The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-03-16
NONE MISSED TROUBLE.
Presidents have Nearly all had Rows
in their Cabinets.

Official Family Together Throughout
His Term-Adams and Jefferson Ex-
perienced More than One Difficulty
Monroe had Three Secretaries of War
Old Hickory's Cabinet was Sweet Bells
tangled from the Beginning.
The withdrawal of Wilson S. Bisse l
from President Cleyeland's Cabinet, says
a writer in the Philadelphia Inquirer,
thus making the first break in the pres
emit administration as it was originally
constituted reminds me of the fact that
none oftour Presidents since the Begin
ming of the government, with one excep-
ton has been able to keep his official
family together for an entire term.
Jefferson, as Secretary of State; Hamil-
ton. as Secretarysof the Treasury; Knox,
as Secretary of War; and Edmund
Rando lph, as Attorney General,
served through Washington's first
term, but Samuel Osgood,
the Postmaster General, gave
place to Timothy Pickering in 1871.
Adams accepted Pickering as Secretary
IF State; Oliver Wolcott, as Secretary of
lhe Treasury; James McHenry, as Sec
rotary of Wei; Joseph Haber-
sham as Postmaster General;
md Charles Lee as Attorney Cen
,ral from Washington's second admin
istration, but, with the exception of
Habersham, all of tnem walked the
plank before 1901. If Jefferson had begun
his first administration with brand
aew Cabinet, it is likely it would have
teld together, but he dallied with Samuel
Dexter, Adams's Secretary of the Treas
ary before he called Albert Gallatin to
he place, and with Benjamin Stoddert,
Adams's Secretary OF State before
ae appointed Robert Smith. Monroe had
Two Secretaries of War in 1917 before
5ohn G. Calhoun became anchored in the
department. and Smith Thompson sue
ceeded III. W. Crowninshield as Secretary
st the Navy in 1918, and Samuel L.
Southland succeeded Thompson in 1873.
John Quincy Adams's Cabinet had only
one break, Peter b. Porter of New York
,uoceeding james Barbour of Virginia
Is Secretary off War in 1928. Jackson's
Cabinet was sweet bells tangled from
BEGINNING TO end. Van Buren, attempted
10 retain the last Cabinet of his illus
lrious predecessor" but before the expi-
ration of his term James K. Paulding
succeeded Mahlon Dickerson as Seere-
larry of the Navy, and John NJ. Niles sue
seeded Amos Kendall as Postmaster Gen
Io1 TxrIa ho.5 to,r;oc IF
State, four Secretaries of the Treasury,
Ave Secretaries of War, five Secretaries of
the Navy. two Postmaster Generals, and
three Attorney Generals in four years.
The first break in Folks Cabinet was
saused by the retirement of that great
Department in 1916. This brings me to
the only Cabinet that stuck"-that Ct
President Pierce.
OTHER CABINET ROWS.
do not believe that there ever yet was
a perfectly harmonious Cabinet. The
chickering's of Jefferson and Hamilton
were the causes of great discomfort to
President Washington. Adams had IA
1900, which led to it's reconstruction.
Madison suffered intensely through the
incompetency of Robert Smith, but hest
tated TO dismiss his frat Secretary of
State because Roberts brother, SAM
at that time was bigger man in the
Democratic party than Arthur Pue Cor
man is now. The break of Jackson's
Cabinet, the most interesting Cabinet
episode in our history, was caused by the
Presidents championship of Mrs. Eaton,
the wife of the Secretary of War. Old
Hickory learned one lesson as the result
IL, that President and his Cabinet were
soon parted if he undertook to coerce the
cabinet. ladies'" His fight with Duane
on the removal of the deposits wasn't
circumstance III comparison with the
contest that compelled him to let his
entire Cabinet go to pieces in order to
relieve himself of Eaton and his "Peg."
Besides jackson the only President who
had lively Cabinets were Tyler and John
son. Their difficulties, however, were
purely political. Webster, his Secretary
of State, chung to Tyler almost as tena-
ciousiy as Seward chung to johnson, but
Tyler was fortunate in having no Stanton
to oppose him as strenuously as the great
War Secretary opposed johnson.
An interesting story might be written
of the Cabinet officers who retired upon
compulsion. The first in the list is Ed
mund Randolph, who was compromised
as Washington's Secretary of State
through his sympathy with the French
Revolution and his hostility to Great
Britain. Adams practically forced the
resign atoms of Pickering and McHenry,
and in consequence was accused, BIZ the
Democratic brethren, of counting popular
applause that he might ride on the shout
ders of the people to an imperial throne
Madison's efforts to get rid of Smith arr