Morning journal and courier., 1881-03-07
Monday Morning, March 2, 1881.
THE NEW CABINET.

n, B. N. JR.
 Monday Morning. March 2, 1881. THE NEW CABINET.
 The new Cabinet does not contain as many
 men with acquisitions for ''greatness' as
 some Cabinets have, but it seems well calcu-
 lated to do able and judicious work.
 The most notable member and the one
 whose appointment >will be most criticised is
 James G. Blaine. Secretary of State. Few
 of our public men are better known than Mir.
 Blaine. He is 51 years old and was born in
 Pennsylvania. After completing his studies
 he taught for some time, and in 1853 became
 connected with newspaper in Augusta,
 Maine. In 1857 he was elected to the State
 Legislature, where he sat for five years, du-
 ring two of which he served as Speaker In
 1862 he was elected to Congress, to which he
 was regularly reelected until 1876, when he l was chosen to the Senate in place of ex- Senator Lot M Morrill, In December, 1869, 1 he was elected Speaker of the Forty first Congress, was re elected In 1871 and 1873, and
 was defeated in 1875 by his Democratic com petitor, Michael 0. Kerr, the Democrats hav-
 ing clear majority in that House. He was |
 orator and legislator he was one of the nota- ble figures of Congress long before he
 became it's presiding officer, and began
 to be mentioned as a possible President
 soon after his first election to the Speaker
 ship. At Cincinnati in 1876 he narrowly l failed of the Republican nomination, and at Chicago in 1880 was the leading candidate | until almost the last moment, when his fol
 lowers threw their votes for General Gar | field, thus securing his nomination. Mir Blaine is Ia born leader of men" and has an ! imposing personal presence. Some fear that | in his anxiety to make his career in the Cabi net brilliant he will forget to be safe, bnt | there is no good ground for such fear. The Secretary of the Treasury, William Windom, of Minnesota, was one of those whom it was thought the lightning might possibly strike at Chicago. Mr. Windom is l
 nearly 54 years old, and was born in Ohio. l He studied law, and in 1855 settled in Wi mona. Minnesota, which has ever since been
 his home. In 1858 he was elected to Con- | gress a Republican, and stayed there I ten years, giving especial attention l to the problems of interstate com merce cheap transportation and the | advancement of agricultural interests. He l was appointed Senator in July, 1870, to fill | the unexpired term of Daniel s. Norton | WAS elected for the full term of 1971-77 and reelected for the term expiring in 1885, | It is not generally known that MT. Windom
 has any special fitness to succeed John Sher
 man, and he comes from region where soundness on financial questions has not been
 D,.k -sA II [ President he cannot go far wrong if he de-
 sires to, we have no idea that he does or
 will
 The Secretary of the Interior, Samuel J. l Kirkwood, is the oldest member of the new
 administration, being sixty-eight years old.
 He was born in Maryland, but in 1885 he be-
 came 'tan Ohio man," which enviable rank
 he held for twenty years, practising law dur
 ing the last twelve years, and taking prom
 inent part in politics. In 1855 he settled in l Johnson county, Iowa, and in the following year he was chosen State Senator, was elect
 ed Governor in 1859 and again in 1861, being I one of that remarkable group of ''War Gov ernors' to whom was due so much of the glory of the suppression of the rebellion. In 1863 he declined the offered mission to Den mark succeeded James Harlan as United States Senator for the period 1S66-67, was again chosen Governor in 1875, and resigned that office in January, 1877, on his second election to the United States Senate for the period ending in 1883. MT. Kirkwood is l thought to resemble Abraham Lincoln in 1 some respects, and is credited with possessing | a great deal of common sense all of which 1 he will need in administering the affairs of the Interior department.
 Robert T. Lincoln, the Secretary of War, | is the eldest and the only surviving son of Abraham Lincoln. He is 37 years old and has acquired an enviable reputation as good citizen and successful lawyer in Chicago, . where he has lived since his father was as- sassinated. He was an ardent Grant man. His selection as Cabinet officer will offend . no one, and everybody will be glad to see him succeed
 The Secretary of the Navy, Judge William H. Hunt, is native of South Carolina but has lived most of his life in Louisiana. He <. is graduate of Yale, and has been very suc- cessful as a lawyer teacher of law and 8 judge in the Court of Claims He doubtless knows as much about naval affairs as c L.
 An appointment which meets with general z and hearty approval is that of Thomas l.. = James to be Postmaster General. MT. James is native of New York and is fifty years old. In early life he was journalist, active in political matters and in the support of the 2 temperance and abolition causes. Since 1861 :, he has held various government offices in :, New York city, and in 1872 was appointed :" Postmaster of the city by General Grant. His administration of the New York postof- e ice has been such as to win him great favor '' rom all brought in contact with him or his work He has shown great executive ability, D 1nfailing and helpful courtesy, and remarka- ole attention to detail No in the conn., o o ry knows what the postal service needs bet VI CT than he, and the belief is general and D we'll founded that it will be much improved N ,nsler his administration. It is said that the A tar route contractors are much distressed U ,ver his appointment, which is good omen sE
 Wayne MeVeagh, of Pennsylvania, the o' Attorney General, is about 4s years old. He oi s looked upon as the representative in the - Jabinet of the reform element in the Repub- ~ ican party He graduated from Yale in that .. famous class'' which some of the other o' lasses dislike to hear any more about. He las distinguished himself an orator, law -er and politician. He was Minister to Con- tantinople in 1s72-3, and was talked of for pl 'ecretary of the Interior in 1875. In March, BIT, he was sent to Louisiana as the leading Fl member of the so-called ''McVeagh Commis- ion"-composed of Generals HawIey and D Harlan, Governor John C.. Brown and Judge ,. B. Lawrence-to investigate the state of in olitical affairs. and his report was influential b. a securing the withdrawal of federal recog- al ition from the ''carpet-bag'' government. .ast year he was one of the organizers of the ?. m Jational Republican League and exerted him. h, elf at Chicago against the Camerons and the omination of General Grant. is From the above it will be seen that there | le