The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-08-11
THE EVOLUTION OF THE CABE-
NET

The PRESIDENTS CaOlnet Delng sucn
a well settled part of our institutions.
few persons, perhaps, realize that it
has not existed from the foundation
of our government in its present form.
When Washington was inaugurated
on the 30th of April, 1889, he entered
upon the Presidency, as he wrote to
friend, with the conviction that he
stood Sin need of the countanance and
aid of every friend of myself, of every
friend of the Revolution, and of every
lover of good government" The
Presidents Cabinet as it is today did
not then exist and the only clause In
the Constitution which covers the
subject is that which declares that
the President may require the opin-
ion, in writing, of the principal officer
in each of the executive departments
upon any subject relating to the
duties of their respective Offices"
1t was not until September, 1889,
that Congress passed laws instituting
executive departments. Parties had
not then been formed, and it was the
aim of our First President to call to
the support of the new Government
the ablest and best men in the coun-
try. irrespective of their position in
regard to the framing and adoption
of the Constitution, or their views az
to the workings of popular govern
nent. For this reason he invited into
his Cabinet Thomas Jefferson, as
Secretary of State, Alexander Hamil-
ton, as Secretary of the Treasury, and
General Henry Knox, as Secretary of
War. In the first Cabinet were two
men, Jefferson and Hamilton, who
held radically divergent opinions as to
the very theory of our institutions, and
who were the predestined leaders of
the two great parties which it was
inevitable should be formed. Their
views were so irreconciiable that they
soon quarreled with each other aud
though Washington repeatedly acted
as peacemaker, the situation at last
became intolerable and Jefferson re-
signed.
This first Cabinet was composed of
three departments of State, Treasury
and War. The Navy Department was
not established until 1890 and the In
terror Department was unknown I'M
til iS49. Later were added to the
Presidents chosen advisers q Post.
master General, Attorney General
and last Secretary of Agriculture.
With the rise of parties, Presidents
realized the political necessity of TAX
ing the heads of departments from
those agreeing with them on ques-
tions of public policy. For a quarter
of century after 1900 it was their
practice to offer the State Department
to the man next in prominence to the
President in their party, and in turn
this man became the successor of his
chief in the highest office. Thus,
Jefferson appointed Madison; Mad
fson, Monroe; Monroe, John Quincy
Adams. This "easy accession as it
scandal (now universally held to be
baseless) of the bargain and sale'
by which Clay was appointed by John
Quincy Adams Secretary of State
after Clay had thrown his influence
in favor of Adams for President.
The method of selecting candidates
for President by nominating con-
ventions led to the Presidents offer
ing the State Department to one of
his chief rivals in the convention. In
1910 Harrison rendered the place to
Clay and upon his refusal, to Webster;
in 1914, Polk to Buchanan; in 1862,
Pierce to Marcy; in 1856, Buchanan to
Cass: in 1860, Lincoln to Seward.
General Grant introduced the
principle Of treating places in the Cab
met as purely personal perquisites of
the President, to be allotted as his
private fancy dictated. The ;mpeach-
ment of Belknap, who had won the
War Department by pleasing Presi- |
dent Grants humor at a banquet, was
only one striking proof of the risk of
making Cabinet in this way. With
the election of Harrison, in 1888, a |
new principle was advanced In the
selection of a Cabinet. Hitherto,
with the exception of Grants eccen-
tricities, it had been the rule to select |
only men who had been more or less |
prominent in public lie as represen-
tatises of their party. In the Harri- |
son era, however, it became the thing to |
give departments to men who raised |
exceptionally large sums of money to |
aid in the election OF Harrison. Hav. |
ing reached this Point ia the evolution |
What next?
The report of the Maryland State |
Horticultural Society has been pub
lished and will be sent free of charge |
to any person sending two-cent
stamp to the Secretary, Prof. w. 6.
johnson, Maryland Agricultural Col.
lege Park, Md. The report is neatly
printed pamphlet of more than fifty
pages, and contains many interesting
and valuable papers, which were |
presented at the annual meeting in
Baltimore.