The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-12-11

exception of James buchanan, no man who
has served rs secretary of state has been
chosen to the presidency, and onlv two who
have held that office have been nominated,
Mr.. Blaine and Lewis Cass.
Until tie time OF John Quincy Adams,
the choice of cabinet officers was a com
paratively easy on". but with Mir. Adams
accession to the presidency there was de-
velored n scandal which in the opinion of
historians rs well as many politicians of
tHat day. prevented Henry Clay from reach
irg the residency. The election of 1924
was thrown into the house of representa-
tivel. Mr.. Adams. Gen. jackson, Henry
Clay and William II. Crawford had been
the leading presidential candidates. The
friends of Clay decided to cast the votes of
the states which they controlled in collation.
with the votes of tho states that Mr.. Adams
friends controlled. and thereby Mr.. Adams
WAS elected. lie appointed M. Clay his
secretary of state, and it was charged
that he did so i'll fulillment of a bar
gain. The accusation raised violent pas
sions, it was yehemently denounced and as
violently maintained. The opinions of his
torians are that no actual bargain was
made, but that a tacit understanding at
least was reached which carried Mr.. Clay
into Mr.. Adams's cabinet.
Tho first violent contention in a cabinet
occurred during Gen. Jackson's first ad-
minist alton, and it all nose over Peggy
- q q way ul
woman. who haI married one of Gen. jack
soma wurmest supporters. and when she
became n cabinet lady society turned its
back upon her. Mrs. Eaton had been by
all accounts rs lively as she was charming,
and some things were said about her
which caused other ladies of the abine to
look upon her with averteo g%lances. A
mighty tempest in n tea pot was developed
and Gen. jackson being n man who chung to
his friends with tenacity, stood by Peggy
Eaton and ner husband and recast his cab
met. Martin VanBuret, with that luck
which attended him until 1910, escaped this
trouble. although he was secretary of state.
If NanBuren had not been a widower, and
his wife had been of the same dis ~osition as
| some of the other ladies of the cabinet, the
chances are he would never have been pres
ident of the United States. for Jackson
would have turned him, as he did others,
adrift.
| A dreadful calamity befell President
| Tyler's cabinet. The navy department. had
invited the president and some other guests
to take a sail upon the new vessel the
Princeton. and to witness the experimental
firing of a new cannon. On the second dis
charge the gun exploded. killing two mem
bsrs of the cabinet and Bel iously woundinC
some OF the guests. President Tyler would
himself undoubtedly have been killed had
he not been delayed in the cabin. and hif
absence WAS not noticed when the gun was
fired.
The most tragic experience of any cabinet
officer was that which Secretary Spencer,
who was Mt the head of the war department
in Mr., Tyler's cabinet, was called upon &c
face. His son Phillip. a midshipman. was
hanged at sen for mutiny. He was a more
boy, n daredevil sort OF a fellow. and the
tragedy very greatly stirred the country,
especially in view of the fact that the
father Of the boy was secretary of the navy.
The circumstance led congress to pass q
law providing that the death penalty should
not De inflicted until the administration
had opportunity to review the sentence OF
the court martial.
James X. Polk was the first president &c
recognize men of literary quality by call
ing them to his cabinet. He appointed
George Bancroft. who had then begun his
history of the United States, a member OF
his official family. mi no also called into
that circle James X. Paulding. who was vel
known as a novelist and journalist. IL il
not generally known that Jefferson Davit