The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-10
From the Taunton Hass) Wing.
INTERFERENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT
OFFICERS WITH THE ELECTIONS,

Mr. Jefferson, in letter to Gov. Mexican, Of Penn
sylvania, expressed himself in these words:
Interferences in elections whether Of the State or
General Government, By officers Of The later should be
deemed cause of remorai because the constitutional
remedy BY the elective principle becomes nothing, IL it
may be snothered BY the enormous patronage OF the
| General Government"
This opinion is worthy OF consideration. At times il
is well 10 90 hack the ancient landmarks aud the
line anew The republican principle Of our government
is based the purity of elections. II the springs
tainted the streams which issue from them will be i'm
pure For the cure Of all our popular disorders, we
have looked the healing waters. but it is certain
truth that Of late years, no Angel has troubled the
fountain"
If The officers of the General Government ap-
pointed for their skill in electIoneerng then the critic
of merit and fitness is overlooked, and the tenure
OF office is changed from fidelity to the trust, to fidelity
to the administration. :..
The administration which appoints, and the officer
who accepts. such conditions, are corrupt The
public interest is disregarded The offices are all hold
trusts for the benefits OF the people, and those
who afick with such trusts for private purposes, are
as culpabe as gua dams who risk the whole property of
minors on their speculatlons.
The collectors Of the Customs and all their sphord
officers, have apportlonate and specific duties
Duties which have no connection with elections and
party controversies. Duties requiring perpetual vigil
lance Their very hours belong TO the people, They
cannot engage in transactions foreign TO their duties
without neglecting them.
With what face them can Mr. George Bancroft run
about the country. followed by an army Of Custom
House officers. TO electonetr Mr.. Psrmen,er or Mr..
Alexander II. Everett into office, or Mr. Brooks Mr.
Hastings ont Of office With what face he mingle
himself with elections especially out Of his county,
and call himself a democrat If the principle laid down
by jefferson be correct Mr. jefferson would have re-
moved George Bancroft for the very for which he
now receives promotion and reward The collectors Of
the Customs instead Of abstanng from the elections
have become the drudges Of the elec,ions-edors Of
newspapers-caucus notwithstanding even TO hand
bills .. ~.
The shameless sudacity Of such conduct, would
think, would disgust who retained The least
verence for republican institutions
1t is true, that the people Of Norfolk, and Worcester
and Middcsex have not. yet. submitted to the i'm
pudent dictation Of these lneropers yet, although
obeyed they tolerated In purer DAYS, they
would have been driven back to their Custom Houses
followed by the Indignation Of the whole people.
/ II this system Of official interference and Custom
House dlctatlon continues TO prevail, we may expect
deslcations astonishing than those of Swartwout
and Price. Samuel Swartwout did not put the whole
million and half Of dollars which he embezzled, into
his pockets Some of that money od at the polls.
Mr. Gilpin aud Mr. Underwood puzzlng themselves
to ascertain what Swartwout did with all that money.
Let them first ascertain who footed those tremendous
eectoneering bills which the recent elections OF the
city of New York produced How much has been
spent to sustain Cambrelengl How much to dispace
the Mayor! How much to enable Ely More to carry
his theoretical atheism into practice The Wings have
been charged high authority with buying the people
If they did they took the money from their pock
cts they did steal into the public treasury for the
means a..,. ~. .".