Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-12-24

upon the auOjeCt " u, ano "~' .,,II \. !
imagine one single useful purpose INA, "oa." NC
sscted nv the call, if it should be sent 1t seem
Cd strange proceedings to call upon the Ereslcent
for what every one cuud obtain toyh'msst; 70 can
upon him for appointments made long before ne
came ;oto Office: 20 call un him for what coald at
anu time h. ob, aiued BY mkinga walk to the
other end of this building, and applying to the
Secretary Of the Senate. He presumed that all
the appointments the gentleman wished 10 IN
on,re about had passed through the Senate. Inc
President would have to go back SIX or seven
wears, and compare all the appointments OF .he
government with lists of the members OF uluer-
emit Congresses; and all to what purpo'e! From
the source whence this resolution proceeded anu
the RESOLUTION offered Yesterday, by the same
gentleman on the subject OF an amendment ot
the Constitution he should conjecture that the
resolution had respect to such measure. his
object colld be answered Without any call up
on the President.
He was with the gentleman in his proposed
amendment of the Constitution; but until such
amendment should have actually been made, no
resolution on that subject could have sny binding
effect. Gould the resolution be designed as
reflection upon the President? WHY, II the Pre-.
sident had filled all the Offices in the country
from out ut the two Halls oi Congress. no CEN
sure could afix itself to thr measure, SO long as
no clause in the Constitution prohibited 1t. IL
the President was to be crnsured. the censure
| would light equally on all who had applied to
him for Office. Was il greater crime to give
an office 10 "A member, than for member to ask
that Office? The censure would GO still further:
il would touch not only all who had received Of
fee. but all who had asked il and been refused.
There was stopping place H. presumed there
was hardly gentleman in that House who had
not been willing, at some time, TO nave received
an Office. He was sure he should. The censure
the refore would reach from the President down
| ard. II argued di,respert TO the President to
call upon INN for information which every mem
| her could give IN fifteen minutes. 1t implied
censure upon HIN which Was wholly uadeserved
II could lead to no good results-!t could contIl-
butte no all toward the adoption Of the gentle.
| mans amendment Of the Constitution (which MIR.
F hoped SOM to see inserted in that instrument;)
and for all these reasons he should move to lay
the resolution on tn. table He wnuld. howe
yer, withdraw the motion in favor ct the mover,
if he desired to submit any remarks in reply
| The motion having been Withdrawn.
| Mr. Wickliffe observed, in reply, that he was
afraid the gentleman had served HIS resolution
very much as the piovs Quaker was sad to have
/ done dog that had off uded him: he would not
| hurt the animal. but would give il bad name
| by which means he set all the boys OF the neigh
! burh0od to petit the poor beast to death Tue
! gentleman had gwen this resolution bad Name;
he had thrown out tine fata! idea that 1t was dis,
respectful to thu President The gentleman could
not certainly infer this from the Language OF the
resolution; and if hr inferred il from the source
] from whence the resolution proceeded, he was
! equally mistaken. That the resolution convey.
ed any censure against the President. did not ap.
. no nj cOulu
from the source whence the resolution had ema.
mated sir w did not conceive II to be IN any
way disrespectful to the Chief Magistrate to call
uDon him for infDrnario which might become
necessary to enlighten the House in its delibera-
tons upon the pubic concerns. lie was we'll
aware, however. that ii that was the character
given to his resolution, or if it was even feared
that such an inference might be drawn from II.
his resolution was destined to share the fate OF
other matters which had been ordered to lie upon
the table.
Mr. W. denied that his resolution implied any
censure either upon the appointed, or the d'sap
pointed, members Of the House; nor was the inior-
matIon sought by II so easily obtained as the
gentleman supposed. Even into the archives ct
the Senate members Of that House had no right to
dive, so long as the seal Of secrecy remained on
its Executive proceedings. But ~ese mis- other.
the Senate. Some Of the appointments might
have to do with the Post Office Department.; and
for others it might become necessary 10 traverse
the almost boundless regions ut the indian De
partmpnt. 1t might be requisite TO 60 to the
books of the Custom House. There were some
books in the Bureaus that might possibly furnish
much of this information in a condensed t,rn. -
TO all these sources the President had ready
access, though the members of that House had not
Mr. w. said he had offered a resolution con-
tanning proposition for the amendment OF the
Constitution in relation to the subject OF appoint.
ments Such an amendment he believed was
desired BY the great body of the People of this
Union. but it could not originate with the Peo-
pie Of the States unless it should first come from
that House, except resort should be had to the
tedious process Of Convention OF all the States.
He thought it the duty Of Congress to submit
such proposition to the Legislature of the sew.
eraI States. and let them dispose of it.
He might be called upcn to point out where
was the great and alarming evil which called for
remedy, and where was the danger Of the growth