The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-06-29

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lCnited States, nor shall any person be clgi
pile to any such appointment until the expi
ration OF the Presidential term, during which
such person shall have been a Senator OIL
Representative"
VIII YOU mark the danger Of this tistri.
BUTTON OF Offices. Will not the Senator OIL
Representative, who wishes for an Execu
tive gut, always take care to consult the
Executive wishes in his measures & votes
Instead of watching the misconduc, of the
President, will he not connivc at it VIII
rot Cerherus sleep, because he wishes for a
sop! If the President should have evil de-.
signs to accomplish, here then are instru
ments disciplined to his hand. fair ex
change is struck between them. The one
| barriers his conscience for tie ofEcc--iust
as much, as if he were to barter piece of
land Tor piece OF gol6.---I know IL is in,
possible to bribe both houses of Congress bv
such tempiasicns-I know that there are
| some oil them who are too virtuous to catch
the contagion--but it is certain that in pro
portion 10 the extent of this corruption, will
! be the ruin Of public morals aud OF public
spirit.
sir, the means of the Executive, for
these purposes, are by no means Contempt
BILE. Are not Offices Of alnos- every descrip-.
ton within his patronage . Daring the wear
17sS, Mr.. Gaia'iD* estimated the amour,
within his gift At 8 100000. And where
the mere lust of lucre could not sway the
man, there are Offices ofdstinction to invite
and sopthe his ambition.
But, Sir, il may he said, that if you deny
a representative the privilege of taking an
Office, he will not 60 to Washington at all
his services will be lost to his Country. Sir.
1t IS better, that his talents should be buried
TOR ever than that they should be drawn
iorth by such mercenary motives. But what
faith can be placed in the virtues of a leeis
lator. who goes tn Congress as he would to a
market 10 sell his talents to the best adj
vantage s--But the fact is not so-Mr.
Marshall tells US in his life of Washington
Il quote his facts; heaven save me from
his differences y that "the constitutional pro-
h'oition to appoint any member of he legis-
iature to an office created during the time for
which he had been elected. might be cons.
dered, in some degree, rs an exclusion Of the
most distinguished personages in America
from the first Congress TINS mad not been
produced"
But it may be urged, that the President
has no better way of selecting men for Office,
than chose those whom he is, acquainted with;
that this is one of the most delicate & vet
difficult branches OF his power that he can
not personally know every man he appoints,
he must depend upon the assurances of
others who do know hem hat he mas onlv
one pair of ewes & ears, & must therefore
make use OF those of others that he is not
placed upon an elevated pinnacle from
whence he may survey the characters of the
most competent men tn the different districts
OF the u. 5. that therefore he musI trust to
the representations of others, who are FIRE
quentiy soiicitous to abuse his confidence.
or are seldom as conscientious as they Ought
to De ia giving recommendations nf character
10 these candidates whom they may not wish
to offend by refusal ; that as Feneion truly
says" the wisest kings, whatever is their
precaution, are often deceived a king can
not do every thing himself he must there
lore have ministers & in these ministers (or i'm
others) he must confide % that under such
circumstances, is itnot the duty of the Pre-
sident, to appoint such men as he himself
knows; & among the st, members of Cong
gress 20
Sir, this is a plausible plea but it is
not j..st one. Because certificates of
Character may he abused, must the puri-
W or Congtess be contaminated The Pre-
sident will generally have a sett of friends.
OH whose firmness and information he NAV
rely, III all great appointments to preserve
him from any very grievou. impositions.
BESIDES. sir, my proposition will not debar
nm from the right Of appointing his ac..
suaintances, who have sat on the floor of
Congress---aticr they have laid down that
character, with which the people have in.
vested them. Until that moment, has he
a right to rob the people OF their representa-
tive, or a state of its senatorl Under every
point of view, therefore, it seems evident TO
me, that the mischefs of this praci ice are
greater than the conveniences which it NAV
promiee.
Far be it from me, to insinuate, that you
ares SUSCEPTIBLE of the desire of employing
these powers for the acquisition OF any in
huence over the Legislative branch of the
government. No, sir, j utterly disclaim
such an imputation. / believe YOU have. a
soul that scars "a sightless distance" above
such Froveling ambition. You have done
only, what your predecessors have done be
fore you. But if precedents of this des
cription can have such commanding effect
upon your own conduct, what effects may
not your own acaniesence produce upon Your
successors Remember, sir. that the strong.
est PrecedenS generally begin in the best
OF times that it is the popularity of the
Pres'dent that gives its popularity to the
PTeerdeHt that there are some chief ma
gislrates, whose measures would be quoted as
beacons to warn. & not examples to guide
but that, when such illUstriOus men. as Thos
Jefferson prouounces tbe law, postcrity will
initiate the steps Of the man, whose memo.
ny is dear to them.
CASSIUS.
Speech on tie Foreign Intercourse