Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1838-05-17
TConeiu.i,d from Ms fourth page. !

in her distress, turned casuist, and said
they were only N venial OF slight sin,
which might be divided |; and by taking
hall, and leaving the rest, or by taking |
j. eli, and amicabIy haIving i hetwixt
Yourself and another person, woeh be-
como diluted into no sin at all There
io,e, my dear daughter, continued the
Abbcss, | will say bcw, ard thou shalt
say ger aud thou shalt say jo", and j
will say ter. Accordingly, the Abbess
giving the pitch note on Jow, Margaret
Ia responded ger /; Margarelta continued
with fou, and the Abbess drawled out
ter; but still the mules stood. They do
not understand us, cried Margaretta
but the devil docs, said the Abbess.-
And, ] think, Mr.. Speaker, that these
reforming Secretaries will find that they
are understood in their patent mode oi
reform, and particularly, that tho People
will not be gulled into the approval OF
mn unauthorized expenditure by dividing
its amount among the Departments.
BY this time, think it is apparent that the
duty dcvolvcs on the gentleman from New
York, mr.. CAMBHgLESG,) not only to ac-
count for his voting against the measure IN
regard TO the compc nsaiion of members, but
also why il is that "a judicious system OF re-
form" has not been Instituted by "hls friends,
the Executive officers themselves" whereby
tho country might realize what was promised
by the gentlclnan's report reduction OF
one third Of the number of clerks in the sew
eral Departments, with safety TO the public
interest"
We win now look to the Post Office De.
partmcnt. Tho General Post Office, ns II
was then called, had the good fortune not
only to escape the censnre, but to enlist the
praise, of that faut-fnding era. ] leave II
for those who were familiar with the motives
and political currents of that day, tn account
for this. The committee said OF it" The
efficiency Of this branch OF the public service
is in u condition highly improved aud lmprov-
ing" Ny first remark on this is, that the
Post Office Department passed into The hands
OF General Jackson ia healthy and efficient
state. A few years under his reform, reduc
cd it to chaos and insolvency. The details
Of it, Inismana cement have been long since
proved. The evidence is on file here and in
The Senate, with the reports Of the several
committees appointed to investigate It's abu
ses. ] refer gentlemen 10 the hlcs, and VIII
not DIV, II on the various abuses which were
designated and established. Their enormlty,
coupled with the fact Of The borrowing money
on public account by the Postmaster Gene
raj, without law or authority, alarmed The
country. But bad a. all this was, and used,
~ the pccunary patronage had been, to con-
fer personal benefits on favorics, until the
disorder and insolvency of the Department
became apn.-cni, still the political uses which
had been made Of the appointing patronage
were not disclosed, aud now never VIII be.
The presen, Postmaster General, Amos Ken
dali, tells US IN his account of the late dcs-
truclIon of that Department by fire, that all
I. the books papers, and files of The Department
we've saved except tho 4" files" Of the cap
poin,ment Office" aud that these were des
iroyed!
In the first six years Of General Jacksou's
Administration, about 800 posimastcrs were
removed from oflicr,and,l in most OF the cases,
without the assignment Of any cause. When
certain members Of the committees OF the
Senate and House, appointed, IN 1894, to
Investigate The abuses OF that Department,
attempted to get all the tiles aud correspon-
deDcc Of this Appointment Office" with n
view 10 ascertain and report whether the rea-
foDs for these removals ~c,e prompted by
high and Just public considerations or by
mere party political expedency, they were
denied the right by the hesd of the Depart
men! aud by The friends of the Admnlstra-
ton, who composed minority on one OF
these committees! Was not this inquiry
justi refer you, sir, TO MIR. BentoD's famous
report and bill providing tor the disclosure ot
reasons in case Of removal from Office. re-
fer you, Mr. Speaker, to yonr own remarks,
aud To those of your friends, in the debate on
Mr.. Saunders resolution, which have al.
ready quoted. Bot, above all, | refer you to
no c.,F fL., ll,tsf l.
vailed as he was in the knowledge of The let
ter and spirit Of our Constitution and laws.
nnd IN purity aud honesty Of purpose. AS
early as 1879, in the memorable debate on
the power Of the Executive 10 rsmoYe from
office, he not only denied tho right 10 exer
cisc this power capricl lously, and without as
signing adequate reasons, but he thought 1t
would be such bold assumption OF lawlcss
power, that he thus expressed himself: 81
own il is on abuse Of power which exceeds
my Imagination, and of which can form no
raiionsl conception"
But when Mr.. Van Bnren and Mr.. Benton
(both of whom were on the committee which
reported the bill to prevent the abuse of tins
patronage Of appointmeni) came into power,
they changed their tone, il rot their princi-
plies. Removals from office immediately fol-
lowed,and they deny any obligation TO assign
T'asohs! is u not strange, TOO, nay, Is u not
mys,trous, that, in the confagratlon Of the
Post Office, the only papers and files des-
troyed should be those relating to the excr-
cisc, if not the abuse, Of the power Of remov-
: al from ofllco-the very papers which the
Postmaster General refused to suffer the
Committees Of Investigation 10 examine?
said Mr.. Van Buren changed his tone on
this subject. will at once prove it. The
journal OF the Senate shows that he was one
Of the Select Committee who reported the
bill already referred to. lie entered the Of
fee OF Secretary of Slate with the commence
ment of General Jackson's Administration.
One Of his first official acts was the removal
Of n mcritorous clerk from his office in that
Department, and n posiiire refusal 10 assign
dny reason for Il The gentleman removed
is now member of this House, Mr.. SLApE,
Of Vermont and the voice Of the People has
sustained blin whom the despotism Of Exec
utivc patronage sought TO destroy.
The manner in which this patronage Is
Infused, and the readiness and almost tcle-
graphic despatch with which the wires OF
party machinery are felt throughout and
from The most distant parts Of the Union, may
b. imagined after reading this laconic note,
written by Mr. Van Burcn soon after enter