Evening star., 1920-11-21

operations of the government myself
| rather than entrust the public busi-
ness 70 subordinates. and this makes
my duties very great" This devo-
.lon TO duty, as he saw il, undermined
ms health in the closing year of his
a.oministration. =. He was considered
politfcal martinez by his cabinet
and the biographers agree that his
cabinet was zone Of The ablest assem-
pied under any chief executive" This
cabinet met as a rule every week on
tuesdays and Saturdays. and during
.o1e. when the war with Mexico was
during 1s4S. when the treaty nerofia
aaions were closed. the cabinet met
l20 times.
whiie 1T was against Folks strict
saDpatarian principles to call the
cabinet together on Sundays. he sew
erai times found it necessary to do
SO. The laying of the cornerstone Of
tns smithsonian Institution and the
PUBIC funeral of John Quincy Adams
we're occasions on which the cabinet
VI AIalrs OF state during a very alert
Tp0ch engrossed the attentions of the
oIk cabinet. but it also. INDUCED in
sonsiaerable IONS political gossip" and
20 very noticeable extent by the
Glsposition of Congress The Presi-
cents annual message to Congress
was invariably discussed with the
caolnet and the advice of senator's.
leaders also asked
votes on any problem in the Polk
,unet were extremely rare. He fol-
co the custom of most Presidents
laskIng for written opinions on
torney General. otherwise. he saws.
nave never asked for any written
opinlons from my cabinet, preferring
o,,..; :" lake their opinions. after a dis
cassion IN cabinet and in the pres
ence OF each other. In this way har-
mcny OF opinion is more likely to ex-
!st. Thus Polk brushed aside a cns-
eom inaugurated by Washington and
ernctillGusiy er :, no. observed by "the Faith
Previously it has been told h,x
rres1oent John Quincy Adams stood
against the ma 5ority of his cabinet IN
sloing with Richard Rust, his Secre-
GaS 1asy o. p.t the Treasury. in selection of
Ssa. en reeer b Porter as his second
secretary OF War. Polk had a similar
Pro Diem in the spring OF 1S47, and on
tne evening Of January 1s Rust. then
si4ty-nve years old. and on the eve
OF saiiing for France as minister. was
s wnite House visitor: He told Polk
select his Secretary Of War, and gave
tnis further insight as to how the
canines felt-to quote from Polk's
nj. nust SAID president Adams
ment in the cabinet, and came yerv
near breaking mp the cabinet. He said
- the members of the cabinet re-
ured, on the walk from the Presi-
dents mansion Mr.. Clay was vehe-
warmly the opinion that they could
not get along under such treatment
from the President. He said he in
terposed to al1ay the excitement and
advised moderation"
*% **
THE outstanding evidence of Polk's
se1f-determination In standing out
against his cabinet II shown by the
fact that Mexico was not annexed in
1s4s. His oounsslsfs under the lead
ership Of Buchanan would have had
him reject the tssety nssotiated by
Nicholas Trist in accordance with
Polk'6 instructions In April, 1s47,
When Tfict Vas -eent On tllls treaty
met NltAe6t his being present, and
tho ehfeMfc3eS show th1t he was un-
'mfBtakAbly the guide and master in
those secretarial councils.
z Lincoln'S cabinet was the FIRST to
draw up seven chairs to the round
table,. The drst Secretary Of the In
terror. who was At once admitted to
the board Of political strategy" was
Caleb Smith Of Indiana. Lncoln's
cabinet is perhaps better known to
the public today than that of almost
any other President on account OF the
way in which their names were in
enacAb1y placed In history at the time
OF Lncoln's assassination. Their
average age was nfty-fve years.
while Lincoln himself was fifty
two when sworn In on March 4.