the cabinet was uniformly second-rate, with the single exception of Martin Van Buren. “The Millennium of the Minnows!” commented one man; and surely it ranked among the worst cabinets in the nineteenth century. For an administration intent on restoring republicanism through a vigorous program of reform, this list of its executive officers hardly inspired confidence. That it collapsed within two years is not surprising. By hobbling the cabinet with inferior appointments, Jackson only increased his own burden. Since he needed skilled administrators to implement his policies once he indicated
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