Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1838-05-19

1T 0ooesal Jackso0's reform and setseuehwen
admaistration, has been the practice Of reward
iog the mora useful aud active partizans by dou
BILE appointments. We do not alludc to the cas-,
Of Mr.. Isaac Hill, who, willis, Governor Of New
Hampshire, held, tionaIy, and still hold
wc believe, the Office Of Pension Agent, on tn.
plea that pension agency il not an office unde
the general government; for in this case, but on<
Of the appointments was held by federal tenure
but We refer to those numerous instances in which
fsvorites Of General Jackson, holding permanent
office IN some OF the departments, were appointed
to temporary missions with the view Of augmeu,
the emoluments Of their official service.
Th"s, for instance, Mr. Robert Greenhow, q
translator in the Department Of State, with q
salary Of Sl,s6O per anoum, was sent to Mexico
a. bearer Of Notwithstanding for his three
mouihs' trip ST. l2 80, and drawing in the inter
val the salary Of his clerkship. Agnin, in tho
case Of Eleazer Early, who was sent with des-
panhcs to our Charge d'AfFaires at Bogots, ,chicA
,eere nerer delicered. To this gentleman Mr.
Fossyth paid 4l,522 y, for the expenses and
compensation Of one hundred and nineteen DAYS
sewiccs-and II the same time Mr.. Early was
drawing at tho rate Of 81 500 per .nnum as H.
brarian Of tho House OF Representatives. This
is what the old pseudo retrenchment and reform
committee denounced "as a convenient mode Of
sending fav0rites abroad, vel for their 2es-
sure, health or instruction, out Of the public cof
fcrs." Another charge in the books Of the State
Department that looks somewhat unfavosaby fos
a "reform and retrenchment" administration, 10
that Of $2,5l5 rs contingent expenses" Of the
mission Of the late William r. Barry to Smin
The gentleman never reached Spain-and receiv-
cd hts usual salary and outfit; what "contingent
expenses" in that case, could be fairly chargeablc
10 our government
In the year 1886, Mr.. John r. Clay, was Al
the time Secretary Of Legation at ST. Peters.
burgh with n salary Of $4,000 pcr annum, re.
40
for certain diplomatic services" What thoss
"ccrtain diplomatic services" may have bees,
does not appear; but We presume that they were
no other than pertained legiiimately to the S.
cretary Of Legation, during the absence Of n
Minister. 1t - q mere tsumpcd up charge, to It
tach larger compensation than the law auth'r
ICES, to tho Office hold by Mr.. Clay.
The reform and retrenchmen mt committees, which
overthrow Mr.. Adams spared nothing that cold
be distorted into abuse. They did not permit
Mr.. Attorney General Wirt-ono Of the purst
and most high minded men that ever lived, md
Ia all points Of character and intellect, contrast
ing most honorably with Mt least one individual
Who has since held his office-they did not suffer
even Mr.. Writ to escape without imputation and
censurc In one two instances, he had rn-
dered some professional service in which the Ui-
ted States interested, but which did not cone
within the duties Of his Office, and offered lxi-
timosc subject Of an extra charge. For thishc
claimed a moderate fec, the acceptance Of which
shockingly scandalized the purifiers aud ref,rmrs
Of the day. They werc disposed to retrench he
expenses Of the Attorney General, which tim !
amounted TO $1,000 for the office, and SSOOfor
a clerkship. In 1884, Mr.. Attorney GENIAL
Butler received for compensation s 900, wittnn
extra Of $l5O-Sl 800 for clerk and messenger,
md $500 for the very convenient item Of Con
tingent expenses" The same was tho expe,di-
turc Of l635-but in 1896 tho sum of 8 ,:O7
was appropriated to the clerk and messenger, and
his whole compensation was 81 1892. Bot during
a part Of the period in which he receiving the
and all-he discharges the duties Of Secretary OF
War, and pocketed for the interval, Of course tho
additional salary Of the additional Office. Tho
Government has improved upon the story Of the
1.-TWO single gentlemen rolled into one'-and man.
aged to roll one single gentleman into couple Of
responsible and lucrative Offices, often il
was fOun3 desirable to stimulate partizan effort
d to pamper favoritc at tho expense Of the peo-
ple.
The immaculate Mr.. Kendall figures on this
list to some extent. While he was first occupied
With the reform Of our Banking institutions, and
he introduction Of tho Besscr C.rrency, no vas
employed on tho contract-makin9 mission to Tho .
Opposite banks, which was to give q moro
uniform and sound' circulation, and to ssregul,to
at such insgnifica ntIy moderate char
res. During this mission, in addition to the sal
Try Of his Office, he received SO day, for SER
rice which has brought more distress upon the
country than could be expiated by the devotion Of
thousand years TO the patriotic service Of the
5tate-if Mr.. Kendall should reach to that pairi-
Irchal longevity-for we assured by the Dem
'csatic Review, that all Mr.. Kendalrs ancestors
ave been very "loog-lived!" We will aIIuds to
mt oos more instance, which Is mentioned in the /,
peech Of MI. Bond Of Ohio, to which We have
cen indebted for the statistics Of present sr-
ice, and the reproduction Of the facts to tho 81
ention Of tho public. This is that Of the Con !
missioner Of Indian Affairs, who was for whie
citing Secretary Of War, and during this pend I
rev the salaries Of each Office, At the rate # c
1900 per annum. 70
A kindred abuse with the abuses above detailes .
that of family provision, the practice Of quar
ering relatives and dependents on the public q
treasury, and providing for uncles and nepbews q
nd brothers in law out Of tho public purse. On Z
Ms subject We annex paragraph from the speech L
MI. Bond, which is already sufficiently con- Y
enscj to require no further abridgment. d
Bot, Mr.. Speaker. no man better knows all the c
ses Of Office than Mr.. Kendell. have read = |,
olitical tract, written think, by Dean Swift, on
tied somewhat in this way-"The convenience 6
place 1t Court, or q sure mode Of providing 8
arments Tor whole family" Mr.. Kendall ap-
'ars 10 understand the "@odss operesdin If this
attef. Tho printed list Of clerks in this De- 8
lrtment exhibits his father in-Iaw aud two me-
,ews with salaries Of n ON ADM and AlAnO. q