The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1882-05-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.
MORE CABINET GOSSIP. Mr.. CoNKLIEG
AGAIN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRI-
CULTURE.-sHALL WE HAVE Ma
TIoNAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

WASHINGTON, ID. c., May IS, 1882.
To the Editor OF the Morristown Gazette:
There has been considerable gossip
during the week relative to a very i'm
portant change in the Cabinet 1t is
said that the President wishes to have
Mr.. Conkling at the head OF his Cabi-
net, and that the present 5 cretary of
State, Mr.. Frelinghuysen, is 10 be sent
10 England as successor TO Mr. Lowell,
and that Mr.. Conkling is To take his
wi have 10 be made soon. because both
appointments must he confirmed by the
Senate, which will not remain long in
session The Senate is well up with its
work, and, if the House were equally
forward, there would be 10 reason for
continuing the session longer than until
the middle of June. The families of
some Senators and members have al
ready departed for their homes, or for
summer resorts, though, as yet, we have
| had very little OF the "etherial mid.
ness" that poets attribute to this season
of the year.
A bill making the Agricultural De-
partment one of the Executive Depart
meats of the Governn.e.t passed the
House on Wednesday by very large
majority, and, if this bill PASSES the
Senate, as it is thought it will do, the
Commissioner of Agriculture will be-
come member of the Cabinet, with
the title of Secretary of Agriculture e.
Who will be promoted to She new Cabi-
net office, in case this bill becomes
law, Las not yet been the subject of
much speculation. The present head
of the Bureau is very popular, but there
will no doubt be other applicants for
the place with its enhanced dignity
The Cabinet of the President now con-
sists of seven members, having charge,
| respectively. of the War, Navy, State,
Treasury, Interior, Justice and POST
office Departments. Some other civil
lied countries haye twelve Executive
Departments, compr sing, besides the
above named divisions, Agriculture,
Education, Commerce, Manufacturers,
and Public Works.
There is a bill before Congress appro-
priating 5000, 600 for. purposes of ed
ucation, TO be distributed to the several
States and Territories in proportion to
their ill;teracy as shown by the late
census. If this bill shall be passed, it
will be step toward the assumption by
the Federal Government of the educa-
tional function that is now divided by
the Public School Systems in the vari.
Gus S atcs, and, at no distant day, we
may have another Cabinet Officer, to
be known as the Secretary of Public To-
structiOn. There could be much sal
for and against such a measure. The
old question of Slate Rights would be
revived. The demon of Capitalization |
would be paraded by the press, and on
the stump, but, if the big leviathan |
Jumbo establishment, known as the /
Government Printing Office. could only |
be used TO print cheap arithmetics and |
spoilers, instead of the millions of use
less documents now thrown out, / think
the country would profit by it, At least
one advantage would be gained by the
of our hydra headed edu-
cational system. A uniform set of text
books would be introduced throughout
his broad land; and homogeneous
method of instruction and expression,
uculcated in youth, would tend to the
destruction of local prejudice, and pro-
note the sentiment of national cohe-
ion. Another advantage would be that
II school book agents would die Of
aviation.