The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20
CABINET CHANG Els.
Few Administration Have Had 81
Many as that of Mr.. Mckinley.

Few Administrations Have Had So
Many as that of Mr. Mckinley.
When William Mckinley became Presi-
dent Of the United States on March 4, 1897,
John Sherman was appointed Secretary of
State; Lyman ]. Gage. Secretary of the Trea-
sury; Russell A. Alger. Secretary Of War
John ID. Long, Secretary of the Navy; Corne-
Illus N. Bliss. Secretary Of the Interior; James
A. Gary, Postmaster General; Joseph B. Nc
Kenna, Attorney General. and James Wilson,
Secretary Of Agriculture. Eighteen months
before the next presidential inaugur alton
only three members of the original Mckinley
cabinet, Secretaries Gage. Long. and Wilson,
remain. there having been changes in all the
other offices.
The number Of cabinet changes which have
occurred in two and half years. though not
unprecedented. has been unusual Six cabinet
officers have resigned either to retire to
private life or to accept other appointments
at the hands Of the President. These in
clude Secretary of State Sherman, who went
out because of I'LL health and his successor
Secretary Day, who accepted United States
Judgeship; Attorney General McKenna, who
accepted seat on the Supreme Court bench
Gary, Secretary OF the Interior Bliss, and
Secretary Alger Of the War Department. 1t
Is the general rule as regards cabinet changes
in American politics that they are most nu-
merous in the cabinet of Vice President
who becomes President by the death Of
the elected President. Tyler, for in
stance. promoted to the Presidency by the
death Of William Henry Harrison, had dur
ing his exciting administration four Secre-
taries OF State, four Secretaries OF the Trea-
sury, five Secretaries OF War. Ave Secretaries
OF the Navy. two Postmaster- Generals, and
three Attorney. Generals. Andrew johnson
had three Secretaries Of War, three Secre-
taries OF the Interior. two Postmaster &c l.
erals. and three Attorney Generals. The
most stable of the cabinet offices s that OF
Secretary OF the Navy, and It Is usually held
by one man only during the course Of an ad-
ministration, the record Of the Mckinley
cabinet being the same In this particular as
that of many of it's predecessors, President
Pierce had one Secretary Of the Novy during
his whole term. Buchanan had one, and
President Lincoln had only one, though the
operations Of the Navy Department during
the administration Of Secretary Welles were
more extensive than those during any pre-
vious administration President johnson had
one Secretary Of the Navy; President Grant,
except for a brief time at the beginning of
nlb urbL LtTul, udu Ou6 beCTeldTyt fT0SlQ0ut
Garfield had one, President Arthur one:
President Cleveland (nrst term) one, William
@. whitney; President harrison one, Benja-
min r. Tracy; President Cleveland one in
his second term Hillary A. Herbert. and
President Mckinley has had one only. and
there are no present indications Of q change
in this Secretaryship.
The Attorney General the constitutional
legal advisor to the President 10 usually Of
fixed tenure. subject to the fact that an At
torney- General being by profession a lawyer
aspres very often to a judicial post his ap-
pointment to which by his superior, the
President, makes a vacancy in the ONCE Of
Attorney General. Nevertheless, there was
only one Attorney General during the whole
OF the administration of Hayes there was
one only during the administration Of Pre-
from 1885 to 1889, and there was only
during the administration Of President Harri-
SON. Cleveland in his second term had two
Attorney Generals, Mr.. Olney, afterward
made Secretary of State, and Mr.. Harmon.
appointed to succeed him.
II is a popularity about the cabinet
changes during the Mckinley admnistra-
tion that though many. they have all been
harmonious, unaccompanied by personal or
political friction. and in every case of an
amicable character.