The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-05-28
Extract from tho speech q HsiN@ 4
Mr.. GRAVES, OF KENTUCKY,
On the Treasury Note Bill.

THE EXTENT AND TENDENCY OF ASSESSING PUBLIC
OFFICERS.
The references have made to the eases OF
Robinson and Washington, and TO the amount
OF money paid out for newspapers, was not in
view of the saving in pecuniary point OF view
in those particular cases. nor SO much in refe-
renee to the saving to be attained in the thou
sands Of similar cases, as to show the alarming
extent to which such a system will increase the
power Of the President. But let this system
continue, and you will soon see President,
with majority in both branches Of Congress,
doubling or even trebling the present amount Of
salaries, and, under the operation of this sys-
tenn, collecting it all back again, except mere
sufficiency to pay for the performance Of the ac-
tual labor. F
But il is not my purpose to deal with proba-
Bile future state Of the case, but with things as
they now stand Then we will estimate the
amount annually collected at present from Of
fce-holders at one million---a sum probably
much under the mark-and what might Presi-
dent not accomplish with it? Itwould give him
between thirty eight and forty thousand dollars
year to expend in each of the States of this
Union. Tell me not that money will not give
TO its owner power. Money is and always has
been power and will continue to be as long
as human nature remains unchanged. Give
me money and will buy men; give me men
and will conquer the world, is an old adage,
and is as true as it is old. This immense sum
would place in the hands of the President ire
mendous power. II would enable him, through
his secret agents. to buy up large portion of the
public presses Of the country; and to pay for
and place in the hands of 100000 voters (more
than one-fourth Of all the legal voters in the
United States) weekly newspaper at two dol
lars year. Place in the hands of laboring
man weekly party paper, ably edited, and let
him read ii alone, for years, and as sure as fate
it viii make an impression on him. In this
way one-fourth Of all the voters in the whole u.
States may be reached, and a powerful infiu-
ence exercised ovor them, without thor scarce
ly knowing it.
When it is recollected that almost every Ad-
ministration paper in the United States is more
or less fed and sustained by the public purse
in the way of jobs of public printing, or con-
tracts to furnish blanks, stationery, &c. for the
thousands of public offices, it is time to pause in
taking step that goes still further to place them
within the reach and control OF the President
The freedom of the press is essential to liberty.
It's totally immaterial whether its freedom is
DESTROYED BY bribery and corruption, or by fire
and faggot The effects are essentially the
same.
1t is no answer to my argument against Ex-
ecutive patronage to say that this, that, or the
othet President is good man, and will not thus
abuse his power. The liberties of people are
not worth contending for, if they are to be held
at the will of any man.
But let US look for momenr into the facilities
Of raising means through this system of contri-
Take, then, the Treasury Department, in
which there are 800 persons employed, at an
average salary of $l,1S5. The whole amount
annually paid out to these officers is 1888, 300.
If the duties of all these officers could be per-
formed, on an average, as in the case OF Robin
son, for one-third, there would remain $685. 1874 ;
or if for two-thirds, there would remain the sum
of $129, 1856, saved annually by the head of this
single department. Add this to the surplus,
which may in the same way be saved by the
heads of the other departments, the collectors
of ports, and other officers of the Government,
and we shall have an amount greatly exceeding
a million of dollars, for the purpose of subsi-
dzing or establishing political presses, or for car
rying elections by violence, fraud, and corrup-
ton. sf stHaatIFf afE .l#l Tvs
In frankness. do not suppose that so large a
proportion as two-thirds of the salaries of these
clerks is exacted from them, nor perhaps so
much as one-third, except in great emergencies.
|, however, do know, if human testimony can
be relied on, that immense sums of the public mo-
ney are collected for the worst Of purposes by
this administration, through this fiction of first
paving il out to, and then exacting it back from
the clerks and officers. s8t
Dut VIC HdNt a NSit thdueiuatc tohsst'aioHo vi
the extent of this immense power, derived from
this and similar sources, if we confiine ourselves
to view of a single department. In this Dis
trict there are three other departments, to say
nothing of the General Post Office, in the va
rious branches of which alone there are now
more than $4,000 adult males employed.
But extend the view little from this city
look to the great number of custom-houses in
Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston,
tho other commercial N
the Union and to the land officers without
number; and think we shall behold spectacle
truly appalling.
In the custom-house in the city OF New York
alone, there are 4SS regular salaried officers, TO
saynothing ofthe number Of day laborers, jobbers,
&c about a point at which so much labor is re-
CURED According 10 the calculation | have
made the salaries of these officers average
Sl,l36 80, and the total amount OF their pay IS
1854 SIT IS. Ten per cent on this sum would
be S55,451 twenty per cent Slll,9U2; and
twenty-five per cent Sl38,629. What precise
proportion of the salaries Of these officers they
are required to contribute annually has not been
ascertained. IL was, however, proven before
the Swartwout Investigating Committee, that
the officers were regularly assessed, and the as
sessments regularly collected One of the wit
nesses, Cd. L. Lyon in deposing how the col
lections were made, said, " the collector OF the
general committee has an alphabetical book
which contains the names Of persons taxed and
the amount each individual is required to paw =
And in answer to the questions how much he