The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-23

fhe Case fn the Cabinet.
Grant has been guilty of the great indis-
erection OF taking three. honest men into his
Cabinet, and this is likely to give him
troable. fboy threaten TO surround him. and
he may be cut OF from his supports and lose
his communications and line OF retreat upon
the Department Of the Interior and the cor
rupt authorities Of the District, which would
be the most startling and significant fact OF
the time event Of great Importance to the
people. but OF even greater consequence to
the republican party.
Hitherto the President has been cursed
with . sort Of political pocket handkerchief
o. Cabioct q body as subject to his will
and has humors as that indispensable article
Of common convenience Two-thirls of the
rogucrics that have been practisod through
him are due 10 the fact that these obsequious
gentlemen never opened his eyes 10 the true
nature Of schemes that they doubtless saw
through aud Of which he may have been in
nocent Tue consequence was that tho coun-
iry was governed not by the Cabinet and the
government but by Influences analogous to
those discussed in England in the great bed
chamber question. His EHcollency, for in
stance, II any topic Of patronage or policy or
appointment was 10 DO discussed in the
Cabinet vas probably ignorant of it
through aud through; but some handy
friend posted hm-or primed hun,
rather-and IL, in giving His Excellency
some information this handy friend put the
information in shape to help the scheme of
another friend, is that any more than hu-
mani In this way every topic was settled in
the Presidents mind By some good friend
Sometimes tho friend was a brother-in-law,
may be. And where is there greater evidence
Of self-abnegation than Tor man TO believe
in his brothcr-in-lAw Sometimes the in
formation came from a person who had SUB
scribed freely 10 some valuable testimonial
given 10 the President, and gratitude required
that no should al least hear this friend pa
tiontly. Aud when did gratitude cess TO be
n yirtue1 Thus. through his virtues end the
ceDsoriousness Of the vorld and the obse-
quiousness Of the Cabinet. Grant has been
looked upon as the prot, ctor OF robbers.
For. Of course, xhen the President went
into Cabinet council on these topics has mind
was made up, thanks 10 his friends, aud tho
Cabinet did not indicate that his mind was
made up enormously. II was too c0nsiderato
for that, aud tho Cabinet did not resign
when IL saw that il was a mere psrfunctory
body, for il never had the necessary self-rc-
spoct But now there is change. Jewell
and Bristow and Pierrep6ns have different
ideas OF the functions aud relations 10 the
public Of the Offices they hold, and there will
be dispute. and NO cannot say exactly how
His Excellency Will come ont, tor these gem
tlemen are probably in earnest They are at
this moment face to face with a most difficult
dilemma, and they can only cope with the case
successfully in so far as they are in earnest
Wherefore we hope they are in earnest II
they are not in earnest they will get the worst
of it.
1t is evident to these three gentlemen that
if the thieves are not sent 10 the right about
they themselves cannot stay, so that the real
point OF the issue. as practically made up, is,
whether the only respectable part Of Grants
Cabinet shall leave. or whether Grant will
dismiss and'cease 10 support the corrupt per-
sons whom he has put in Office and who are
making the most Of their time at the expense
of the taxpayers. With Fisher continued in
Office, the Postmaster General found he could
not fight the thieves that trouble him. and
after hard fight Fisher is apparently gone.
As Bristow has had a similar experience he
was with Jewell, and as for Mr.. Pierrepont,
a man who lives SO broadly in the light Of
public opinion cannot afford 70 be on any
other side than that Of honesty. But all
these gentlemen together were, il appears, able
only to get the official scalp OF the already half
dead Fisher. The Secretary of the Interior.
as it is reported, retains his place. Perhaps
this trouble was so deep that full remedy
required that Grant himself should 90 out II
Delano did But we doubt this. Although
Grant is wonderfully given to sticking to his
friends. he also possesses the capacity 10 drop
them when they are too heavy.