Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1838-06-13

And are all those who have firmnes:
and independence enough fearlessly Il
inquire into the conduct of public men
and the manner in which the public
money is expended, to be denounced
by the partisans and servie adherents
of the house that now reigns, as fac.
tious oppositionIsts. Si:, (you contin.
ued, Mr.. Speaker this power of up.
pointing the public printer, is improp-
erly lodged where it is. 1t is, TO say
the least of it, subject to abuse, and
may be improperly used for the pur-
pose of muzzling and Influencing the
liberty OF the press.
That being the case, you proposed,
sir, !" 10 remove this power of appoint
ment, from the department of State,
and vest it somewhere else, where il
would be more safely and properly ex-
ercised." The country is aware Mr..
Speaker, that you have continued to
be amember of this House ever since
you made the remarks just quoted, now
more than eleven years. Some expec-
tation was cherished, that you would,
when in majority here, practice un-
der those opinions, and remove this
printing patronage " from the Depart
ment of State, and vest it somewhere
else where it would be more safely and
properly exercised" ! am sorry, sir,
that this public expectation has been
disappointed. can only account for it
by supposing that your various politi-
cal engagements and high public sta
ton have withdrawn your attention
from this important subject. There is
some consolation, however, in knowing
that you have now an opportunity of
redeeming your pledge, and the friends
of retrenchment and reform indulge the
hope that you will do ii.
| hope you, sir, will not think this. an
" inauisitorial" measure. 1t is, indeed,
true, that when the representatives of
the people, during the last session OF
Congress, attempted to look into the
Departments ofthe Government, Gen.
Jackson openly resisted it, and said
such a measure was "worse than the
Spanish Inquisition. More, sir; he in
effect, gave orders that it should not
be tolerated. Mr.. Speaker, did not
your cheek then mantle with honest
Indignation ? and if you had held seat
here instead of the chair you occupy,
would you not have again exclaimed,
els the transatlantic doctrine, that
"the King can do no harm, TO be in
troduced here? Or were you constrai.
ned to admit that, under the boosted
system Of reform, :" the public iunc.
tionaries of the Government" are now
wrapped up in the robes of office and
held irresponsible TO the people or the
peoples representatives 2"
Mr.. 3. said he hoped he had by this
time furnished some evidence TO the
House, and to the gentleman from n.
Hampshire, Mr.. Cushman, in partIcu-
lar, that the exercise ofthis printing pa
tronage by Mr.. Adams administration
was not only questioned, but openly
condemned. The friends of General
Jackson, so far from pretending that 1t
was impracticable to correct the abuse
of this power, pledged themselves to
the country, that they could, and would
when in a majority, provide a remedy.
He would submit it to the People, 10
say whether this had beendone. Was
1t not notorious that the extent OF this
printing patronage had been greatly
enlarged under the present dominant
party? Is not the number ofnewspa-
pers in which the laws are printed very
considerably increased ? Is not the
ordinary printing patronage OF the Sc
veral departments far greater now than
formerly? And, as TO the public prln-
ting for Congress, it had so swollen,
under the promised retrenchmen. that
we were almost induced to believe that
the term was used in irony by those
from whom the people expected econo-
my.
now propose, Mr.. Speaker, to show
what seductive influences this patron
age over the press carries with it; and
for this purpose, must again invoke
the aid ofthe Jackson reformers, using
their own arguments, and the very lam
guage in which they admonlshed the
country of the base uses which would
be mace ofthis power. hope gentle
men will remember the remarks made
on this subject, and which | have al
ready given to the House, from Mr..
Hamilton, the Chairman ofthe Commit
tee on Reform. reserved for The pre-
sent branch ofihe argument peculiar
" striking and descriptive passage IN
the speech before alluded to. He UNI
dertook to describe an honest, indepen-
dent editor, of good principles and de-
served influence, and then adds, that
such an editor as this
| "May not be disposed to bow or bend
r.. tho II a If summarizing