Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1837-07-08


pursued to subjugatc the senate-the executive a
was there manifest in that chamber, ready to a
raise to Offices Of distinction, all who gave him a
their unflinching support. The effort was early v
made, and it was continued long, to subdue the b
Of the senate. But the resistance b
was noble, and, for long time successful. The
simple weapon, patronage, was not enough to O. @
vcrthrow it. But to subdue its capacity ofrcsist
G1ce and chain Il to tie of poscer another eff
fectivc engine, moved by the same hand, was
brought into action. Executive patronage was Is
succcssiyey and carefully applied to states whose
senators, until in the language Of the report ssits
workings cOntaminatc the purity Of elections"
and enabled the executive at least, to select a
large proportion Of the members Of the body. The
effect was at last successful, and the scnate's
Pacity Of resistance was subdued.
This atrocious principle Of reward for partizan
service, and punishment of opposition, was car
ricd beyond the mere executive Offices, into the i
two houses of congress, and the whole weight of
Executive power was brought to bear each |
member Of congress, in either house, who dared |
to expose an executive measure, expose the a.
buse and corruption Of an executive department.
Sometimes the weight of the executive arm was
sufficient to crush, at once, its virtues. If that
were withstood, arrangements, artifice and fraud
did the work. This followed out a fixed
and constant system, until the president, and net
the people, or the representatives ofthe people, is
looked to the source of all power, and dstribu-
tor of all patronage.
To give this system its full and extended influ-
cnce Ito enlarge its sphere of action and increase
its effects,-new Offices were created; old ones
multiplied or used multipicrs, and salaries
were increased. Witness the Indian agents and
sub-agents; commissioners to make treaties; COM
missioners to aPpraise property, and agents to
move Indians and locate reservations and wit
ness especially, our diplomatic relations with for
eign powers. Take, for example the mission to
Russia. Mr.. Middleton was recalled to make
place for Mr. Randolph. Mr.. Randolph returned
to make place for Mr.. Buchanan; Mr.. Buchanan,
for Mr.. Wilkins, who yields to Mr.. Dallas, ma
king, in eight years four new foreign ministers,
/ at an extra expense waste Of money ON that
mission Of $52, 5OO-No one will pretend that
the country was better served than if the first
med minister had remained at his post; but the
appointing power was extended, and the reward OF
p'1%assSoia s 81 5Es s:ca. .ns..men,s
ment, commonly styled ~czccaesUc,. axid feI ne
last eight years, under the most entire and abso-
lutte executive control, the public money has been
corruptly squandcred to acquire and extend ex
D ccutive influence; or the subordinate Offices Of
: those departments have been permitted, through
the medium Of the officers, to enrich themselves
and their friends and partizans out of the public
property, by illegal speculations upon individ
o uals whom their officers placed in their power
8 thus making submission to the executive and t.
n the adherence of the party in pOwer-a road t.
$ wealth open to the restless and ambitious. Mucl
n Of this has been disclosed in the Indian branch o
IS the war department; much more in that part o
&c the treasury which has charge ofpublic lands
4 deposte banks: and still more-fOr that Office
lone has been Investigated fully, and its frauds
10 posed still more in the general post Office, whcl
G. in consequence of the extent Of its cOrruptons
r and its efficiency electioneering agent, ha
* also arisen to the dignity Of executive depart
r, ment. lem not, gentlemen, either uncharitabl
nc unjust in charging upon the late executive an
", his cabinets, (actual and potentially the fraud
nd which disclosed in the general post Office
t. They we're not the affairs of day-or the sing!
he act of pecuation fraud of obscure subord
IS, nate agent; no, it was system adopted and &C
IS, ted upon for a series of years-commencing by
al false report from the head of the department,
$780, and continued by acts, year after year,
corrupt, and reports more false, until the veil tn;
is half covered but did not conceal their abomn
he tons, was finally, in 1885, rent FROM and the
ID, were exposed to the world in all their dcfo
al nifty. 1t were vain to attempt the casting off
Id those crimes when even political, pensione
er press could not openly sustain-it were vain
&c. cast those crimes upon the mserably inefficcI
RS. Individual who was the nominal head of that d
90 partment. 1t was the work Of those who MAJ
he up the executive. The measures of that depai
an ment were executive measures, and its CORFU
all tons were of the executive council and head.
he make not these assertions without evidence to
he own mind, at least, entirely conclusive
w In the session Of ls3O-'3l, proposition WI
no made m the Senate to investigate the AFFAIRS OF
nc, general post Office, founded upon great and fl
Its grant abuses which were alleged to have ere
led into the administration of its affairs. The COZ
in mittcc appointed; they detected many abu
es;-among others the altering Of word in su
Of dry places for the evident purpose Of impeachir
er the oath of an individual who had been dismiss
he from the office for lack Of subserviency VIII
no the proof thickened, and the appearance Of GU
on became strong, the willy chairman of the stan
md ing committee on the post Office and post roa.
my (Mr. Grundy, } who also on the select comm
the tee, raised objection to evidence; without Ia
it a ing that objection acted in the committee,
the brought it before the Senate, and that deba
er. arose which wore out the session. Thus the
his vestigaton was for that time eluded. Afterwar
Of ! think it in the year 1883, another inv
as tigation elected by the loud & continued CO
to plants Of abuses in the department. l was
'cr the time member Of the post Office committee.
ac- which Mr.. Grundy was still chairman. was
a MINORITY, and, during the whole investigation
me never saw . witness, paper If any kind re
full ting to the affairs Of the Office until the chaim
int produced his report, and read it, denying all