Since Charles was the one who proposed this matter, he was naturally well-prepared.
However, he had just rejected Franklin's suggestion once, so Charles naturally felt awkward rejecting him again; otherwise, even if the old man had a good temper, he would inevitably get angry.
So, seeing Franklin's gaze, he immediately shook his head and stated his position.
"The heads of the various departments of the cabinet are the left and right hands of the President and Vice President.
This relationship affects your future administrative efficiency and internal relations, and it should be entirely decided by the two of you, the government's Presidential candidates.
The Republican Party leadership and I absolutely cannot, and should not, interfere in this matter." Charles' tone was very firm.
Such a clear statement completely dispelled Franklin's slight dissatisfaction with him.
It seems that our Party Chairman is entirely serving the interests of the entire political party and has no intention of challenging his Presidential power or controlling the government from behind.
Franklin was very satisfied with Charles' reaction.
"Actually, I still prefer the original officials, but since it is now, as Charles said, party politics, then let's try to use our Republican Party members to replace those from the other political party!" Franklin had not considered personnel arrangements in this regard beforehand, so he could only give a general direction on this issue.
"I think this should be fine, but some of our Republican Party's veteran officials should also be appropriately promoted!
At least, the process of new members joining should prioritize the original veteran cabinet members."
Madison immediately expressed agreement with Franklin's arrangement, but at the same time, he did not forget to glance at the young Hamilton, reminding Franklin that someone like Hamilton, who had served as a Vice Minister once and had consistently performed outstandingly, should now be prioritized for promotion to a full position, and only then could the remaining vacancies be considered for new entrants.
"Of course, we can start considering it slowly now!
Just like our young Vice Minister Hamilton.
His performance during his term is something we all have witnessed!
What position do you think would be best for him in the new cabinet?" Franklin smiled.
Although he did not favor Hamilton to the same extent as Washington, he still appreciated him.
However, because Hamilton had caused various troubles for the Federal Government and the cabinet during this term, he felt somewhat of a headache.
The old man was getting old, and his ambition was not as great as that of young people; he only wanted his government and people to live in peace and security.
He found it very difficult to choose between policies that might disturb the normal lives of civilians but were beneficial to the country.
"Thank you, both Presidents, I am also very willing to continue serving in the new cabinet.
And I am willing to obey all arrangements made by both Presidents!" Hamilton smiled and expressed his gratitude to Franklin and Madison.
He was neither particularly joyful nor completely unresponsive.
Even when stating his position, he quietly did not forget to flatter Madison, directly calling him the Vice President.
Having experienced one cabinet term, his performance in this regard was far more mature than that of his peer Monroe.
At this time, Monroe, however, was caught up in a somewhat overly dreamy imagination due to Charles' suggestion.
He began to fantasize about what position he could achieve in the cabinet.
Minister? That goal might be a bit too high; Director? That also didn't meet his expectations, it should be a Vice Minister.
He wondered which department's Vice Minister he could be...
In his fantasy, Monroe even forgot to express his attitude to Franklin or Charles again.
Charles looked at these two young talents he had recommended.
He took in their reactions completely.
He was very satisfied with Hamilton's performance.
As for Monroe, although he found his performance a bit comical, he also deeply understood this peer who had spent more than four years in the new United States.
Monroe's few years of experience at the grassroots level greatly honed his ability to handle various affairs, and he would certainly have no problem performing effectively.
However, at the higher level, facing various new situations and more broadly involved affairs, he naturally felt a bit overwhelmed at first.
But his ability was there; as long as he was given a little time, he would not do worse than Hamilton or others.
Just as everyone was smiling and looking at Hamilton and Monroe, considering what positions would be suitable for these two young men, Morris suddenly spoke up:
"Well, these new positions are not something that can be clarified and decided in a few words.
We really need to discuss them thoroughly before making a formal decision."
He had served as Secretary of the Treasury for four years, sitting in a position similar to that of a British Prime Minister for four years, but he still harbored thoughts of sitting for another four years.
Now, hearing Madison and Franklin's tone, it seemed they intended to continue promoting Hamilton.
The Vice Minister's plan made him feel a bit awkward internally.
If a former subordinate suddenly became his equal one day, most people would certainly feel different, and if they suddenly surpassed him, it would be even more uncomfortable.
"Actually, there aren't many positions that need discussion; mainly, it's the Secretary of State and Vice Secretary of State positions!" Wilson interjected, neither too lightly nor too heavily.
This old friend of Morris saw his performance completely but was not prepared to let him make such a mistake.
"Haha! But this department is indeed very important." Morris gave a dry laugh on the side.
Speaking of which, the Department of the Treasury should have originally held a leading position in the Federal Government cabinet, but because Jefferson served as Secretary of State, with his status as a party leader, he naturally could not be subordinate to the President and then also subordinate to Morris, the Secretary of the Treasury.
So, although Morris, as Secretary of the Treasury, was nominally the first minister of the cabinet, he actually had no way to influence other departments.
Even with Franklin highly valuing the opinions of various parties and frequently holding round table meetings, the Department of State, led by Jefferson and Adams, had far greater actual power and influence than the Department of the Treasury he led.
Currently, the de facto leading department in the United States Federal Government should already be the Department of State.
While Morris was excellent in handling financial affairs, he performed extremely poorly in the struggle for power and profit.
He watched helplessly as Jefferson and his allies consistently overshadowed him, yet he could not make any effective response.
Now, seeing that Franklin and his allies intended to promote Hamilton from Vice Minister to full Minister, there were basically no other options besides the Department of State and his own Department of the Treasury.
No matter which ministerial position they chose for Hamilton, it was something Morris did not want to see.
However, since everyone around him was a comrade from the same party, he could not openly contend for it and could only try to use a delaying tactic.
"Speaking of which, we really don't have many talents specializing in diplomatic affairs in our Republican Party, do we?" Franklin suddenly looked around.
He also hadn't thought of giving the position of Secretary of State to Hamilton.
Given Hamilton's performance in this government, his rash personality would absolutely not be suitable for Secretary of State, not even Vice Secretary of State.
Charles frowned upon hearing this.
The Republican Party indeed had few talents skilled in diplomacy, which was also his oversight.
When Jefferson and Adams were in control of the Department of State, he had not arranged for some talents to intern and learn there in advance, leading to a clear lack of professional talent now.
"Actually, we don't necessarily need talents who are extremely proficient in diplomacy.
In today's United States, undoubtedly, old President, your diplomatic talent is the most outstanding.
Our Secretary of State, in fact, only needs to completely obey your instructions and work under your guidance; even if he didn't understand diplomacy before, he can gradually learn!" Madison, however, flattered Franklin.
Franklin's face flushed from what Madison said, and he chuckled, shaking his head:
"How can I be the most outstanding diplomatic talent? I merely served as a diplomatic representative in France for a few years and have seen and experienced more diplomatic matters, that's all."
"The hardest thing to acquire in diplomacy is experience, and you have rich experience, enough to guide those below.
What do you all think?" Madison continued to insist, even turning to ask Charles and others for their opinions.
He was speaking from the heart, hoping both that the Department of State could be staffed by members of his own party and that Franklin could utilize his talents in diplomacy.
This historically more pragmatic President actually did not agree with Franklin and Washington's laissez-faire governance model during their first term.
Charles and others naturally understood his meaning, and they also deeply agreed with his view, all nodding in support.
"Exactly!
President Franklin, in addition to handling Presidential affairs, you can fully devote some energy to guiding the work of the Department of State.
This is both your power and your responsibility!"
"Alright! Since everyone insists so much, I naturally can't refuse anymore, but as for who to choose as Secretary of State, I still need everyone to help me make a decision!" Franklin smiled, nodded in agreement, and did not choose to refuse again.
The old man was still very proud of his contributions to the war of Independence during his time as a diplomatic envoy in France.
Having him guide new people in diplomatic work also perfectly matched the personality of this elder who liked to mentor new talents.
Now, since everyone present unanimously requested him to provide guidance, he certainly would not choose to continue refusing.