Year: 1872

ceptiDg Secretary Delano. Of the interior
Department, and Attorney General Williams,
there is to be o complete reorganiza.
tion on or about the 4th of March next,
if not in tho interval The election
OF Henry Wilson to the Vice Presidency creates
| vacancy in the United States Senate from
Massachusetts,. aud it is understood that Mr..
Boutwell,. if elected to supply this vacancy
viii cheerfuly resign the Treasury Depart
ment. In short, it appears to be expected
that the Massachusetts, Legislature in defer
ence to the wishes of Mr.. Boutwell,, will in
due season elect him to take the place of Sen
ator Wilson. We presume too, that the
President will gracefully yield to the wishes
OF Mr. Boutwell, if they are rs represented.
Certainly it will not be a very difficult matter
to find man equal in abilities to the present
Secretary for the management of the national
finances.


Taking it as agreed upon that Mr.. Bout
well, under the arrangement suggested,
will be transferred from the Cabinet to
the Senate, the question recurs, Who is
to be or should be appointed to take his place





the Cabinet, of all Of them, is the position to
which New York, the city as representing the
State, is prominently entitled as the COM
mercial and financial centre and settling house
of the country There are scores of business
men in this city amply qualified, from their
experience in and their knowledge of our
financial and commercial affairs, to take charge
of the national Treasury and the original
idea of General Grant, that New York should
have this department, has lost none of it's force
since the 4th of March, 1869. There is nothing
in the constitution to prevent the appointment
OF two or more members of the Cabinet from
the same State, but the usage and the unwrit-
ten law on the subject allow only one member
from any State. With New Yorker, therefore,
IN the Treasury, moments consideration of
the fitness of things suggests the necessity of
the retirement of Mr.. Fish from the Depart
ment of State. Doubtless however the mere
mention of q New Yorker for the Treasury
would meet the approval of Mr.. Fish, particu-
larly as it is understood that the Treaty of
Washington has given him all the official glory
he has desired and that while he despairs of
any settlement with Spain he has frequently
intimated to the President wish to return to
the rest and recreations of private life
But if Mr. Fish is to be gracefully re-
tired from the State Department in order
to secure New Yorker in the Treasury,
who shall take the place of Mr.. Fish
as our Secretary on Foreign Affairs! We
know of no man better fitted for this position
than our Minister to France, Mr.. Washburne
From the beginning of the Franco German
war, through all the vicissitudes of the Ger
man invasion Of France, the proclamation of
the Republic, the siege of Paris and the terri
ble Commune, TO this day, Mr., Washburne
has certainly distinguished himself to the sat-
sfaction OF his country, in his trying situation,
as the representative in the French capital of
the government and people of the United
States. lie has. in this difficult and delicate
position at Paris, abundantly shown his ability
to meet the responsibilities Of the State De-
partment and it, in Cabinet reconstruc-
ton, he should be advanced to this post
General Grant need have no misgivings as to
the appreciation of all parties and nationalities
of the American people. III, however, Mr..
WaShburne prefers to remain at Paris, we dare
say that some man acceptable as statesman
to the country may readily be found East or
West, TO fill the State department Either
Charles Francis Adams or William M. Evarts
would admirably fill the position but if New
York can have only one member of the
Cabinet let it be the head of the Treasury for
change.


In conclusion, while it is probable that the
reconstruction of the Cabinet will be post
poned till the 4th of March, we look for the
evidences of many things creditable to the ad-
minstration in the full accounts which will be
given by the President and his Secretaries to
Congress Of their work during the past year in
their respective departments; and we shall
be disappointed if we have not complete
schedule Of retrenchments and reforms and
measures Of progress as honorable to the Ex.
ecutive as they will be influential in regulating
the legislation of the two houses, regardless
of the petty schemes for spoils and plunder of
intriguing and trading politicians.


The Postmaster Generals Report.