The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-03-02

or vfRoISIAs
Against The financial policy Of The Administra-
hon and IA uiadieation Of the Conservative
Republicans. Delivered in the House Of
Representatives, Feb. %, 1889.
[coscLgDED
Increases Of Pahonags.--In the year 1926, COM
miee OF the Senate in concise but very able report
made the following very forcible and truthful remarks
in relation 10 federsl patronage ITO be able TO show
10 the Senate full and perfect view Of the power and
workings Of federal patronage, the committee addressed
note, Immediately after they were charged with this
inquiry, TO each Of the Departments and 10 the Post
master General requesting TO be informed Of the whole
number OF persons employed and the whole amount OF
money paid out under the direction of their respec
tive Departments The received are hereunto
submitted, and made part Of this report With the
Blue Book they will discover enough to show that the
predictions Of those who blind to the defects Of the
Constitution, ready to be realized; and that the
power aud influence OF federal patronage contrary to the
argument in the Federaist, is oyermatch for the
power and influence OF State patronage that its work
ing will conamnate the purity Of all elections, and en-
able the Federal Government, eventually to govern
throughout the States as efIectuay as If they were
many provinces OF one vast empire" And in what
branch oil this Government does this great and dan
gerous patronage ABIDE the authors OF this report say
The whole OF this great power will centre in the Pres
dent The King Of England is the source Of power the
Presided 81 The " States is the source Of patronage He
presldes over the entire system Of federal appointments
jobs and contracts He has power over the support Of
the individuals who administer The system He makes and
unmakes them He chooses from the circle Of his
friends and supporters, and may dismiss them and
upon all the principles Of human actions, will dismiss
them as often as they dissPpon, his expectations
His spirit will animate their actions in all the elections
Of State and Federal officers" This report 4nad the
sanction Of Mr.. Van Buren,, Mr. Benton and the late
Nathaniel Mason, who were members Of the commit.
tee. Appointments Office, letting Of Jobs and con-
tracts, and the disbursement of the public money,
the of patronage from which these gentlemen
apprehonded much danger. II these apprehensions
were well founded in 1926, how much are they
in 1899, when the public officers have increased
largely in numbers, and the expenditures Of the public
money nearly uebled The scheme proposed, although
proposing but small increase either Of officers
large increase of both Ii is by adding first in way
and then another that these Of executive pa
tronage have sweled to such extent, and
is this Of unwse and unsafe legislation, which
seek To arrest
Mr. Chairman, need not argue this question il has
been argued by my opponents With more force and Ell.
feet, than can possibly do and have only to meet
their present position with their arguments hereto
tore used to overthrow and annhilste them. will
content myself with single quotation from the "Gobe,"
which, at that time, reflected the opinions of General
Jackson, his administration, and its friends upon this
extract for my own This (says the Globe,) is the
notable plan by which Senator Leigh would dmiaish
the power Of the Executive, the repositories of
public money Instead Of suffering the President to
appoint Treasurer he does now, he would have
him appoint as many as should be convenient. Or, If
the appointments taken Of the hands Of the
President with the Of the Senator's it must
be vested in the head Of the Treasury Department. to
be made without their concurrence. And when APP
pointed, these officers must necessarily be all other
Executive officers are subject TO removal at the
will OF the President Mr. Leigh attacks the Constitu
ton itself when he con,rovers these positions, as we
shall hereafter show And these Treasurers, all APP
pointed by the President, and removable at his will
with all The public money in their actual
their pockets. deats, trunks and vaults-are, in the
opinion OF Mr.. Leigh, the Constitutional repositories Of
the public moneys in preference to the State Banks,
which guard the public treasure they do their own
orer chch the President has control and to one Trea-
surer Who instead Of having the money in his actual
possession, cannot possibly get dollar of it into his
own hands, for any other purpose than to pay his own
salary and ordinary office expenses II 10 fortunate for
General Jackson, that he does not entertain Mr. Leghs
opinions. II he had suggested such system, ,chaf
peals 81 patriotic indignation, iroad haze burst Of eo
quent Senator'S against the usupcr and yrant, pho de-
sired 10 get the millions of The Treasury into the pe,y
hands Of his pa,tisans and parasites"
The argument of this extract is, that the Sub
treasury ought not 10 be adopted because the Pres
dent had the power of removal, and the public
treasure would be in his actual custody liable to be
misused and misapplied by him and his subordnates.
The constitutional power of the President is the
same now that il was then and the argument is as
strong now as It was then The Conservatives for
these and other reasons, oppose now, as the whole
party did then this scheme Have they changed
and do they merit the appellation Of traitors, desert
erS apoStaeS and renegades.
aciH produce hostility beticeen the State and Fee-
raj authorities. There can be no system of financial
operations on the part Of this Government founded
fha yrln nf pnndS ria vipy han lr
notes. that will not exert hostile influence upon
the banks, and produce corresponding feeling on
the part OF the State governments Ii the States per-
sst in maintaining their banking institutions, as
do not doubt they WILL il will be because Of their
utility in furnishing sound, safe circulating
dunn and the States will view, as hostile to these
institutions, system Of exclusion and act accord
ingly. Such is the natural course OF things, and
such will be the inevitable result These institutions
now furnish the principal circulating medium of the
country, and in all probability will continue to do
so. The States therefore will feel il their duty to
foster and protect them, and will view with great
jealousy any hostile action on the part Of this Go.
vernment and that hostile action would grow out of
the operations OF this system, cannot be doubted.
But, Mr. Chairman, why argue this question
why undertake to prove that which the daily prac-
lice Of the Government conclusively proves-that
The operations of the Treasury Department cannot
be, successfully conducted without the aid of banks.
While the Treasury Department had the full power
Of acting upon the principles of the Sub-treasury
scheme during the whole Of the last year. Of "a, $780,
3CO in all the repositories at the close of the year.
50 S79, 655 was in The banks; 81 800 1927 in the four
minis, and only S39S9lS in the hands Of collectors
and receivers-of the sum of 50 S79 655 deposited in
banks, 1926, IA only is deposited in banks employed
under the provisions Of the act of 1886. The balance
Of $25sl 4bl is deposited in banks employed by the
Secretary of the Treasury, under the broad discre-
lion invested in him by the act of I1S9. ! do not
advert TO this fact for the purpose OF complaining
will not now enter into the transaction with the
Bank Of the United States refer TO these facts for
The purpose of proving that, while the Executive is
urging upon Congress an entire separation between
The Government and the banks il is maintaining
direct connexion with them by Executive authority
alone and the only question at issue is whether the
shall be regulated by Executive discre-
lion, or the authority OF Congress In addition TO