Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1831-03-10

| = 'f' va 'eso'ulon was adopted. Ihai
next session has arrived. SIR, yet hns no an
sioer ubnteper been girenio Mis call. Nearly a
wear has passed away, yet neither respect Tor
lpe senate nor sense OF duty have yet pro.
dueed line ofreply Was the labor great
" So wa' not the time allowed sufficient 10
| enable the Department, with the aid of
me new Clerks employed there, to answer il
fully
IL was with view to gain such informa lion
as tbs, aud. as befor, observed, to learn the
actual causes OF the decline in the fiscal con
Germs OF this Department, that the invesiiga.
ton Commenced. Rumor had assigned AS one
oil these causes the removal, for opin,ons'
sake, oil hundreds OF experienced aud fathh
fostmas;ers, aud other officers oil the Depsft
nenf and the substitution of come ignorant
and Drawing partisans, who had exhibited no
o'ner proof OF capacity thnn the fact OF their
having aided in the Presidents election. The
resolution gave the COMMITTEE full latitude OF
enquiry 10 ascertain this or my other cause OF
abuse. First, II directed the IN to inqu re aud
report - IN what manner the laws, regulat ng
mo Department., were administered" The
Postmaster General exercised the right 10 re-
move an officer by virtue of some law, or he
has no right TO remove. How he has admins
tered this law then, 1t is our duly 10 examine
anu report Will tue gentleman from Tennes-
soc, who says we have no such power under
Tue resolution, tell US why this clause does not
absolutely eoJoln this inquiry, as "A duty upon
Us Another part of It directs Us TO examine
aud report =" the entire management of II e
fost Oliiee department. is the matter ofte-
moving "a thousand officers no part Of the
management OF the department II ap.
pears rather, SIR that this has been the chief
business of tho departmeu'.- But again: Ano-
her clause of the resolution directs rs to ex-
and yeunI " hpfhpI further and vL4
legal provisions are necessary to secure q pro
per administration OF its att tIrs'" II would be
recoilected that in 1926 the celebrated tom
nittee. On executive patronage, IN this body :,
reported bill making provision TO prevent
tins very abuse of removals IN The Pos, Once L.
actually transferring the whole power ot ap
pointIncnt aud removal from the Postmaster.
General to the President Il Senate. lie then
read that report on this subject aud added thar
perhaps tho Senator from New Hampshile
hr. Woodbury. who was IA member Of tins
committee, was also member of that commit.
tee-or, n, any rate. probably approved of tho
principles Of the report. and would now vindi.
cate the measure of making legal provision on
tins subject. ifthere could exist period
when such provision was necessary, II exists
uoW-aud the power TO make Inquiry into
The propriety of such measure, learly
delegated by the resolution, necessarily in
wolves the power aud the duty to inquire
whether tue removals have been improperly
made.
Such sir, is the spirit and the letter oil the
commission under which the inquiry commen-
ced. The committee met and propounded,
afler considerable deliberation, nine inierroga.
tories TO the Postmaster. General, which were
delivered 10 hun ON the 24th Of December last,
and 10 which no has az yet given no answer.
On the I'm January three other interroga
tories were proposed by them aud sent to hun
Among the last was one inquiry" WHAT
Postmasters have been removed since you
g came into office, and for what cause
g Please 10 give their names, places of resi-
/" dence at the time of removal, and the causes
" of their removal. classifying The causes Jor
bferHy'S sake" This mterIogatoTy, wbIch was
originally proposed IN committee by The Sena-
tor from Name, Mr.. flolmet) inquired the eau
SEES oil rem oval OF each, was amended by the
votes of the gentlemen from Tennessee, Nv
Hampshire aud Indiana, who sirHck out those
words aud submitted for them tue words elias
styling the causes for breudgs sake lhu,
Won observe sir, The POSTMASTER General is
at liberty to state the causes OF removal gen
eralI, ii he choose, or 10 state them particu.
arly in such cases Hs he may select aud this
he may 10 in as strong language as he plea.
ses, TO bear him out III making these reno
walls. Aud now, sir. said Mr.. &, suffer me TO
ask, would any man, with feeling of justice
la his bosom. after giving the PostmastoI-Gen-
eral this latitude to accuse aud 10 blacken The
victims of this prescription II he will, refuse 10
them The right of stating the causes of their
removal II they choose 10 do so. The files oil
the departmt Mt may Je filled with grouudes,
accusations against them, which poSteruy may
bring TO light when they are lad ia thtit
graves. May they not now, If they eau Learn
the nature of those charg"s, be permitted 10
retute them and to place that reIutatIon on
the same record which shall expose The Imp1
lalions against them Yet the gentleman irom
Tennessee complains, that to allow them to
testify would be to allow evidence er parte.
Alter the inlerIogatorIes had been delivered
to the chief OF this department another Teia-
ting 70 a single point was sent TO him by order
of the committee on the 25th January, ana as
nothing had yet been received IRON him, a
request was added TO know OF hun within what
time an answer might be expected Two
communications were then received iom him
in reply TO our last letter, the one acknowl'
edglng the receipt Of OR letters OF the 18th aud
2Slh January, stating that the department was
laboriously employed IN answering the inqhr
ries, aud would reply when they "e'e really
tne other answering our last inieriOgniofy'
The receitp ol the most important communlca
been acknowledged, In The mean tune spe-
clic charges OF fraud aud OF corruption, IN the
matter of The mail contracts, having been dis-
,incty preferred to US with offers on the par
OF respectable individuals TO sustain the CHAR
ges gu oath before the committee, II was utah-
lnously agreed To- apply Tor power 10 SEM
for pers us and papers. The power was gran
ted. But when the committee met, the ge0te-
man from Tennessee objected to exercise 1t III
,ha very case which had caused US TO ASK Tor
the power, insisting that we ought FIRST TO IN
ue,e moi IN possession of suth Gent aiiidayta
and correspondence 10 make out the cause
gains, himself, and that II would be time e.
nough TO send tor the persons when we iotnd
we could not establish their charges ny fet'
erence TO his own records. In tins ingenious
view of The subject, he WAS supported ny the
gentlemen from New Hampshire aud Indiana
majority OF tue commIltee-and DO no
hesitate TO say that from that moment con