Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-07-08
Baltimore SUM

iBaItim0Fe SUM-
The precipitate withdrawal Of Sec
rotary Of State William Jennings Bry-
an from the cabinet calls attention to
the TACT that there have been compar-.
atiyeIy few American cabinet crises
a situation which shows the strength
Of the American institution as COM.
pared with the cabinets of Europe
There is a frequent occurrence for
a crisis to be projected by one mans.
attitude. a situation that has resulted
in the entire reconstruction Of cab
NETS. France and England have known
scores Of SUCH instances of wholesale.
vampiugs Of the portfolios.
Here cabinet descriptions have never
occurred. Men have resigned fire.
quietly from the presidential boards,
but none, however, has caused the up
set OF the cabinet.
There have been a few serious cab
met quarreIs, secretaries at odds with
one another, and in one case a feud
between a president and secretary,
but none OF quite the phase of the Bry-
an break.
OF all probably the most interesting
was the Stanton affair, when, briefly,
Secretary of War Edwin NJ. Stanton
was fired" by President Andrew
Johnson, although at first he refused
to be fired " persisting in holding Of
fee and gave up only when the col
lapse OF the Impeachment proceedings
against President Johnson concluded
the matter
There was a tense situation created
in Grants administration, with the
virtually enforced resignation Of Sec
rotary Of War Belknap. Grant was
TOO much the soldier to scent the ways
Of the politicians, and following d per
5od of incessant rumors and counter
rumOrs he suddenly realized that the
war department had been overrun with
graft on hundreds of army contracts.
BeIknap's prompt surrender of his
portfolio ended a situation that prov
ed bitter to Grant and eventually caus-
ed the defeat of the republican party.
A somewhat similar situation arose
in later years when another member
of the cabinet, and this time a secre-
tary of war also. Secretary Alger, was
compelled TO step down from the Nc
Kinley war cabinet. The embalmed
beef scandals that involved Commits
sary General Egan and the quarter
masters department generally on
charges Of inadequate and neglectful
handling Of the supplies of the armies
invading Cuba and Porto Rico reacted
eventually on the war secretary and
he retired a broken man.
But Of the three only Stanton's res
tgnation comes the nearest to the Bry-
an case. Both times were momentous
-BTyan's because OF the great ques-
ton possible war with a foreign ma
tion, that precipirated 1t; Stanton's
because Of the situation It created. re-
sulting as it did in the only presiden-
tial impeachment in our couutry's
history.
Johnson pulled and hauled in the
trying reconstruction days, asked for
Stanton's resignation. All the Lincoln
cabinet had held over when Johnson
succeeded the martyred president, and
there were soon grave internal dis
seusions, Johnson, first, had not the
insight and foresight of Lincoln. to
whom the cabinet had become endear-
ed; and, worst Of all, he did not re-
allie it and lacked the tact TO meet the
situation
His greatest trouble was with Stan
ton Stanton. ever a determined man,
brusque and Napoleonic in his decis-
ions, practically refused to tolerate
Johnson's methods. Stanton ran with
the congressional feeling. that the
confederate states had gone beyond
the pale IN their secession and must
work out long period Of grace before