Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-10-19

same
which we would Be bound resist aud with ven.
distressing tcpies and aceep, the tender my regard and
10 Ms..,. eo Taysr Wade Hampton 5 M I.,nr
Piece a. Butler and William Harper = -
From the rsenkiot, Ken,ucAian
REFORM.
We have recently had our reflections eviction 10
reieadIng the celcbrsted ,'retrenchmsnt report ~
1870. The retrenchment committee was got up for
party effect; No man, to whatever party he may
bolong, Will deny this, If he respects his character
for the humblesi dIsccrnment or tho n,ost or;,,r,,
candor' The commlttee was composed Of five Jack
sonians and two friends of MIR Adams. The com
itce was instructed To examine all the expenditures
OF government and 20 determine whether and vhers
rerenchment could be effected. The committees
made The exsmnaton. and the Jackson mn Of r, n
proved nothing. II was rarely, indeed. tint TINT
make specific censure However an implied cen
sure covered the whole face OF their report A.
particular example ef II we here give an extract
fhey had inquired of the heads of the several do.
plrments IT the number of their clerks or Their sol
aries could be reduced aud had been answered that
they say: -''' " s's
Your committee feel great difficulty in concurrng
10 TINS up'nlon. Inns difference between their i'm.
pressions and The opinions OF these officers has CON
vinced them OF what could, in no event have bccn
youthful that without the cordial aid OF the Execr
tive, M effective scheme of retrenchment can bo
renee " is that the conVetion
oy THESE officers, added the fact that n WINS I'M,
possible for the committee TO Ascertain NV thor en-
cAannuVion 'he amount OF labor done bv each elerk
W tue seyerai oulces' has prevented them from, bro
posing any SPECIFIC reduction in The number Of lert
In the several offices, because they were appreber
sive without the concurrence of opinion and coono
rotlons 81 The Chief OF each Department they nih,
cu' OH some useful branch of the public service in
aiming at the excision of some unneceSsurv dya,
Your committee, however, rs will be seen IN rho
umony reporiedin the appendix, obi AIMED ntormaion
enough to satisfy hem that, BY iudicous svstpu, ~
'enrm institu Ell by the executive officers themselves
at least one thrd of tho present number of clerks in
the departments might be reduced with safety to tho
public INTEREST," - s"S
Nowit IS not here asserted that there was extrs
Vagance IN any one department. It is insnuated that
there was extrayagnn ce IN all of them But what
has been effected since these reformers have had
possession of he government? Il is now eighteen
months, and have they abolished one Office or redu-
ced one salary They have not one; but on the con
uary they have increased the number of clerlsbins
IN the departments of tue Tresury, of the NAVY ana
Of the Post Office, and believe they have increas
ed them also in the Department of War Such has
been the practical commentary upon this text ot
forth by the committee on retrenchnent
But IN looking through the report the contrast he
tween preceP and example has struck us in that
part which relates to the patronage of the PRESS
The p ragraphs of tie report relating to this sub
ject as follows
There are throughout he u. States about eoI,-
Two regularly appointed publishers of the Ia vys
who also enjoy The incidental profit of publishing the
advertisements of the Governments and aboui .iv-
teen or eighteen prnters other than those appointed
10 PRINT the laws. who do occasional advertising or
Job work for The Government
Your Committee wilt not stop to argue what thew
Predicate as an undenable fact that by the emplov
ment ~ the expenditures otthe contingent funds of
the Departments, n Government press ie TO all in
TENS and purposes. effectualy established as much
so as y there were an annual item in the appropra-
ton bill, for tho purpose purchasing the iant and
nan it,t
promising vindicaiion of those in power and IN
the unsParing abuse of those who are not Tho dnn
ger winch assails the freedom of he press hrou oh
the insinu9ton OF this species of Influence IL IN, ,yo
serious than any star chamber code of pains nd
aliies For, IN the latter case, the pride of man
which reVolts al oppression, insures in the end n
triumphant resistanee; but the former the verv
weakness OF his nature invites subiupation of he
Independence.
This pecuniary censorship ofthe press must end in
It's utter prostitution 10 indiscrminae support Of
tne acts OF the Government, however injurious to the
rights and interests ofthe people. -
he annual expenditures which caused tbesa
lears ana fore0odlngs, was, in the entire United
States, about eighteen thousand dollars The ex-,
pence OF publishing a single daily paper, of ex-
tenslve circulation is not less than thirty tboue
and dollars. Yet this melancholy Committee cosId
zee nolhlRg less IN the danger attending tho ex-
pendlture OF eighteen thousand dollars by the then
administration, than the corruption Of the whole
press OF the country. Their fears on this subject.
-.
HE administration of the state department. Mr.. Clay
transferred, inabout half dozen instances the
printing OF the United States laws from papers
winch were uhtrendly, to others which W. re friendly
to the administration. The price for publishing the
laws is usioyabout one hundred dollars TO each pa
per III men they aro published. The committee ap-
prehendod bat amount Of patronage was sufficient :
gTaty 10 endangcT the purity Of the pfoss But the
commtice and their friends are NOW in power What
reforms rave they introduced? They have auqmon-
rcd MY fold, the dangers which they proiessed to
iear There is not one paper IN the United States
which do's not support Jackoons administration that
rs employed to publish the laws-wherens at tho
close OF Adams administration one third Of those so
employed were ie political opponents But this is
smallnatsr. The great inroad which has been made
upon he independence Of the press. has been made
THROUGH the agency of the civil lisl--by be6owiLg
upon editors generally of the most violent character
offices worth two and three md four and Eve thou
sand dollars each. is by these means that the pre-
administration has realized the fears and fulfill
cd tho prophecies of their committee on retrcnch-
mont. Wha' has been he patronage bestowed on the
several persons connected with the Argus and the
I,ouf4vflla AdVcftigor2 Morp than tyoq ood onnns1