.
citizen, and an obscure lawyer Of the small
State Of New jersey was pitched upon,
neither Mr.. Robson nor his State having any
title to be thought Of in such connection.
The Western appointments were equally IN
fortunate. Mr.. Washburne remained bu.
few days in the State Department; General
schofeld soon gave place 10 General Rawlins
as Secretary Of War, and on bis death Gene
raj Belknap, man Of no mark and the most
slender qualifications, was foisted into the
place. General Cox quarrelled with the Presi-
dent IN TIE civil service question, and this
champion Of honesty was replaced by
5Ir. Delano. whose zeal for honesty never
made him uncomfortable.
Mr. Deano is now 4 candidate for retire
ment. and ii the question were to be decided
BIZ popular suffrage in the States where be is
best known no member OF the Cabinet would
be 20 unanimously chosen to step down and
ont. The three most important administration
papers Of the West promptly and strongly in
dorsed his expected withdrawal. The Cincin-
natl Gazette, in the State OF which Mr.. Delano
is a citizen and whore no is best known, de-
cared that the interests Of the republican
party ia Ohio would be promoted BY his re-
tirement The Chicago Tribune and St Louis
Democrat expressed themselves with equal
emphasis ia the same sense. All these papers
are supporters Of President Grant,
and their local position gives them facilities
for Judging Of Dir. Dellno's official conduct
The land Offices and the Indians are the two
great subjects committed to the Department
Of the Interior, and complaints against that
Department soon come to the knowledge Of
the Western press. The fact that
the three most important administration
organs in the Western States declare their
want Of confidence in Secretary Delano and
express their qualification at the pros
pect Of his retirement ought to
be duly weighed by the President
# be thinks tho republican party can afford
70 lose Ohio in this years election it may be
safe for him to defy local public sentiment
and retain Delano in the Cabinet But the
average sense Of the party viii not justify him
in taking such risks.
President Grant shrinls from removing any
member Of bis Cabinet and gives those he
wishes 70 get rid Of an opportunity to resign.
Why does he treat them with such tenderness?
II looks too much as If he feared 10 remove
them, lest they should turn upon him and
prove that he has been their accomplice in the
acts which have brought odium on their de-
partments Is it true that he dares not