The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-17
The Memorable Explosion OF jack
sons Cnbinet-Is History About 10
Repeat Itselfs

One of the most curious and interesting
episodes of our political history is the great
Cabinet explosion which occurred in April,
1881, and was the staple topic of the Ameri-
can press from that time until Congress met
in the following December. 1t was not
merely the absorbing topic OF edi-
torial discussion; the excitement was
fed by a constant stream of statements
aud replies, rejoinders and surrejoinders,
the participants being high functionarles
and ex-functionaries of the government.
President jackson himself was party to the
newspaper controversy, although he did not
use his own signature; Vice President CAL
houn made long contribution to 1T IN
communication to q South Carolina news
paper, signed with his name; among the mi
nor contributors were Mr.. Ingham,
the dismissed Secretary Of the Treas
ury; Mr. Berrien, the dismissed Attorney
General; Mr. Branch, the dismissed Sec
rotary of the Navy; Mr. Eaton, who had vol
unfairly resigned as Secretary of War; Rich
ard NJ. Johnson, then Senator, and after
ward Vice President, with many others of
|
transaction would be MS interesting as ro-
nance, for, in addition to its piquant pollti-
! cal features, there was woman In the
| case" and one Of the parties to the dispute
| thought it for their interest to give her un-
| due prominence.
| we are concerned, at present, only with
| the political aspect of that remarkable con-
4 1...t .x.a .1axk uII rv,
tho attendant domestic scandal which was
dragged in to help the weaker side. The
reason put forth by President Jackson
and his supporters for reconstructing the
Cabinet, and which no person who has i'm
partially examined all the documents can
doubt to have been the true one, was that
several members were engaged in an in
trigue to control the succession. The Rich
n,ond Enquirer, one of the most jealous and
! devoted jackson organs of the period, said,
1 in justification of the action of the Presi-
dent ''the party is divided and distracted
about the succession" The Washington
| Globe, General Jacksons immediate organ,
| nation to have union and mutual confidence
among the members of his Cabinet and
when he found his Cabinet divided an en-
| tire reorganization was determined on"
Even the National IntclHgenc0, the Clay
organ, was constrained to say 1.-THE
I determination of the President does
not appear to us an unreasonable
one" Major Eaton, the resigned Sec
rotary Of War, in a long expose from the
Presidents point of view, said of Mr.. CAL
hounh pamphlet 1.-THE publication of this
work again served to arouse party animosity
and to bring up the question of succession
prematurely as the means of creating divi-
sion among the supporters of the administra-
ton" ''We thus had prospect of open
war between partisans of different portions
Of the Cabinet, the evils of which could not
but penetrate into our deliberations" "The
situation Of the President was now
easily to be perceived. With a Cabi-
net politically divided and personally
not very friendly it was impossible for him
to move along with satisfaction to himself or
advantage to the country. 1t was apparent
that he must soon be under the necessity of
recognizing his Cabinet, and, if it could
| not otherwise be accomplished, to dismiss
the dsaffected portion of it.
! These brief quotations will suffice to show
the grounds on which President Jackson
and his friends rested his defence,
and the course OF Mr.. Calhoun's
supporters was virtual confession
that those grounds were tenable if the
facts were as represented The wing
press frankly admitted, as is shown in the
foregoing quotation from the National Intel
ligence,', that Cabinet divided by intrigues
for the succession ought to be reconstructed,
and all the Calhoun mouthpieces admitted
the same thing by implication when they SO
industriously and persistently charged a
different motive. None of them vcntured to
say that a division in the Cabinet relating to
the succession was not sufficient cause for
removals, and the three members who were
forced to resign alleged that it was in conse-
auence Of the refusal Of their families to
associate with Mrs. Eaton, Vice President
Calhoun supporting them in that allegation
in his published letter.
The laborious attempts to show that Presi-
dent Jackson pretended one motive while
really acting on another are significant and
instructive. They prove that at that period
of our history neither 'Jacksons wing oppo-
nents nor the democratic supporters of CAL
houn thought divisions in the Cabinet on
the question Of succession nm insufficient
cause of removal. and the fact that Presi-
dent Jackson and his friends chose to rest
his defence on that ground proves that it was,
in their opinion, defence which the country
would accept. II was universally conceded
that President Jackson's action was right if
his assigned reasons were true, and his
opponents accordingly commended that tho
Calhoun intrigue was mere pretext and the
social ostracism Of Mrs. Eaton the real