The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-02
LEvEE AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Expected Republican Senatorial Attack
on the Cabinet
Mr.. HAYES AND THE DEMOCRATS.
No Efforts by the President to Coneilate Re-
publican Support in Congress.
FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.

WASHINGTON, Jan. l, 1873.
SENATORIAL ATTACK ON THE CABINET
Mr.. HAYES TO BE ASKED TO CHANGE ITS
MEMBERsHlP-How OLD ABE TOOK THE LIFE
OUT OF SIMILAR DEMANDING RECON-
sTRUcTIoN PROBABLE
rumor has been circulating mere for some days
that when Congress reassembcs tho republican Scna
tors or rather tho antHayes part of them intend to
ask tho President formally his Cabinet
such enterprise would not he without precedent.
The republican Senators attempted to break up
Mr.. Ltncoln's Cabinet In this way Their chief
object to get Mr.. Seward out. They held
caucus and adopted a formal resolution requesting
Mr.. Lincoln to remodel his Cabinet. Having
done this they appointed committee to wait upon
the President with the resolution, and explain to him
tho reasons which led to It's adoption, and urge HIM
10 conform himself to the Senate's wishes. A men,
Der OF this committee sent to the President 10
notify him OF what had been done, and ask HIM to
appoint time when he would sec the committee and
hear the resolution. Tradition relates that Mr..
Lincoln received the Senator very afaby, and told
him that no would be happy to see tho committee at
niue O'Clock tho following evening. Sand" added
he. IL will have tho members OF the Cabinet present
to meet your committee" To this arrang ont, not
naturally the Senators at first objected, but Mr.
Lincoln firm, saying that all such ought
TO be discussed in the presence OF the persons
cerncd.
There was at that time, during nearly the whole
of Mr.. Lncolns administration, a disagreement be.
tween Secretaries Seward and Chase which divided
the Cabinet itself into two parties, extended
the Senate, whore tho republicans were generally
either Seward or Chase men 1t was generally under
stood that the movement in the Senate the
work of Mr.. Chases friends. The was as though
ling nd Ala Of tha
present Cabinet, and Secretary Blaine's friends,
jealous OF Secretary Conkling's ascendancy, should
address to President Hayes request to reorganize
his Cabinet. In such It Is not difficult
that while Secretary Conkiing would feel 1t incum
bent on him 10 place his resignation at the disposal
OF President Hayes, Secretary Blaine, in whose In.
terest public opinion regarded tho movement ns
made, would feel NO less compelled also offer his
resignation, To do otherwise would give him the
appearance Of being party to intrigue against u
fellow Minister, which Is commonly and justly hold
TO be dsgraceui offence, act or political in,.
morality
This Is precisely what happened. Secretary Seward
wrote out his resignation and handed it to Mr.. Lin
coin. Secretary Chase felt himself obliged do
same thing. Mr.. Lincoln quietly put away both these
papers-said nothing about thom-but called the
whole Cabinet together to inform them Of what was
TO take place in the evening He had NO desire, he
said, to change his Cabinet; and the members, being
asked, werc satisfied With his policy and with each
other and readily engaged to at least stand or fall
together Thoy could scarcely do loss. Thus
stood when the President ana his Cabinet assembled
At the White House to meet the Senatorial
mittee. It Is SAID that the Senators, finding them
selves face to face with the gentlemen whose
ment into private life they had come to urge, wore
at first under q painful embarrassment. but Mr..
Lincoln cheered them up and encouraged Them
to read their resolution and to speak their wishes
plainly they chose He contrivod that the discus
sion should become general and that tho Cabinet Min
listers should take part In IT, and after evening
less unpS lsant than tho Senators had anticipated
they retired. Tho Cabinet. having declared itself
monious before the meeting, found itself less at
its conclusion, and Mr. Lincoln had not from the
first intended any change no on tho following day
quietly returned TO Messrs. Seward and Chase their
designations and that was the eod OF tho whole
matter
II IL doubtful whether an attempt the present
Cabinet would have better success There such
divisions in II as there In Mr.. Lncoln's, and
Presidential aspirations for tho present to create Ihcm
Not enough Senators constitute majority OF the
Senate could be got TO join in demand for reorgan-
ization Of tho Cabinet. The President does
to part with any OF the present Members and II Is
Impossible that any vacancy which may at any time
u
please those who now Cabinet. II 10 pretty
well understood in administration circles II Secrc-
tary Evarts or Secretary Schurz should resign the
President would nominate Mr. Bristow In his place.
DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT FOE THE PRESIDENT
IN THE SENATE-MR. HAYES OMISSION TO
GATHER REPUBLICAN FoLLowIYa-H1s
LACK OF EXECUTIVE TACT-HE WILL NAN
AGE HIS END OF THE sHIP--coNGREss AT
LIBERTY TO sHArE ITS OWN ACTION.
A recent leading article in tho democratic organ
hero stating that the democratic Senators intended
hereafter to support the Presidents nominations,
against the opposition Of the anti-Hayes Senators,
has attracted good deal of attention, because II Is
generally believed that tho President intends to send
in shortly alter the reassemoling OF 20 ngress now
names for the New York Custom House Offices
In such q contingency tho attitude of demo-
cratic Senators is, OF course. OF importance, but
so Is that of those few republican Senators who have
hitherto voted with the administration, and Of them
nobody appears 10 have much TO say Will they stand
by the President? Some OF those who al lrst
confidently counted on as administration supporters
Senators Dorsey and Booth for 10 re-
ect the New YORK nominations. win the small re.
nainder stick hereafter? There habe been sood
many attempts to belittie Mr. Conklings victory and
to cipher it down to "not much OF o shower alter
ALL and there Is disposition 10 believe
that the democrats stick the next nominations will
be SAFE But II the democrats should DO Il
would still require several republican votes to con-
firm, ana It Is az interesting question just now
whether they will be on hand when the time comes.
The President has so far carried out to its extreme
his theory that the Executive ought not 10 attempt
to influence either house Of Congress. One word
from him TO Senator two would havo
sunced to seat sponord rather than Kellogg, and a
very slight exercise OF influence would have easily
cured enough republican votes to confirm the New
York nominations In spite Of tho democratic alb
sentees He held his hand In both cases, aud II is
sven com monty beloved that several nominations 10
places In the Western States, sent In only day or
two before the New York nominations came NJ, were
n displeasing TO Senator'S that several votes wcro
q consequence. II no has no