Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1838-05-17

inant party when they sought for elevation.
But lest gentlemen may have forgotten the
precise charges made against Mr. Adams's 4
Administration, beg leave to read from ccr-
tain documents of this House and of the Sen
ate, in which these gricfs and complaints,
with the promised reforms are duly recorded.
The first, in point of time, is report made
TO the Senate in 1926, by select committee,
(of which Mr.. Benton was clairman,) "to
which was referred proposition to inquire
into the expediency of reducing the patron
age of the Executive Government of the u
nited States" In this document Mr.. Benton
reports:
"Tlat, af,cr mature delibcralion the committee
of opinion that II is cxpedent 10 diminish or tn regulate
by law the Executive patronage OF the Federal Govern
nlent, whenever the lie done consistently with
the provisions of the CONSTITUTIONS and without impair
ing the proper efficiency Of the Government. Acting
der this conviction they have reviewed carefully
time aud other engagements would permit them to do,
.e degree aud amount of patronage now exercised by
the President, and have Gfryed at the concson that
the same may and ought to be diminished by law"
i For this purpose that committee then re-
ported six bills one Of them proposed to re-
gulate the publication Of the laws and of pub
lie advertisements another had this impos-
ing title" bill to secure IN office the faith
iul collectors and disbuYsers OF the revenue,
and to displace defaulters." But, besides its
alluring title, that bill also contained the fol-
lowing provision:
| eth at In sl nominations made by the President TO
the Senate TO fill vacancies occasoned by the exercise oi
the Presidents power to remove from office, the ihct Of
the removal shall he stated to the Senate at the same
time the nomination is mndc with statement OF the
reasons for which such officer may have been removed
The other four bills also looked 10 the re-
straint or reduction Of the Presidents power
and patronage. 1t is unnecessary now to
read them. The report proceeds:
The committee do doubt but that there many
other branches of Executive patronage, in addition To
these which arc comprecndod In the provisions of these
bills, which might be regulated by law.
Far from thinking that they have exhausted the subject,
they believe that they have only opened it, and that
nothing more can be done at this time than to ay the
foundation 0fa stem, 10 be followed up and completed
hureafter."
4 Mr.. BoNp said that, Notwithstanding a sc.
ries Of years had elapsed, and Mr.. Benton and
his friends had full power, the People had
looked in vain for superstructure on this
|" foundation of n system Of REFORM" which
this famous report proposed to have laid.-
That same committee, too, assert and claim
for the Senate 'the control over appointments
to Office" and say they "beleve that they will
be acting in the spirit Of the Constitution III
aboring to multiply the guards and to
strengthen the barriers against the possible
abuse of power" This is necessary, they
say, where laws "are executed by civil and
military officers, by armies and naves, by
courts Of justice, and by the collection and
| disbursement of revenue, with all its train OF
salaries, jobs, and contracts and where, in
this aspect Of the reality, we behold the work
ing of patronage, and discover the reason
why so many stand ready, in any country and
in all ages, to flock to the standard Of power,
wheresoevcr and by whomsoever it may be
raised" The number Of olfice-holders is
spoken Of as large and still rapidly increasing,
and the report proceeds "Each person EN-
ployed will have a circle of greater or less
diameter, Of which he is the centre and soul
"a circle composed Of friends and relations,
and of individuals employed by himself on
public or on private account. BY way. Of il
| lustrating the great number Of Office e-holders
and their combined power, Mr.. Benton then
turns tn the {" Blue Book of the Republic
which he calls ga growing little volume,
and says it corresponds with the Red Book
OF monarchics."
! Mr.. Speaker, this Blue Book is indeed Q
| "growing little volume," but it has grown
more rapidly in the nine years ofthis govern
mcnt, administered under the advice Of Mr.
Benton and his friends, than it did in double
that time, before they came into power.
| present now. sir, Cor your inspection, the Blue
Book of 1928, and that for the last yos, 1897.
| 1t is plain thu, the last is nearly or quite
double the size of the former and il the
contents of the two are compared, the mum
Der Of Office holders their salaries and com
! pensatiop, the various divisions and sub.di
visions of every Department, it will be seer
| that, under this boasted system Of retrench
! mcnt and reform, nothing has been curialled
but, on tho contrary great increase in the
number Of Office holders, with increased sala
! ries. To this, too, is to be added mos'
| alarming addition in all the public cSpendi
lures of the country, greatly exceeding II
/ amount the expenses OF that Administration
which was charged as wastcful! And IT ih
state of things is not checked in time, WI
| may yet realize that this Blue Book not onl.
Corresponds with," bot has actually become
! boasted republic
! Mr.. Benton in his report, exhibits a list
I taken from the Blue Book of 1925, Of all th'
! officers, with their salaries, at tho Custom
house in the city Of New York. Tho, mum
:. Der thus given is one hundred and seventy
four, and the aggregate amount Of their com
/ pensation is stated $1,000 80. lie thel
]. cxclalms-
III "a formidable list, indeed formidable In numbers
and stl more 30 from the vast amount of money Il
their bands. The action of such body of men, suppos
ing ilcm he animated by one spirit must be trenc
do,s In elections and that they will he animated
proposition too plain need demonstration. Powe
over mans support has always been held and adnittc
10 be- power his WILL The President has poweI
over the support of all these officers and they sgni
have power the support ofdebtor merchants TO h
amount G ten millions Of dollars per annun, aud
the daily support of immense number of indiviun
professional, merhnncoi, ard day-lsboring To who,
they can md will extend deny valuable private
wei, as public patronage according to the part they sha
net in State as well as IN Federal elections"
II And TO nj, this, the report still adds tn
, Naval aud Military Establishment, the Judic
iary, the Post Office, aud presses, with whs
/ liz calls the " "unknown and unknowablc list G
liobbcrs and contractors and the still mor
, inscrutablc list OF cxpcctan's who arc waltin
, for "dead mems shoes, and willing IN tn
|, mean while to do anything that the Twin
= men wish" Having thus glowingly descrit
cd tho state Of patronage, and the suoserv
: ent league and unprincipcd devotion oi Ia
!, office holders, Mr. Benton then says:
"Thc power NJ patronage unless checked by the w
orous interpretation of Congress, must 90 on ncr,a,n
until Federal Influence ~ many parts oi THIS C"nic,s
| tion will predomlnste IN elections Hs e0npieteN
iirish influence p-cdoinnstcs In the elections oi Sco
great naval stations of Portsmouth and Plynrnm'
:. We arc also told by Mr.. Benton that "il
Z whole of this prent powcr will centre IN ~