Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-07-13

del Of power those who then held il, and
place it under the control Of these Jealous
reformers. This was done. This specious
report, like its twn.sister OF the Senate,
was trumpeted aloud by its friends, and at
public expense, under the order Of the
House. many thousand copies of it were
scattered throughout the country. The
People read, and, honestly believing it,
took the alarm, and placed the reformers in
postr.
! ID now, Mr. Speaker, after your undis-
1u ID possession for nine years, what has
ben done' Have yon reduced any expen-
ditute, corrected any abuse, or provided
AM festraint on the power Of patronage?
M, or, no. But, on the contrary, your
patty in power have made all public expen
dtu;gs greater than before; you have
practised the very abuses of power of which
you complained, and have not provided any
restraint on Executive patronage! We
have thusa practical illustration ofthe abuse
Of the Identical power of which your friends,
when sounding tho alarm, gave only
theoretc description.
Mr. B. said the resolution now under
consideration still looked to reform, and
especially to The correction Of the abuse Of
power in regard to the public printing
The gentleman who offers it, (Mr Hopkins
though acting with the Administration
generally is not blind to he abuses which
may be committed. He is still de-
manding reform from principle, and is not
satisfied that abuses have been corrected
by simple change of men. am surpris.
ed, Mr. Speaker, to find this resolution
opposed by The Administration. The gen.
tleman from New Hampshire (Mr Cush
man, resists it on most extraordinary
grounds He admits abuses, but says it is
Impracticabe to correct them, and there.
fore useless to pass the resolution. Is il
possible that such an objection can be
openly avowed and sustained here! The
gentleman says it is the usage of party tc
dispose of this patronage in its own way,
and that he never heard of any complain,
against Mr. Adams Administration for sc
doing. Here. sir, is another open avowa
Of the doctrine, that the spoils belong t
the victors.
Mr. Cushman here explained, and OBJ
served he had not said the spells belonged
to the victors.]
Mr. Bond admitted that the gentleman
had not used those identical words, but THU
was the doctrine of the party with which
he acted, and distinguished member o
that party now the Governor of New
York. (Mr Marcy,) had, when a member o
the Senate Of the United States, openl!
used those terms and justified this usage O
party. The friends of the Administration
uniformly practised under this precept
whatever may be their theory. do no
wish to do the gentleman from New
Hampshire any injustice, and will rea
from his remarks as published, and he Wi
then have an opportunity Of correctin!
them it enormously printed. The gentle
man is reported as having said:
1T was well known, that since the estab
llshment of the Government. the dominan
party, whichever it might be, had invara
bly, employed what has been called, if 20
please. partizan printers and partiza
editors. But why should they not do so
So long as the opposition had the predom
nancy, thew used to supply their ow
partizan printers, and no complaint wa
made about it; and why should any com
paul uIlSC INV. lIC Jaw uO JCuSOu tOI "
Here, then, think, sir. a position
taken and terms used in effect the same
and tending directly to the doctrine tha
the 'spoIs belong 10 the victors' But ca
. it be possible that the gentleman thinks
is correct when he says that no complain
, was made, and sustained by the fac
against Mr. Adams Administration. O
account of the exercise of the printin
patronage? Has he forgotten that Isau
, Hill, the present Governor of his own Stat
was the editor and publisher of newsps
per called the New Hampshire Patrio,
, and that the dlscontlnuance OF the public,
lion Of the laws in that paper. was consi'
cred go outrageous a persecution Il
opinions sake, that it may almost be sa
to have given him his subsequent polite
{ elevation and consequence The discoI
tinuance OF Isaac Hill as printer ofthe Law
, was occasioned, too, by his publishing
libel on the lady Of the President, wthol
J the least semblance oftruth, and so gross
, indecent that Mr. Randolph. though yea
r Gus opposer Of Mr. Adams, said it ought n
r even to be read on this floor. The occ
, sion. however, was seized, to bring Il
subject of public printing under dscussi'
I in this House, and Mr. Saunders, Of Nor
; Carolina, introduced a resolution calliI
+, upon the Secretary Of State to report VIII
5 changes had been made in the newspape
S printing the laws, together with his reaso
y Tor such changes. A long and spirit'
= debate followed and as gentlemen see
!, to have such imperfect recollections
. the events of that dav some lit lie refereD,
may perhaps be usefully made to what W
8 said in that debate. 1t will be observe
that the resolution of Mr. Saunders, al
e those who supported it, required reasons
S be given for removal from office. Sin
0 they came into power, however, that do
G trine has been denied and repudialed.
v Mr. Bond said he proposed to prove
G this debate, that the present Admnlstr
;. ton came into power declaring that 4
Il, | o.;n,,nr mi ram no of thp Govarnmpnt ~