The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-09-23

! numerous that if would occupy an undue share
of our paper, to attempt to chronice,any con-
siderable portion of them. We should not now
advert to the subject if we did not believe that
the rule which has been adopted, and is acted
upon, by the men now in power, to be mon
strous in principle, and, in its tendency, ruin
Gus to the country and subversive of the funda-
mental principles of our government. 1t is
now boldly proclaimed by the leading adminis-
tratlon papers, that Gen. Jackson was elected
with the understanding that he should remove
the present incumbents from office, and reward
his supporters by appointing them in their
stead; and that the passage in his inaugural
speech, relating to " REFORM" is an evidence
that he so understood it. To this bargain"
they intend strictly to hold him, and to permit
no friend of the late administration to retain an
Office where there is Jackson man who wants
1t. of the evils which flow directly from this
system, the New York custom house depart.
ment affords specimen There, the new off,
GERS were found SO inadequate to perform the
duties OF those whom they had succeeded, that
1t was necessary to appoint above thirty addi-
] tIonal ones, at an expense, to the government,
of from thirty to fifty thousand dollars per an
mum. Indeed, it is frankly admitted by some
OF the combination" papers, that it is not to
be expected that many of the new officers
should possess the requisite qualifications, in SO
great degree as those who are removed, vet,
that it is necessary that the change should
take place, in order that Gen. Jackson should
fulfil the expectations of those who elected
hiG. If there is any worse species of bar
gaining for Office and corruption" than tn is,
we should like to have it pointed out.
The operation of this system is most imme-
diately and most sensibly felt throughout the
whole community, in its application 10 the Post
Office department, by the irregularity and con-
fusion which it has created, and by the loss of
confidence in it, which will arise from the an
polntment of those whose principal recommen.
datlon is devotion to the powers that be, in the
place OF those who were intelligent and faithful
in the discharge of their duties. The Post
Oftice was established for the accommodation
OF the people, and should DE kept uncontamina.
ted with party politics, for, the moment that
1t is made a political engine, in the hands of
partlzan leaders, confidence in it is DESTROYED
and Its usefulness is greatly diminished So
sensible was Judge Mclean of this, that when
the head of the department was arranged into
the cabinet by Gen. Jackson, for the purpose
of bringing it under his immediate control for
partizan designs, that he refused to be made
tool of for so infamous a purpose, although
political friend of Gen. Jackson's, and with.
drew from the Office
Under the new Post Master General, the
work goes bravely on" Appointments and .e-
movals are daily, and almost hourly made of
the most extraordinary character. In Ohio, a
faithful officer was removed, and a person ap-
pointed in his stead whose character was noto-
riously bad, and who, for some of his msdeeds.
absconded from the country before the commits.
sion reached him. In Delaware, every Post
Master in the State has been removed. In
| one place, the man last appointed, finding him
self unable to procure bonds, joined with the
other inhabitants of the place in petitioning
for the reappontment of the removed officer.
which was, accordingly, done. Yet it has been
! pretended that no removals are made, bnt of
those who are unsuitable for the Office. Ifthis
person was unfit for the situation at the time
ne was removed, by what process did he, SO
soon, become qualified for reappointment'
| One of the most extraordinary removals re-
Gently made in the Post Office Department. is
that of Abraham Bradley, Assistant Post Mas
ter General. He has long been considered one
of the most valuable and efficient officers in the
department. Exact and accurate in the per-
formance OF his duties, and perfectly acquaint-
ed with all the details of the business of the
Office, much of tho credit for the able admins.
tration Of tho department, for few years past,
is due to him. The circumstances attending
this removal are these A Post Master had
been removed in Kentucky and new appoint
ment made, which was very unpopular. In
order to justify the measure to the people of
Kentucky, it was proclaimed by the Frankfort
Argus that the removed officer was defauIter
and that the editor was in possession of a state
ment from the General Post Office which es.
tabshed the fact To this, the removed off.
Ger replied, that, in the statement alluded to-
credit had been omitted, of draft which he had
paid, sufficient in amount to cover the balance
which appeared against him. The Argus then
turned upon the Assistant Post Master Gen.
eral, and in somo severe and abusive remarks,
threw all the blame upon him, saying that
the statement was authenticated by his sigma
ture, and that he was responsible for the cor
rectness of it. This drew forth reply, in
which Mr. Bradley exposed the trick, by which
it had been attempted to justify an odious meas
ure of the head of the department, and by
which his name and reputation had thus been