The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-11-10
A POLITICAL CEMETERY.
NOW rHE CABINET. DiiGIIr. 4 p!i:IAv
MtN'> CtUErR
The Oid StcppnG-stouc ~ tie. !'r..i;,,,,.y
Turned TO sure Hood to Oblivion u>nm,ie,
of Its BlghtinS Effects.
(Lc;tcr TO the New York sun

WASHINGTON, November , From th,
time of John Adams until the admins.
tration of Andrew Jackson, the Cabinet
was the stepping to The prc,idci.
cy. Jefferson, Madison, Mouro, and
John Quincy Adams had been Sccrc!a.
rics of State. Van Burcn, though Il,
had the portfolio Of the State dc,,ar,.
mcnt during Jackson's first torn, stcpuad
from the Nicc-PrCsidcut's chair in tAc
Senate chamber to the head og the table
III the White House. With = ainpln cv.
ccption of Buchanan, no man siure Van
Burons time has been elected to the
Presidency who had previously served
i'll Cabinet, though General Grant had
bcon Ill charge of The War Department
temporarily during JohnSons admins.
tration. a numbor OF vcrl able men
who had served rs Cabinet officers were
nominated for The Presidency. CLAY
Crawford, Webster, CasS and Blaine
were of this number, and were nu d.
feated. Indeed, for very many wear, il
way to the White House to hlvc been n
Cabinet member as to have served in th,
Senate. No man has ever been chosen
President from among the Senators, =, Il
since LincOln'S time no one has either
been nominated or elected Who had nj
any previous time in his career served in
the Senate. More and more the tendon
cy seems to be toward Getting as near
the people rs possible in choosing can.
didatcs for the executive office. The
history of the career of Cabinet officers
for the last half century sccms to indi-
cate not only that the Office is almost
fatal to any higher aspirations, but,
most remarkably, has eliminated the
political careers OF nearly all those who
have acted as advisers for The President.
If the record of those who have been
Cabinet officers shows anything, il ind-
Gates that a scat in the Cabinet is the
climax of the public life Of those who
bold IT. Not always, but IN ncmly all
cases, this can be shown to be true.
The historian, George iiaMcOft is the
only living representative Of IN admin
istration prior to 1850. Eamr .uft was an
original member OF President polhs
Cabinet, taking the Office Il, agly forty
years ago. 1t was the Cl!naE OF Ban.
crofts political curc,r ol,,ourh bn
afterwards rourcscrtrI tlr ,,ynrnrn,t
ut one OF the Euroncnn Cont. onhnnnr
which he was induced TO orncnf moimly
because of the opportuniiv 4 ofInylr1
for historical research. With an cyccn.
ton of ono or two of thn mnmhcrs q,
Mr.. Buchanan's Cabinet, who cspouscd
the Confederate side, thcrc are none
alive, and OF Mr.. iincoIu's original
Cabinet only one is left with us. This il
General Cameron. who. though in his
SSth wear, retains his l,ccuDr,,, of intel.
lcct and his accurate poWcr or iul,,ino
men and events. General Cameron
served in the Senate, it is true. for two
terms after he retired from I.mcoln's
Cabinet, but had been senator four
teen wears before he entered lie had
been II possible candidate for ,hc presi
doncy in 1860
Who can tell to-day who composcd
Andy Johnson's Cabinet? Eyuts, to be
sure, held the Office Of Acknowledgement
for IL short time, and Eyarts has since
served as Secretary OF State under
HAYES, and doubtless regards Il concat-
cnation of events as possible in the
future which will permit him to dclivCl.
an inaugural on the east steps of the
capitol two and half years hence. But
where arc the others? Mccullough has
been temporary Secretary OF the Trcasu-
ry again, but only to fill an emergency
that occurred during Althrrs admins
tration.
OF General Grants first Cabinet
Washburn who has smcc dreamed Of
being President cultivatcs life of
elegant leisure in Illinois. hamilton
Fish is living in retirement in New York.
George Boutwell, is practicing petty law
before the Court of Claims and in the
Treasury Department, over which he
used to preside. Ebcnc2cr t. IIoar is
practicing law in Boston. Ills career in
the Cabinet was such that the Senate
would not confirm his nomination for
Chief Justice of the Supreme bench.
Secor Robcson is n political bankrupt
and petty lawyer i'll Camdcn. Colum-
bus Delano is farmer in Ohio, Bristow
n lawyer in New York, and the only one
of them all who has now place of con