The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1911-08-10
MI TATIONS IN
PRESIDENTS Of
Taft More Fortunate
Than Most of His
Predecessors
@LTHoUGH Mr.. Taft has made


The president, indeed, is more fortu
nate than most of his predecessor
have been in retaining the services 0
his political family. In his four year
of service it is to be presumed that b.
did not expect to equal the record o
Pierce, whose council remained un
broken to the end of the term. IL
fact, some presidents have had more
changes in the ranks OF their ofticia
advisers in single year than the pres
ent executive has had in two years
and quarter. On this score Mr.
Taft has Jared we'll
While the term cabinet is not men
toned in the constitution. this has be
come very important part of the eX.
ecutive machinery. Although the fed
eral charter does not mention this
body by name. it assumes that such a
council will be created and refers to
it in article 2. section =. which au-
thOriZes the president TO require the
opinion in writing of the principal Of
ticer in each of the executive depart
ments upon any subject relating to the
duties of their respective offices"
More than once the first president
called for such opinions. He did this
in a historic eXigency, that which was
created by the passage through con-
gress of the bill to create the first
United States bank. that which was
chartered in 1901. Hamilton, the sec
rotary Of the treasury. was the author
of that measure, which many of the
state rights advocates opposed as an
unconstitutional stretch of power by
congress. Washington asked the views
in writing of all his advisers. Jeffer-
son, the secretary of state, opposed
the bank. but Hamilton's argument
prevailed with Washington. and he
signed the bill. In later days the Gus
tom for the president has been to have
regular consultations with the cabinet,
before whom all matters of large i'm
portance are laid. This has been the
practice within the recollection of
everybody now alive
Cabinet Acquires Prestige,
But the cabinet in recent times has
had a dignity and a prestige which it
did not possess at first In certain
contingencies the presidency may de
vOlve upon some of its members. |
Along until 1886. if there were no pres |
ident or vice president, the presidency |
would be obtained by the president pro |
tempore of the senate or the speaker |
of the house. in this order, but the as
sassination of Garfield in 1881, when
there was no president pro tempOre
and no speaker of the house, for con-
gress had not met at that time, i'm
PEELED house and senate to provide for
n crisis of this sort Thus bill was
passed. which was signed by Cleve-
land on Jan. 10, 1886, which placed
the members of the cabinet in the line
of succession. the order being the sec
rotary of state. the secretary of the
treasury. and so on. OF course the
cabinet officer in order to be eligible
would have to meet the requirements
of birth and age which are demanded
in presidents. The act Of 1856 gives
the cabinet a certain Importance which
It lacked up to that time. In the
accidents and mischanCes of the fu- {
ture it is altogether possible that the l
big office may descend to one of the ,
presidents appointees. /
Only four members were in the cabi- I
net in WaShington'S time. These were {
he heads of the state, the treasury and /
he war departments and the attorney '
general. 1t was said that Washington (
selected members from each party i'm I
partially in framing his cabinet In t
he sense in which this assertion is c
commonly made it is not quite correct b
Hamilton and jefferson. the two most t
prominent members of the first presi- i.
IenrS council. did indeed belong to L
.ifferent schools of political thought. Y
[ is probable. however. that this cir v
umstance did not have any influence ii
With Washington in making the Sc Y
ections. When he entered office par n
Y lines had not been drawn. Two h
Iements were in the convention which r.
ramed the constitution. and Washing c
On presided over that body. The adj c,
coates of the constitution rs framed r
,ere called Federalsts, and its oppO- o,
euts were named Antifederalists. =.
his division appeared in a much more fa
ecfsfve form in the state conventions fc
,hich were held to ratify or reject that G.
larter. The Federalists triumphed. F
In the earlier congresses the same II
olitical terms were used. In the
,nse. however. of defending the m
institution jefferson and Hamilton W
ere Federalsts. but soon after it m
ent into operation the term FEEDER an
lists was restricted to the men who cd
anted to give congress large powers, mr.
d by Hamilton. while those who ro
ould confine its powers to the rigid tr
tier of the instrument began under th
lead to call themselves Re tb
iDlicans Most of the Antifederalists of
ere in the Republican party, the pro- NJ,
nitor of the present Democratic par foI
co
Additions began to be made to the dr.
-cle of members Of the presidents
uncil in 1913. when the Office of sec 20,
rary OF the navy was created. John We