Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1839-05-09
FROM THE MADIsoNIAN.
The Executive army Of Office Holders; their in
reference in elections.

The EEecMtDe army 81 OUlce-1OfdeTS; feir IN"
reference Ia elections.
Mr.. Jefferson, in a letter to Governor Nc.
Keau. of Pennsylvania, dated the I'd of Febru-
ory. 1901, speaking OF the "Federa officers OBJ
s,ructing the operations Of the State Govern
ments," said ''that as to the future, interleren.
res with elections, whether ofthe State or Gen.
eral Government, by officers Of the latter,
should be deemed cause Of removal because
the constitutional remedy by the elective prn.
cipe becomes nothing, lift may be smothered
BY the enormous patronage Of the General
Government"
In accordance with these doctrines, and for
the purpose Of carrying them out, Mr.. Jeffer-
son, while President, issued circular address
ed to ohice-holders under himself, from which
the following is extracted;
"The President ofthe United States has seen
with dissatisfaction officers of the General
Government taking, on various occasions, &C
tive parts in the elections Of public functional
res, whether of the General or State Govern
ment Freedom of election being essential to
the mutual independence Of Government, and
Of the different branches of the same Govern.
ment so vitality cherished by most of our Con-
stitutions, il is deemed improper, for officers
depending on the Executive Of the Union, TO
attempt to control or influence the free exer-
else Of the elective right. 1t is expected that
no officer will attempt 10 influence the vote Of
other men, nor take any part in the business of
eleetioneering; that being deemed Inconsistent
with the spnit Of the Constitution and his du-
tieS.n
How does the practice of Mr.. Van Buren,
and the policy advocated by his friends in the
Senate correspond with those principles Of Mr..
Jefferson? We will show.
Early in the session Mr.. Crittenden introdu-
ced into the Senate the following bill
A BILL to prevent the interference Of certain
Federal officers in elections.
To the end that the great powers given to the
officers Of the Federal Government, and 9TH
er persons employed in It's service, may not
be used for the influence Of elections, which
ought TO be free and incorrupt:
Be 1t enacted, &c. That from and after the
frs; day of April, in the year one thousand
eight hundred and thirty nine, no marshal, no
postmaster or deputy postmaster, no receiver
or register Of land office, or any Of their dep
uties or clerks, no surveyors general of the
public lands, or any Of his deputies or assis-
tants, no collector, surveyor, naval officer,
weigher, gaugor, appraiser, or other officer or
person whatsoever concerned or employed ia
the charging, collecting, levying or managing
the customs, or any branch or part thereof, no
engineer, officer, or agent employed or concern
ed in the execution or superintendent OF any
Of the public works, shall, by word, message,
or writing, or in any other manner whatsoever,
endeavor to persuade any eector from giving
his vote for the choice of any person TO be cleo
tor Of President and Vice President Of the Uni
ted States, or for the choice of any person to be
Senator or Representative in the Congress of
the United States, or for the choice OF any per-
sons to be Governor or Lieutenant Governor
of any State, or Of any persons to be a repre-
sentative or member in the Legislative Depart
ment of any State Of this Union, or for the
choice of any persons to serve in any public
Office established by the law Of any Of said
States; nor shall any such officer or persons
intermeddle in any the elections above men,
toned, or use any means with intent to infu-
ence or control the same otherwise than by
giving his own vote; and every person often
ding therein shall forfeit the sum of five hun
dred dollars; one moiety thereof to the infor.
mer, and the other moety thereof to the Uni
ted States aforesaid, to be recovered, with costs
of suit, by any persons that shall sue for the
same, by action Of debt, bill, or plant in any of
the district or circuit courts of the United
States and every person convicted, on any
such suit, of the said offence, shall thereby be-.
come disabled and incapable Of ever bearing or
executing any Office or place of trust whatsoe-
YER under the said United States.
This was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary, Of which Mr.. Wall was chairman
After delay of six weeks he made long re-
port against the bill, in which they intimated
that every officer Of the Federal Government
who did not take part in the elections would be
looked upon as an "idiot," and the Committee
declared that it was not only their "right," but
their "duty to discuss and promulgate. freely
the measures OF the Administration" And
concluded the report with the following:
"Under every aspect that the committee
nave been able to view the provisions Oft
Dill, 1t appears to them that it is unjust, une-
qnal, lmpractcable, impolite, tyrannical and
unconstitutional; that it is founded on an as.
sumption of power by the Fedora! Government
NOT granted by the Constitution, and destruc-
I'VE OF the rights of the several independent
States composing The Union, and Of the consti'
'uAoual rights Of the citizens Of those States,
ana That It's provisions are Of most alarming
ahd dangerous tendency, not called for by any
existing mischief, and would not afford an up
proprlate remedy ifsuch mischief existed"