The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1911-08-10
CABINETS Of
UNITED STATES
Pierce's Council Remained
Unbroken During
HIS Term

Adams was the president at that time
Previously he duties of that post wer
in charge Of the secretary of war. Ii
1929 jackson called the postmaste
general into his council. The Office o
secretary Of the interior dates from
1919, when Taylor entered the presi
dency At that time and for forty
years afterward the cabinet consisted
of seven members. These comprised
its number through the civil war pc
riod The secretary Of agriculture ap
peared In the closing days of Cleye
lands first term. and Norman ]. Col
pan Of Missouri was the first person
who held that title. Early in Roose,
veIts service and largely through his
influence the department of commerce
and labor was created. with its chief a
/ member Of the cabinet To that post
Roosevelt appointed his private secre-
tary, Cortelyou.
Adams Made Few Changes.
Next TO Pierce. the president who
made the fewest changes in his cabi
net was John Quincy Adams He
made only one. Near the end of the
term Peter B. Porter of New York sue.
ceeded James Barbour of Virginia as
secretary Of war. And Adams. like
Pierce, was fairly well served by his
official advisers. All were men of high
standing in their day. Those who are
best known to readers of history are
Henry Clay, who was secretary of
state; Richard Rush. secretary of the
treasury: John Mclean, postmaster
general, and William Writ. attorney
general Pierce's cabinets best known
members were William L. Marcy, sec
rotary of state: James Guthrie, secre-
tary Of the treasury: jefferson Davis.
secretary of war. and Caleb Gushing.
attorney general Marcy is the man
who, as a senator from New York.
made use Of the pharse, ITO the victor
belong the spoils of the enemy" mean
Ing to the victor in politics. This was
during Jackson's administration and
was in justification of Jackson's course
in turning his party enemies out of
the federal appointive offices and put
ting his friends in. This was the
spoils system, so called, which ragged |
until mitigated by the civil service |
act of 1888. signed by President Ar |
thur. Guthrie was mentioned early in |
1861 as being one of the southern enc |
mics Of his party whom Lincoln was
as possible selections for
his cabinet. Lincoln found 1t neces-
sary or expedient. however to give all
the places to Republicans.
An upheaval occurred in Jacksons
cabinet in 1881, in the troubles in
which Jackson and Calhoun found
themselves in hostile camps in the
Democratic party. These were due to
wo issues One was the fight which
he wives and daughters of Vice Pres
dent Calhoun and some of the mem
'ers of the cabinet made against the
wife of Secretary of War Eaton, and
he other came through the nullifica-
ion movement in South Carolina. |
which was led by Calhoun and Hayne
Peggy O'Neil war" Mrs Eaton was
he daughter of a Washington tavern
eeper named O'Neil. who married q
avail officer named Undertake. Cos
ip. especially by women, made rather
rec with the name of Undertakes
fife. and he committed suicide Then
he married General John H Eaton. a
eighbOr and friend of jackson, whom
lcksOn. when entering office in 1929
Dpointed secretary of war The wO
zen of the court circle refused to re
live Mrs. Eaton. while jackson, who
I'd long been acquainted with her and
no admired her. took her side. As
e husbands of these women were Ell
er unwilling or unable to cOnstrain
cir wives to tender the ordinary
TO Mrs. Eaton the matter
,came an issue in Democratic fac
1nal politics. The result was the res L
nation of some Of the members of {
e cabinet. led by Jackson's friend. -
IN Buren,. who was widOwer and -
no was free to extend all the conven -
NAL courtesies to Mrs Eaton. With &"
IN Buren, and Eaton out of the cabi- y
t Jackson forced the friends of Cal
I'M out. and new council was the -
suit This cabinet squabble thrust y,
lhoun out Of the line for the sue =,
ssion to the presidency and put Van -
Iren i'm his place. Notification. how -
err and the knowledge that Calhoun ~
secretary Of war under Monroe had 80
7ored n court martial for Jackson ~
: his too eXuberant activity in the 81
Ook war did more even than the =,
ton imbroglio toward turning odd of
ckory" against the South Carolinian NJ
llong until Jackson's day. except in n.
case Of Hamilton and Jefferson in 90
lshington's cabinet and few of the or
mbers of the council of John Ad oil
S. fairly harmonious relations exist 81
among the official advisers of the
broken in the case of Mon
and Crawford. the secretary OF the I
asury. II was said that for a time ev
re were strained relations between IN,
Sc two. although in the campaign Sie