Evening star., 1896-08-01

paper into the free coinage camp 1t was
thought these would be the only changes
this term. 1t has been known that the
President was anxious to keep his cabinet
intact, and that he opposed the desire of at
least one member of it to resign. MIR. CleVe-
land has held his advisers together unusual
ly long. 1t has been the rule, and not the
exception, for the Presidents to change their
ca abinets frequently. All but one of the
Presidents have had their cabinets more or
less disintegrated, anG few have held them
intact for the two years which marked
Mr.. Bsselrs term in office. Even Wash
ington's two Secretaries of State, his Sec
retary of the Treasury and his Secretary
of War resigned their offices. Not only have
of the cabinet resigned and died
in Office, but several have been removed
1t is customary when a new President
takes office for the members of the old
Presidents cabinet to retire. The rule has
not been invariable, and Gideon Grant
served as Postmaster General for thirteen
years-that Is. in four different presidential
terms. But as a rule the outgoing Presi-
dent takes his cabinet with him, and this
Is the most frequent cause of cabinet
changes. Next to this comes dissatisfaction
with office-holding Or with the particular
conditions OF office-hodins in a particular
case. More than one-third of the cabinet
officers appointed by the Presidents Of the
oEited otateS nave resigned their places.
Cabinet Statistics.
Up to 1876 there had been appointed
twenty-seven Secretaries of State of whom
eight had resigned thirty-one Secretaries
of the Treasury. of whom twelve had re-
signed; forty Secretaries Of War, of whom
twelve had resigned-and on up to a
total OF 2O1 cabinet people, of whom seventy
seven had given their designations to the
prS.S
those who, like Secretary Olney, in this
administration, We're transferred from one
cabinet place to another.
II mas been the custom when a Vice Pres
loent succeeded to The office OF President
1or the cabinet to be changed throughout
This is an evidence of the slight sympathy
there Is between the President and Vice
fr:Sident. OFTEN they represent totally
dl1ferent policies The last Vice President
TO succeed to the presidency was Arthur
He called i special meeting OF the Senate
TO hll the office of President Of the Senate
winch was vacated when he took the oath
as President of the United States and
Wheh the Senate met he did not appoint a
new cabinet, but asked the members Of the
Harneld cabinet to remain in their places
untli the regular meeting of Congress-
three n onths later When Congress met
ne accepted the designations of all of them
eAcept Mr. Lincoln, who remained as Sec
retary of War. Blaine was succeeded by-
Freiinghuysen, and there was a general
turning over in sll the bureaus but the
war Department. Meantime Mr. Window
resigned the treasury portfolio and Mr..
Arthur appointed E. D. Morgan to the
place. MIR. Morgan declined on account of
advanced age. Il was the second time he
had refused to be Secretary of the Treas
ury. Lincoln had rendered the place to
him in 1865. Charles j. Folger was named
In MIR. Morgans place.
Few Public DeclinntIops
10
a man the opportunity to decline publicly
place In the cabinet. Usually the Presi-
dent makes inquiries before he announces
an appointment. President Cleveland be-
fore making up his present cabinet asked
each man II he would accept an appoint
r1ent to it, and when Mr.. Bissell withdrew
Mr. Wilson was invited privately to take
his place before the appointment was given
10 TIE public. In the same way the Presi-
dent learned that Mr.. Harmon would be
wiling to accept the place of Attorney
General before he sent the nomina ton to
the Senate. Several of the Presidents
though, have made nomina tions which were
declined. Isaac Shelby declined the office
OF Secretary Of War in 1917 after the Sen
ate mad confirmed him. John Mclean de-
cilned the same place in 1871 under the
same conditions as did Edward Bates in
1870. Theophilus Parsons was confirmed as
Attorney General in 1901, but declined. and
Jahes "A. fearce refused to be Secretary
OF the Interior in 1850.
Appointing Justices.
Justices of the Supreme Court are seldom
appointed in the recess of Congress. because
1t Is thought to be inconsistent with the
dignity Of justice to sit on the bench be-
fore the Senate has confirmed his nomina-
ton. But members Of the cabinet are an
pointed in the recess of Congress, and it
has happened that the President after
making an appointment in the recess sent
another mans name to the Senate when If
met. Thus VIM. j. Duane was made Secre-
tary of the Treasury by President Jackson
In the spring of 1888; but before Congress
met the President removed him because he
refused TO order the removal of the deposits
In the United States Bank Roger B. Tanev
who was afterward chief justice of the SUI
preme Court of the United States, was ap-
pointed to the vacancy. Duane's predeces
sor had been transferred to the State De-
partment because he, too, had refused to do
Jackson's bidding in the matter of the
bank. He remained Secretary Of State less
than month Taney did as jackson want
ed, and the Senate, which was hostile to
Jackson, rejected Taney's name, after per-
mitting him to serve till June 1884.
Taney's was the first nomination for
cabinet place ever rejected by the Senate
cepted as right that the President shall
have the opportunity to choose his own ad-
v,SerS.
Jackson's Unruly Cabinet.
Jackson had lively time with his cabi-
net. The members of his first cabinet re-
signed because Of trouble over the social
recognition Of the wife of Secretary Eaton,
the famous Peggy" ONeill. John Adams
had anything but a peaceful time with his
advisers. In hiJ quarrel with Hamilton
over the relations of the United States with
France in 179S-1SO0 he found the cabinet 80
much under the influence of Hamilton that
he called for their designations He re-
moved Timothy Pickering, his Secretary of
State, who had been Secretary Of War and
Postmaster General under Washington.
In Pickering's day there was no tenure of
office act. That act was an outgrowth of
the quarrel of the Senate with Andy john
son. 1t was passed March 2, 1867 Gust two
days before Congress expired), over the
Presidents veto. By its provisions, civil
officers were to remain in place until the
confirmation of their successors, and the
President was to have the power to remove
the members of his cabinet only with the
Of the Senate. Out of this grew
the Impeachment proceedings against Pres
ident Johnson. which made and unmade so
many political careers.
The Presidential Understudy.
Until the defeat Of Clay the position Of
Secretary Of State was considered q step
ping stone to the presidency. Madison