Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1831-03-23


The mischief which might befal US from
Post Office and the Press, were forctoid
in the spirit of prophecy. That report
was drawn by the Senator from Missou-
ri, MIR. Benton and the facts embodied
there are good proof that the Committee
were not then over scrupulous in their in
! Quiry. The slavish doctrines of the pres
ent day would not now tolerate a report
couched in such language, and breathing
such spirit. The Committee proceed:
u '1he whole Of this great power will centre in
the President. The King Of England is the 'foun-
tain Of honor the President of the United States is
the source Of patronage. lie presides over the
tire system OF ederal appointments, Jobs, and con-
I tracts. lie has power over the support Of the
individuals who administer the system. lie makes
and unmakes them. He chooses from the circle
OF his friends and supporters, and may dismiss
them, and upon all the principles Of human action.
,cW dismiss them often as they dsappoint his
expectations. Ills spirit Will animate their actions
in all the elections to state and Federai Offices,
| There may be exceptions, but the truth of gen.
era rule is proved by the exception. The intend
! ed check and control of the Senate, without new
Constitutional or statutory provisions, will cease TO
operate. Patronage will penetrate this BODY sub
due It's capacity Of resistance, chain 1t 10 the car Of
power and enable the President to rule 40 easily
! and much more securely with, than without the
nominal check Of the Senate. If the President
was himself the officer Of the people, elected by
| them, and responsible TO them,, there would
be less danger from this concentration of all pow
er in his hand; but it is tho business Of statesmen
to act upon things they are, and not as they
would wish them 10 be We must then look for
ward to the time when the public revenue will be
doubled; when the civil and military officers of tho
! Federal Government will be quadruped; when its
influence over indi, duals will be multiplied 10
indefinite extent when the nomination by the Pres
| ldent can carry any Didn through the Senate, and
| his recommendation can carry any measure thro
the two Houses of Congress, when the principle Of
| public action will be open and ayowed-the Pres
| ndent raRts my cote ami 1 Ddnt has patron
u age; I cW pote as he uisheS, and he tcW gire
me the office Uish for. What will this be but
the government Of one mainland what is the
ernment Of one man but mOnarchy' Names are
nothing The nature Of thing is in its substance,
and the name Of thing soon accommodates itself
TO the substance. The first Roman Emperor was
} styled Emperor Of the Republic: and the last
French Emperor took the same title, and their
spectve country as essentially monarchicai before,
as after the assumption Of these titles. 1t cannot
be denied dIssembed, but that this Federal Gov
ernment gravitales to the point, and that the
election ofthe Executive by the Legislature quick
ems the pulsation."
II "The Committee must then take things as they
are. Not being able TO lay the axe to the root of
the tree, they must go to pruning among the limbs
and branches. Not being able 10 reform the Consti-
tuition in the election of President, they must 90 to
work upon his powers, and trim down these by
statutory enactn.cnts, wherever it can be done by
law, and with just regard to the proper efficiency
Of the Government. For this purpose they have
reported the SIX bills which have been enumerated.
They do not pretend to have exhausted the subject,
but only to have seized few Of It's prominent
points. They have only touched, in four places,
the vast and peryadng system of Federal Execu-
tive patronage the PreSS-the Post Office
the .irmed FOyce--and the appointing Potoer.
They are few, compared 10 the whole number of
| points which the system presents, but they are
points vital TO the liberties of the country. The
Press is put foremost, because ii the moving pow
er Of human action: the Post Office Is the hand
: maid of the Press the armed force its Executor:
and the appointing power the drcciress OF the
! whole. IL the appointing power was itself an en-
anaton of the popular will-If the President was
! himself the officer and the organ of the people
there would be less danger III leaving to his will
the sole direction Of all these arbiters of human
Dut tIinSS Hlust De tdhel as tiltN
men must act for the country they live in, and not
for the Island of Utopia; they must act upon the
state of facts in that country, and not upon the yis
ions of fancy In the country for which the COM
mittee act, the Press, with some exceptions, the
! Post Office, the armed force, and the appointing
power, are in the hands Of the President, and the
President himself not in the hands of the people.
| The President may, and III the current of human
affairs will, be against the people; and in his hands
the arbltcrs of human fate must be agains, them al
30. This will not do. The possibility of must
be avoided. The safety Of the people is the 'su-
preme law and to ensure that safety these arbi-
tiers of human fate must change position, and take
post the side of the people,
Il Sir, you can never legisIate correctly
without inquiring into the necessity. You
should search deep, and ascertain the
length, breadth, depth, and height, ofthe
mischief to be remedied. Both Houses
of Parliament, by their Committees, col
lect and embody the evidence on each
subject as n foundation for Legislation, \
who ever heard it objected, that they
might find impeachable matter'
II The Committee of the House of Rep
resentatives of 1918 had no scruples, no
deicacy like that here manifested. 1hey
summoned not only the clerks, Dut the
Chiefs ofthe Departments themselves
They used 'the incision knife and the
caustic," and searched the wound to the
bottom. They did not stop at a summons,
but when that was disobcycd, they issued
| a copias, and brought in the witness by
force. No one then complained OF want
ofdecorum. The Representatives ofthe
: People spoke, by their Committee, and
| their voice was obeyed.