Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-10-19
THE VIRGENHAN.
LYNCHRuRG, OCTOBER 10, 1929.

reier 10 tue removals uhuer that oi Mr.. Jeher-
son, as Justification Of the despotc and obi
Gus policy of their Idol. II is a policy so
heartless and cruel in i,self--and is, 10 its ten
dency, so well calculated TO throw fdcue on
our exclusive pretensions 10 unshackled liberty
of;peech and of action, that those who sustain
an approve it, may we'll be pardoned If they
are eager 10 hide its deiormiiy bv throwing
over il the mantle OF Mr., JelIerson's example.
But, the, rely too much on the ignorance of
the people. il they think, by this course. to in
duce the grea, body of them 10 approve of
system which strikes at the very roots of civil
liberty a system which chains down the mno.
rity TO the will OF the majoriy in a ~rpiie
acquiescence; which brides the vicious and ter
rifles the weak ; which chokes up the avenues
of intelligence, and silences the free and fair
investigation OF the acts ofpublic men and the
tendency of public measures. We repeat they
whom they are endeavorlng 10 deceive by mis-
REPRESENTATIONS of the which Mr. Jeler-
son pursued, and by unca ibid statements OF
the rule of action which he laid down, and to
which he r,gdiy adhered, when they have the
effrontery to quote the example Of that ilIusri-
Gus statesman, as a justification ofthe measur
adopted by the weak and vindcliye admins
T. alton under which ills our misfortune TO live.
Mr. jefferson did not remove from Office
a single Individual merely because his political
opinions we're adverse to his own. as the pres
eat administration has done in numberess i'll
stances. Is this doubted? Let Mr.. Jefferson
speak for himself, il i, be. In letter address
ed TO Elbridge Gerry, dated, Washington,
March 20. 1901, (about one year after his
Inauguration he say, " TIE right Of opinion
shall suffer no inraHJn from me Those UhO
have acted ,ceH hire nothing 10 fear, howeCtr
hoy may hare diDerei from me IN opinion -
How widely different frou this rule is the
course pursued by tue individual whom acci.
dent has recently placed a. the head of affairs
The ais he has made, with scarcely
single exception, have proceeded from dispo-
stion too arbitrary in itself to bear the
idea of opposition, acting upon the Prin-
ciple avawed by ms A." Organ of com
municatiop with the publ,c, before he had
taken his srai, that he would reward hi,
friends aud punish his enemies" We are a
ware that the frienis ct the administration de-
ny this and say ins'nuate that pecGlators
aud deIinquents only have been deprived of
III, a ho, a. al al bair
deniaI2 We defy them 10 poiat 10 single
ease in which knowledge of delinquency OF
crminality preceded the removal oithe incun-
bent Even in the case Of DR.. WalkOs GOr-
tunate il is for them, that even one Of the re-
moved officers was a traitor 10 the trust repo-
sed in him. we say even IN the case OF DIR.
Watkins, the removal was droWediy designed
as punishment for The active part which he
had taken in the Presidential election in favor
of Mr.. Adams 1T was not unit some weeks
ajler he had been deprived Of his off e that the
" Heaven born" Amos discovered his default
and yet, If the defenders ofthe present admin.
istration were deprived OF The little CT DIT which
this accidental circumstance enables them TO
claim, luey would not ave the slightest pre-
great number of homes aud honorable men
who have, like Dir. Watkins been removed from
office, but who, unlike ttat unfortnnato and
misguided man, are exempt from his criminal
ty. Exempt from his crimnaity, did we say
We should have said men whose unmpeachable
characters atford striking contrast TO the che.
quered hue presented by the lives Of many of
those whose elevation to the highest Offices, as
if to mock all morality and virtue, has almost
rendered vice prescrip,ive,- which most GER
tsinIy has made it triu;aphan,, though we
hope and believe only momeniarily so. And
these are the men who profess 10 have taken
Jefferson as their model Til is the course
of policy which refers Tor its Justification to the
measures OF his administration
Mr.. Jefferson placed the subject on It's proper
footing. In the same letter from which We
have quoted sentence above, informing Mr..
Gerry what rule he would not adopt, he also
tells him what criterion he should abide by
He says" Mr.. Adams last appointments, When
he kneU he was naming councillors and aids for
me- and not for himself set aside, as far as
depends On me. This sentence refers TO the |
fact, thata few days before the Inauguration
of Mr.. jefferson, the elder Adams sent 10 the |
Senate long list of nominations, consisting |
entirely of the names OF his own Parlizsns, with
the design that the Offices of the country should
be in the hands OF his friends, though he
ceased to be President. These officers Mr..
Jefferson very properly removed, because it |
was an Interference. on the part of Mr. Adams,
with Mr.. Jefferson's prerogatve and, if the
younger Adams had rssorted to a similar arti-
fee, Gen. Jackson would have been justifable
if he had defeated its intention, by following
Mr.. Jefierson's example.