The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-05-19
DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRE-
sENTATIvEs.
SPEECH OF MR. BOND, or Ono,
Upoa Mr. Hepkias Rssolation, 10 diporestie Geuern-
msst from tls Press.


sssf from tAe Press.
(cosrISuEp)
The manner In which this patronage Is abused
and the readiness and almost Geographic despatch
with which the wires OF party machinery are felt
throughout and from the most distant paris OF the
Union, may be imagined atler reading this laconic
note, written by Mr.. Van Buren, soon after entering
on the dulles OF Secretary OF State, 10 gentleman
in Louisiana:
WASHINGTON. April 20, 1929
MY DElR SIN | have the honor Of acknowledg-
ing the receipt of your letter OF the 2st ult and of
informing you that the removals and appointments
you recommended were made on the day your letter
was received.
with respect, your friend, &c.
M VAN BUREN,"
And, so far from being willing TO reduce the num-
Der Of clerks in his Department as the People were
induced TO belie7e would be done, Mr.. Van Buren,,
when called on for that purpose, saw the whole az
fair through new medium, and replied: My
opinion is that there can be no reduction in the
number Of officers employed in the Department, tof
slate) without detriment 10 the public interest =
And yet the Retrenchment Committee, when Mr..
Clay was in that Department, reported "that they
felt satisfied that had the officer at It's head concurred
with them in the opinion, they might have presented
plan for not only gradual reduction Of the number
of clerks but for an actual increase in the efficiency
of their labors."
But other discrepancies between the profession and
practice OF these reformers remain TO be noticed
from New York, CHR. Cambreeng) and his friends
condemned the practice introduced BY the Secre-
taries of the Departments. Of sending The reports q
their clerks or heads bureaus instead of condensng
them, and making them substantially their own COM
municationn This PRACTICE ii bad, has never been
corrected but is daily INDUCED in by all the Depart
ments as the answers 10 the calls and resolutions OF
this House abundanty show. But still more re-
markable commentary follows. When The Depart
Of War passed into the hands Of John II Eaton,
jealous reformer he too, was called upon 70 carry
No. - and
of his clerks in uflment Of the public expectation
which he and others had excited. To the surprise
Of all he referred the subject 10 the clerks themselves!
and here, sir, is his reply:
"WAR DEPARTMENT Jan. 81 1880.
aSm: I have the honor TO lay before you reports
from The Sreral bureaus connected with the War De-
partment the subject of resolution OF the 9th
inst, referred 10 me by the Committee on Rerench-
men Respectfully,
CHARLES A, WIckLFFE Esq"
These BUREAUS, so far from agreeing to part with
any of their escucheons actually asked for an addi-
tonal supply Thus ended that farce
Another precept--T his rerenchmentreport alleged
that diplomatic relations and foreign Intercourse
were unnecessarily expensive, and recommended "a
fixed appropriation for the contingencies Of each
mission" 10 no case exceeding 5000, annually, to
cover the expenses of stationary, postage, office,
clerk hire and all other contingencies whatsoever"
Let us see the practice, Andrew Stevenson, our
cies including presents" TO the mental officers and
servants Of the Court and others, on his presenta-
tion, and at Christmas" S209S 81, in the space Of
about year, The like expenses OF nearly all our
other foreign missions are in correspondent RATIO
Profession.-Ihe grade of our Foreign Ministers
to be reduced in instances especially that at
Madrid, to Charge, with salary Of 450O dollars
Praetiee--A Minister Penpoentiary has been kept
at Madrid constantly, and John H. Eaton is there
salary of 5000 dollars, having also received his
outfit OF the same amount And during the last session
OF Congress an attempt was made TO increase the saa
res Of all our Foreign Minister'S! Who could have
anticipated this from administration that proclaimed
on this floor tat least of its most powerful and in
iuential supporters the late Mr. Randolph, who Joined
IN the cry Of retrenchment here proclaimed and what he
said received the full appreciation Of the party:
$50 long members of Congress, and not OF this
House only chiefly, will bow, and cringc, and duck,
and awn, and get out Of the way at pinchng VOTE
lend helping hand, at pnching vote, to obtain these
places never will consent to enlarge the salary at
tached to them We told that they live at ST. Pc
tersburgh and Lodon, and that living there very
pensSe Well, sir, who sent them therel Were they
impressed, sir Were they taken by press-gang on
Tower hill, knocked down. hand-cuffcd, chucked
board of tender and told that they take the pay
and raons which His Majesty pleased TO allow =
Now appeal to yon Mr.. Speaker, if the moral APP
plication Of these remarks has not been justly felt IN
Congress, and in this House only chiefly under
the retrenchment and reform administration
Another prccept of the reforming report.-The COM
mittee thought the mode OF appointing and com
pensating bearers of dispatches liable TO strong OBJ
econs prone to degenerate into species OF favorit
ism little short of a convenient mode Of sending
favortes abroad to travel for their pleasure, health
or instruction, out of the public Golfers"
Praetice.-The President and his Secretary of
State, both Jackson reformers, now take favore
clerk Of the State Department, whose salary at the
time at the rate Of SLIGO per year, send him
bearer of dispatches TO Mexico and for about three
months service, pay him $l2l2 SO, and suffer him
also 10 draw his clerks salary for the period Of his
absence! For this refer you the case OF Robert
Greenhow, who is the translating clerk Of that De-
partment all the facts Of the being stated in the
reports OF the Secretary He excuses the transaction
by saying that the Plantations which we're required
during Mr. Greenhow's absence were made at his
expense. IL might be we'll 10 inquire whether any
transations were required during that period, and
why also it would not have been quite as well to
discontinue the salary for the time and let the Go
vernment pay for any TRANSACTIONS which were need
ed But do we not here distinctly realize what the
retrenchmen report condemned in these words "lhat
an actual incumbent is considered to have such
sort of property in the office as TO enable him to
farm out its dutes and 10 receive part of its
nues for doing nothngT
Another illustration of this convenient mode of
sending favorites abroad" tout of The public Golfers
is found in the same list OF contingent expenses of
foreign intercourse. l allude to the case Of Mr..
Charles Biddle, who, when nominated by General
Jackson for jndgeship in Florida, was rejected by
the Senate.
After this rejection Mr. Biddle was despatched by
the Executive to Central America and New Grenada
What service he rendered we know not but it ap-
pears that for this mission allowance OF ST. 122 95
has been made. Mr. Charles Biddle is the same
gentleman who had controversy with Mr.. Senator
Grundy, in which the devotion Of the latter to Gen.
Jackson was questioned. We learn BY one of the
printed documents occasioned bythat dispute, that
the Senator for the purpose OF proving himself to be
what he called /" whole hog Jackson man, /" said he
" swallowed the hog not only whole but wrong end