The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-17

~ officer or the Federal Government, having under
IN caos,itotien ard laws, the power 20 appoint or
oia.ts and sppoin any officer or agent OF the TO-
ysronsn who shall be convicted Of promising or oes-
towing any Office agency upon any sgreenent on te
part Of the speoinee 10 render poleai os oer ses,-
ces in elecsscas otherwise and pens NOT
Ing MI 600 dismissal from Office. and perpetual dlsa-
biIity ao.,nst any soborduste officer convicted OF
ceiyinq Office upon such terms. The President and
Judges Of courts are excepted TO the penalty Of
ssessl from office
rhe die. proposed IN this message are applisa-
HE 70 evils in subordinate Offices, which but the
eon.eousnces Of greater ones which exist in higher
nl.r.. INSIST sir, that when begin again 10 ap-
Div remedies shall begin higher sp the calendar
that we shall begin OF the head Of the list. There ex
lists esskef al the core which must be crsdicsted
before we can expect heal euptions on the surface
or sfslrs All the remedies devised by the Admins
trstiea applicable others and only
while the radical vice rs IN themselves Ii is the spols
priaeipe-it the prieoipe of corruption itself which
has been adopted by the party power the only
effective party cenen--it is the false, corrupt and cor
rupng principle upon which the appointing power has
been aud continues be exercised under the present
scriptc dynasy- is the praatice Of appointing des-
perae, worthless, and unpriRcpled TO otice-men
WIFE, ngeheral possess other merit than their part-
services and efficiency in elections This, then,
sr 10 the great and fundamental evil And now, sir
when mostof the offices Of greatest trust in the
Try fted by this class Of men--by clamorous and
needy Hayortes-when their abuses and defaleations
have'kecone monstrous that their patrons
crtspeied acknowledge that nothing but the fear Of
,he pententisry restrain them vain aud idle al
tempt Is made TO substitute gnomibious pains and
penalties for honest Of Executive appoint
ment and supervision and hope equally idle and de-
uslve Is thrown out TO the public that unprncpled pub
lie officers may be made honest men by law And
who are they who wstch-,yhose duty il is to
watch deaung receivers and collectors Of tho public
moneysl Men, themselves, who acquired and now
hold their stations by the successful operation Of the
same false and corrupt principle Of appointment which
placed oil those who are subordinates them in office
The class cannot be supported without the other
all mus. be sustained or fall together
But, Mr. Chairman, THE is an old and threadbare
theme with me- have employed my time for years in
effort to attract the attention of the public TO this
subject in vain have often repeated all the arguments
which have suggested themselves upon this subject
this floor, and. am sorry say, with small effect
have ever believed since became advised Of the extent
to which the appointing power continued to be abused
that there could be but result, under the gross
abuse Of the appointing power which has prevailed Of
late, have never doubted that time would develop
an amount OF fraud peculation, and corrupton which
would amaze and arouse the people. if the system
should not efecualy undermine the public morals and
destroy all sense Of national pride and honor before
their eyes could DO opened, Sir, may claim to have
penetrated still further into the probable results Of this
system foretold, upon this aoor that other results
sarily in due of time follow in the train Of the
spos system established and acted upon in some Of
the States in the Union well as at Washington
predicted that the time would come when these
tests for the spos, into which all elections would soon
resolve themselves, would be decided by the sword
We have recently had very fair Illustration Of the
working OF this system at Harrisburg and that sir,
but the begnningthe first fruits OF the system. We
shall see the same exhibited by and bye upon a
larger theatre When this detestable principle oparty
attnn. all --If.
States OF the Union, 1t promises to d. shall
see our national elections contested and settled by the
direct intervention Of Office holders and ofceseekers
backed by their respective parlizans, made furious and
desperate by the prospect OF losing their share Of the
public spos, and resolved 10 incur every hazard to
themselves and the country in asserting their claims
But having so often urged the abuse Of the appoint
ing power the true of the gross abuses known
to exist in the public service, unwilling that the
ground assumed shall rest upon my assertion when
SO many proofs at hand to confirm what have said
In the report OF the committee Of the Senate appointed
to investigate the condition Of the Post Office Depart
ment In 1884, pages, will appear, by the admission
Of the head Of that Department himself Mr. Barry that
between the LIST Of April 1922 and the LIST Of Septem-
Der, 1884 there had been thousand three hundred
and forty removals from Office that Department alone!
The committee resolved inquire into the grounds Of
many removals. and that there might be no want Of
specification, they took up the Of John Heron,
who had been appointed postmaster at Putnam in Ohio,
Mr. Bell here read much Of the report OF the
committee relates to the alluded to- by which
appeared, IRON the statements furnished by the Post
Othce Department, that Herrsn appointed in July,
lh29 and continued in Office until November, 1881,
when he was dismissed. The amount due from him to
the Department, during the time he continued in Office
was estlnsted at 1888 g. part Of which had ever
been paid, ard he had finally absconded The commit
tee then called upon the Postmaster General for the
grounds upon which Stafford had been removed and
Enr I,,,f ~ rla h,t al u
denied the right Of The Senate go into such an nqu-
v}b b.. sid N, r ~. ,o,,u,;,. :. ;, =. u
ponsed IN hesame year, 1894, and charged with the
same duty resolved TO take up the inquiry into this
case where the Senate's committee stopped in the
inquiry II appears from the report Of the minority of
the committee Of the House doc lO3 D. 81 81 that the
Postmaster General promptly communicated the letters
and other papers on file in that Department, relating to
the removal Of Stafford and the appointment Of Heron
but the majority OF tho committee, consisting Of Mr.
Beardsley Of New York, Mr. Connor of North Carroll
ma, Mr. Sioddert, of Maryland, and Mr.. Hawes OF KY
passed an order that they should be returned the
Postmaster General before they copied In this
way IT happened that these papers have been
muncated 10 the public but the minority of the com
mitlee, consisting Of Mr.. WhittIesey, Of Ohio Mr.
Everett, of Vermont, and Mr. Watmouph of Pennsyl-
vania, state the contents of them from memory thew
having heard them read in committee; and BY that
statement appears that application made TO re-
move Stafford upon the ground that although he was
protested friend Of the Administration yet he was be-
leved not to be thorough in his feelings His friends,
hearing OF the attempt to get him removed represented
to the Department that he true friend Of the Ad-
mistration. There exception taken to his capa-
city, or integrity, yet he removed and Heron,
whose party fidelity unquestioned by any one was
appointed in his place Here is pretty specimen Of
this er in thc bud which has since expanded such
monstrous shapes Of abuse But there is vet more
important circumstance connected with this inquiry
Besides the strange Development that a Postmaster
General should not appear be conscious of any mis-
conduct in having dismissed an honest and competent
public servant from office upon such grounds, the still
astonishing fact appears in the shape Of an order
adopted by the majority of the committee that they