Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1838-06-08

erature oil the DAY, tniS usage was, o
course, to be abolished Has it been2
beg leave TO read few items from Mr. Sec
retary Dickerson's contingent expense &C
count for 1887.
I'd volume Repertory Of Patent In
ventions IS OF
I'd do Southern Literary .Messen-
ger W
One. Fourth of Auduhons Birds los OF
Audubon's Birds So OF
No. 1, Indian Biography OF
North American Review 0(
No. 4, Indian Biography DC
One No of American Scenery Is
$3.50 rs
Here is display Of the "fashinionable
literature," in which Mr. Secretary DECKER
son INDUCES himself and his clerks, at the
public expense wish the gentleman
from New-York, I'M Cambreleng) who
aided in concocting the report from which
have just quoted, would inform us what
appropriate relation" the books and reviews
just mentioned have ITO the naval service ?"
But, what means the item "one-fourh Of
Audubon's Birds Why, sir, understand
that neither OF the four Secretaries being
willing ito take the responsibility" "as u
unit, "they agreed to divide it The cost TO
the people is the same it all comes from
the ''publc Golfers And the mode Of doing
the thing proves that the Secretaries felt that
its expediency and propricty were qucsiona-
Bile.
We will now look TO the Post Office De
partment. The General Post Office, as it
was then called. had the good fortune not
only to escape the censure, but TO enlist the
praise of that fault-fnding era. The com
mittee said of it-"The efficiency OF this
ton highly improved and improving" The
Post Office Department passed into the
hands of Gen. Jackson in healthy and ef
ficient state. A few years, under his re-
form, reduced it to chaos and insolvency.
The details Of its mismanagement have been
long since proved. The evidence is on file
here and in the Senate, with the reports of
The several committees appointed to in
vestigate its abuses. | refer gentlemen to
the files, and will not dwell on the various
abuses which were designated and establish
ed. Their enormity, coupled with the fac,
OF the borrowing money, on public account,
by the Postmaster General without law or
authority, alarmed the country. But bad
as all this was. and used, as the pecuniary
patronage had been, 10 confer personal bene-
fits on favourites until the disorder and in
solvency Of the department became appa-
rent still the political uses which had been
made of,he appointing patronage were not
disclosed, and now never will be The
present Postmaster General Amos Kendall,
tails N N hiS Of ba Lott
OF that Department by fire, that all the
books papers, and files of the Department
were saved, except the files" Of the zap
pointment Office" and that these were des-
troyed
In the first six years OF General Jackson's |
Administration, about 1900 postmasters
were removed from office, and, in most of
the cases, without the assignment OF any
cause. When certain members OF the com.
mittees of the Senate and House, appointed,
in 1884. to investigate the abuses OF that
Department, attempted 10 get at the files and
correspondence of this Appointment office,
with view to ascertain and report wheih.
er the reasons for those removals were
prompted by high aud just public considera-
tons, or by mere party political expedency;
they were denied the right by the head OF
the Department, and by the friends OF the
Administration. who composed majority
on one Of these committees Was not this |
inquiry just2 refer you, sir, to Mr. Ben
toms famous report and bill, providing for
the disclosure of reasons in case of removal
from office refer you, Mr. Speaker, to
your own. remarks, and 10 those of your
friends, in the debate on Mr. Saunders reso.
luton, which have already quoted. But,
above all. | refer you 10 the remarks OF the
illustrious Madison, unrivalled as he was in
the knowledge of The letter and spirit of our
Constitution and laws, and in purity and |
honesty of purpose AS early as 1889, in
the memorable debate on the power OF the
Executive to remove from office, he not on.
ly denied the right TO exercise this power
capriciousy, and without assigning adequate
reasons, but he thought it would be such a
bold assumption Of lawless power, that he
thus expressed himself: 81 own il is an
abuse of power which exceeds my imagina.
ton. and of which | can form no rational
conception"
But when Mr. Van Buren, and Mr. Ben
ton (both OF whom were on the committee
which reported the bill to prevent the abuse
OF this patronage of appointment) came into
power, they changed their tone, Il not their
principles Removals from office immedi.
ately followed, and they deny any obiga.
tion 10 assign reasons! Is il not strange.
too, nay. is it not mysterious, that, in the
confiagration ofthe Post Office the only pa.
pers and files destroyed should be those re.
iating to the exercise, if not the abuse ofthe
mower of removal from office Tho yo.,, -,