South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1834-07-05

Why have the affairs of the United States,
for more than two years past, been con-
fded to the inexperienced hands Of a
young man who, short time ago, was
(no disparagement to his personal merit)
subordinate clerk in the Department Of
State 7. 1t is scarcely credible that vow
Of sending no successor to Mr.. VAN BU-
REM, imputed to the President at the peri
cd of his rejection, has been observed by
him until he has been compelled to break it
byiGreat Britain insisting that the two
countries should be reciprocally represent
ed by diplomatic agents Of equal grade
1t will be seen, in the sequel, that the mys-
ferrous veil is partially removed by the
disclosure that, for upwards of fifteen
months past, the mission to England has
been kept in allegiance, for the benefit Of
Mr.. Speaker STEVENSON.
1t is we'll known that some senator's,
who compose the majority of the Senate,
without laying down any infexible rule Of
exclusion, as to the appointment of mems
bers Of Congress TO distinguished stations,
in ordinary times, believe that the pres.
ent Chief Magistrate has pushed his pat.
ronage to an extreme limit in the halls Of
Of Congress. In the short space of about
FIVE years, offices have been bestowed up
on those who we're members Of Congress-
at the respective periods of their appoint
ment, or within one year preceding, to-
the extraordinary number ofthirteen Sem
ators, and twenty-five members Of the H.
of Representatives. This number ex.
ceeds that which was ever appointed un-
der any prior Administration of eight
years. Nay, more; it is believed to be
about equal to the number ever appointed
by all the Presidents together who prece~
ded Gen. jackson. The Offices which
he has thus conferred on members Of
Congress embrace every description Of
trust from Secretary Of State down to a
Collector Of the Customs, Deputy Post.
master, and Clerk at Washington. And
this profuse exercise of his patronage has
been, after deliberate condemnation of
the practice made by him when out of
power, to the Legislature his own States
on the 9TH of October, 1925, on the me-
morable occasion Of resigning his seat as
a Senator of the United States, when he
explicitly declared that, if 'simportant apa
poinlments continue to devolve on the
Representatives in Congress, it requires
no depth Of thought to be convinced that
corruption wiN become the order of the
dag and that, under the garb of consci-
entious sacrifices to establish precedents
for the public good, evils of serious i'm
portance to the freedom and prosperity
ofthe Republic may arise. 1t is through
this channel that the People may expect
to be attacked in their constitutional SOW
ereignty, and where tyranny may be apps
pretended to spring up in some favorable
emergency" Without meaning to inns
pute to the President any settled design TO-
overthrow or leopard the liberties of his
country, it must be admitted that those
predictions are Of easiest fu6lment which
are made by persons possessing means
to accomplish them. II is true that the
observations Of Gen. Jackson, just quoted,
we're made to enforce the necessity Of q
prohibitary amendment of the Constitu.
ton. But, if the practice of appointing
members Of Congress were fraught with
such danger, in his Judgment, as to require
a solemn Introduction to be engrafted ON
the Constitution, surely he could, 10 the
administration of the duties of President.
conform to rule so essential to the press
erva,ion Of the purity of our institutions,
without waiting for the tardy & uncertain
process of amendment. Washington en-.
tertained the belief that no man ought to
serve in the office of President beyond two
terms and, by voluntarily conforming
to that rule, he has practically remedied
defect in the Constitution, and given an
illustrious example of moderation and
forbearance, from which no one of his sue.
cessors has hitherto ventured 10 depart.
But, without availing itself of these
general considerations, the Senate found.
in the particular circumstances of the case
of the ex-Speaker irresistible reasons for
the rejection of his nomination. Il was
confidently believed, in the circles here
and elsewhere, for more than twelve
APPOINTMENTS BY GEN. JACKSON.
SENAToRs.-Wm Findey, Martin Van
Buren,, John III. Eaton, John Branch. John
Mcpherson Berrien, Louis McLane. John
Chandler, Thomas II. Williams. David j.
Baker, Edward Livingston, Levi Woodbury..
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