Morning journal and courier., 1881-01-11
Tuesday Morning. Jan. II, 1881.
CARINET NIAKING.

| CABINET MAKING.
 It is stated that the Congressman elect from
 Indiana have signed paper requesting Gen.
 eral Garfield to remember Indiana in making | up his Cabinet, and that the members of the | State central committee have gone a step further and recommended the Hon. John 0. New. This statement leads the Washington correspondent of the Boston AdUertiser to give very interesting Account of the Indi- ana scramble for place in the Cabinet of President Hayes He also reveals some of the other difficulties which attended Presi- dent Hayes Cabinet-making. As he is in position to know, and is thoroughly reliable gentleman, his statements are something more than idle gossip.
 He says that though President Hayes had been strongly urged by friends to complete his Cabinet before leaving Columbus for Washington, to avoid the pressure which would be brought to bear on him in Washington, he left some of the positions open. When the President arrived in Wash ington three of the places had been offered and accepted, and fourth had been ten dered, but no answer had been received. MT. Evarts had accepted the State depart ment, Mr. Sherman the Treasury and Mr. Schurz the Interior. MT. Hale had been of- fered the Navy department, but declined it upon the Presidents arrival. MT. Blaine re- quested that Mr:Frye might be selected. Gen. eral Harlan, of Kentucky, had received such assurances that he would be Attorney Gener- al as were regarded by him and his friends as absolute. It was found necessary to oT NT> Harlan $ friendly relations to General Bristow. Senator Morton was. informed that there would be no appointment from Indiana, and in 8 long and friendly conversation the Presi- dent gave as a reason that there was no one in the State whom he cared to take except the Senator himself, and that was not possible because it would involve the return of a Democrat to the Senate in his place. The President further informed MT. Morton that he wanted the Senator to look upon it 1n that light. The whole thing was entirely satis- factory to MT. Morton, but when he returned to his hotel and informed his Indiana friends of what had happened great storm arose. which continued until at last the President yielded and held barley with the enemy, the result of which was the invitation to MT. Thompson to become Secretary of the Navy. Thus Indiana, finding that she had to fight her way into the Cabinet, did actual ly carry the position by storm. This strug- gle, or rather the success attending it, took the Navy department from New England and introduced new complications into the job of completing the Cabinet. New England Sen ators were consulted, and Senator Hoar and others urged General Devens. After it was decided not to give the War department to General Joseph E. Johnston, the President suggested that General Devens be made Sec retary of War. It was found, however that he preferred the office of Attorney General, and that was assigned to him. This made it necessary to shift Mr.. McCrary, who had been promised the Department of Justice, to the War department, place that he did not want, and was with difficulty persuaded from declining. This left the Postofice alone un- provided for. It had some time before been decided to gi we the South one place in the Cabinet. The President desired to make what he termed profound impression with his southern policy, and was inclined to of- fer the position of Secretary of War to the Confederate General Joe Johnston of Vir- ginia, and 8 messenger was sent to his town to quietly ascertain whether he would take it but as General Logan, a brilliant commander of the Union armies in one of the most important battles of the war, was strongly urged for the War depart ment by the Grand Army of the Republic, and as the President had decided not to ap- point him, he was persuaded that it would hardly do to reject Logan and select @ Con- federate commander; this argument ruled out General Johnston. The choice of 8 southern member then rested between John Hancock of Texas and Judge Key. and the latter was selected.
 If the Indiana politicians do not make such disturbance in President Garfeld's plans as they did in those of President Hayes it will doubtless not be from want of effort on their part. They of course see no reason why Indiana should not have place in the next Cabinet, as she has had in this.