The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-20
SOME CURIOUS FACTS
 OF CABINET HISTORY
State Department Files Show Some of the Troubles of Presidents of the PaSt--SOme
 Interesting Letters.

washington cerrespcndence New York York Sun; s,I;.. Students Of the history of the United staies tSem in psmphiaa % a nabiisSed by the state the United states. I7ss to ivoI." II was prepared by Robert Brent Mosher,' chief or todian of the commissions of ali the cabinet membsrs from the time Washington to tnat Aithoush having less than fifty pages. the research and computation. and it is youched particular. In the course of his examination of the files of his office: MT. Mosner came concerning the appointment of cabinet officers Washington had great difficulty in Eetting nose Sb sorrs aaa was one of those to whom the latter. office was offered, but ne was involved in speculation schemes a' ,has sne suggested Alexander Hamilton, who was ait'- matcly selected. q Secretary of the Navy. Hee offered the portfolio to three different men before he suc- merchant fo take 1t, in one Of his letters describing the trouble he experienced m m, ing this office, Jefferson said that he , believed Me one to take charge of the Navy Department
 First Secretary of the Navy.
 George Cabot of. Massschusetts has been generally credited with having been the first shows that Benjamin Stoddert of Maryland Is entitled to that honor. There is nothing in ,o oe show o that Cabot ever W @ assumed the office
 Nearly all cabinet officers have held onicer te seF of gay tbe or President s wab Wom they associated. This practice had been consid- cred necessary to prevent the interrupton i'r 9r successors were being passed on by fhe Sen, ate and the new menf were qualifying: Levi Secretary of state by Jenerson's appointment at midnight on March B. laoi twelve: hours before Jefferson took the oath of oftice ana while John Adams was still President
 In the closing days of the Congress which ended with John Ada~ss tern; ,t the ss sppoini a. thorized Adams wanted to appoint them, but Jefferson was equally deetrmtped to make '"s John sa'ein Msrshaii. % of Virginia Secretary of State under Adams. was busily engaged or, on the oommIssions of the new judges when Levi Lincoln entered his office. MT. Lincoln said he had been appointed Secretary of State and ."Rut 1t is not yet midnight" said Mar shal, showing his watch ,.,,oa Tt is by tho Presidents watch, retorted which had Ssen isnt to hls, 'S. for the occasion Marshall was not willing. to give up bu. Lincoln insisted that while Jefferson had s .ss inn he March bssan anG regarded himself as the trustee Of the offire for the remaining twelve hours that Adam. would serve nominally. This point VI as toe much for Marshall and ho capituated, leaving Lincoln in charge 't s
 Lincoln Secretary of State.
 He had prepared the commissions of, tive of the judges before Lincoln appeared. and these men assumed office. The legality oi these appon truents was contested, and Mar shall as chief justice of the Supreme Court handed down an opinion sustainin the contest and virtually everything his own action as Secretary of State in signing their conmis' A few years ago the watch of Jefferson which Linceln used to overcome MarshalI vtNd bxy ma a .; ssas. ss5n'q on Mares 1 s % so jeersSn sp The official records appareatiy show that Monroe had two Secretaries of State serving simultaneously in his first term. Ono Of then was John Quincy Adams. who remained 1T the cabinet for Monroe's two terms and tht other vas Richard Rush of rnisyr psnnsyanas mi sts bears date of March 5, isl7. and undel this, he continued in office for eight years, received an ad interim commission as secre ,ary of State on, March 10. lsl7 Adam' was in Russia when he was appointed ant there is nothing in the records. to show .wher Inc got to Washington and relieved Rush O. the State Department portlo.io' ., s.,..,,,.- lSI7, supplied the missing information. Adam did not assume. the duties of Secretary Q and other necessary data Mir. Mosher exam inede every page Of many volumes Of oi' John TyIcrs trouble with his advisers fl very apparent from a glance at the long lis of appOintmentS There were six cabinet places and the, lis contained record of thirty-two commissions The dissatstaction over Tylers abandon six months. These advisers had been appoint sented Tyiers failure to follow the .poiicie Of the man whose death resulted tn his sie vat.on to the Presidency.
 Tyler Was Prepared.
 They agreed to hand in their resignation on the Saturday night Sept ll, l64i.) be fore the Monday on which Congress ha shis 'Gn means O to prevent Tyler, through lack e time. from nominating their successors The With the consent of the Senate during the ses sion in which the vacancies occurred It woul be legally impossible tG dS % :o ssp M9ei come to a standstill in most of the executtv departments. ,, nominated cabinet officers on Monday an the Senate promptly confirmed them
 Madison lost both of his Vice Presidents George Clinton of New York, who served thrf years, one month and sixteen days in the nr, term, and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts who served one year. eight months and nin' teen days in the second term were William King of Alabama .P'erces at minisIationl, Henry Wilson @ 91 Msssachuset fIu tricks of Indiana ICIeveland's admfnistratior and Garret A Hobart Of New Jersey tMck'r Iev's sdministra tion).
 The aoni"' oniY man who resigned the office vjoeePresident was John C. Calhoun. H served within less than three months Of fu term Jackson had been reelected an Martin Van Bufen was to succeed Calhou ct the beginnipg of Jachson.s a new term ,nn,o, of the office of the State Department al pointed by Washington and Jefferson was
 remarkable penman. His work: done "l.h
 EooseouilI is beautiful to behold.
 Throughout scores of pages Of copying n letter characters are consistent in their Hk ness to each other. Washingtons signatu was copied many times and comparison
 specimens mas failed to show any perceptib difference between any two.
 The Urchins Were Proud.
 Work Tiuas