The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-08-25

sound pol,cy he alluded 10 the reduction Of postage
ON private correspondence. He believed that part OF
the burdens Of the Post Office Department should pe
thrown upon the National Treasury. lie hoped maj
We should soon see change Of opinion on this SUD
icct.
he said that that Department, was not administered
for the benefit OF the People, that il WAS administered
disgracefuily and whilst IL continued TO be 50, he
onsidefed Il his duty 10 vote against any appfoPfia-
ton " hch might be asked for u.
Bssing himself on this posluiate, Mr.. r. launched
out into an attack upon the Postmaster General whom
he characterized as incompctent-ss neglectng the
duties Of his ofceand attending only TO that po-
Itcal part Of il which embraced the turning out OF
incumbents. For this latter branch Mr.. r. consider
ed that no could be mole competent Than the pre-
sent head Of that Department
Mr. SALTONSfALL surprised at the
grounds taken against the bill Here was an Admitted
debt due TO innocent third parties, and gentleman
objected 10 voting dollar OF il because he had obec-
tons TO the presest head Of the Post Once Depart.
ment Whose debt was il How came II here
Whose was the responsibility Why this hrade
against the Postmaster General because the Depart
ment had been lef in debt by his predecessor he
debt existed; the question whether II should DC
paid II had been inc aired by the late head OF the
Department by the present and because the ere
dtors asked for their money, were the friends OF
the Postmaster General 10 SIT and hear him attacked
and yiiied when he had been but three or four
months in office because be had 10 commence the dis-
charge Of his duties with heavy debt already upon
his hands He well know 10 every body TO be
most arduously devoted TO his official duty part Of
which duty and an important part OF IT, was to turn
out improper and Incompetent persons from ofhce-
men who had abused their official stations and privi-
eges and made their post Offices the very focus OF
eleconeerng operations in their respective neighbor
hoods The gentleman from New York pnt his OPP
position the bill the ground that the Department
was now in debt, and that well known that the
genten,an the head OF il utterly incompetent To
The duties Of his station. Did the very competent
1 gentlemen from New York undertake to pronounce on
that questio when the head Of the Department had
been but three four months in his place, and had
received the Department loaded with the debts of
4 other admnist alton But the gentleman had let The
House know his object il was apparent 10 every boz
dy the genteman's object to make violent at
tack the Postmaster General for eeconeering pur
poses and because he had removed from Office some OF
the gentleman's political fiends The only just
ground Of complaint the subject was, that he had
not removed more
The gentleman had referred to complaints Of pro.
scription and had read to the House scrap Of
paper; but Mr. s could tell him that in Massachusetts,
/ there much greater and louder complaints that
the Postmaster General had reduced the contracts and
curtaed the routes because OF the impoverished con-
| dhioD Of the Department. The gentleman had said
that the Postmaster General had removed postmasters
| from Office who did not differ much from himself as
be did from the President and yet he held office
with a death-grasp, and refused TO resign. What
had it to this, that apubic officer The head of
| Department created by law, if he differed any
point from the Executive Head of the Republic, must
either resign be turned out of office Could there
be perfect despotism lmaginedl MIR 5. trusted
] in God that we had not come such pass that "
he hoped there little remains OF liberty left
IL to be expected that differences Of opinion
would exist on the part Of those who, on every other
point might cordially approve and support the views Of
the Executive and there in fact the most perfect
harmony of general sentiment between the President,
his Cabinet the two Houses of Congress and The
great majority of the American People Yet the
debts of the Government must not be paid because
executive officer did not choose TO march out OF office
because of point of difference of opinion between
1 himself and the PRESIDENT The case perfectly
| plain. Mr.. S. had repeatedly asked the honorable
chairman OF the Post Office Committee why this bill
had not been sooner reported; IT was now here and
| on what grounds had il been opposed MIR. s.
clujed by referring the large debts due
ors the South, and the embarrassment and suffer
| ing which grew out of the Governments delay In
MIR CAVE JOHNSON followed, in opposition to
the bill He insisted the uniform policy of the Go
vernment having been to keep the Post Office Depart
separate from the Treasury, and make its
nue. meet and defray It's expenditure; bot this bill
commenced the policy of placing IL burden upon
the Treasury. The object augment the ex-
penditure that the deficit might lead TO an increase Of
| the tariff Those Who used the Post Office were but
few in comparison with the mass OF the People, and II
was wrong to tax whole nation for these few pe,-
sons The Department able 10 support itself, and
should lie kept separate from the general receipts and
/ expenditures.
Mr. J. denied altogether that any deb, existed de-
Glazed his disbelief of the Postmaster Generals
report and compared with The report Of the Sccre,a
~ of the Treasury, which stated national debt of
thirty one millions. This had been reduced by their
own showing, to twelve millions and this amount
! due
| Here Mr. J. called to order for irrelevancy
He lnslsteG that the whole finances Of the Govern
ment were thrown open by the argument. But the
CHAR oserruled this view, and confined him TO the
/ bill
| MIR. J. s1id he believed neither Of their reports
He accused the Postmaster General Of attending 10
the political machinery of his Department rather than
the financial in fact, his time was SO much taken nm
with decapitatlng posimasters that was impossible
he should have any left for the business of his Office
lie cut them of by hundreds TO crafty his own ex-
cited passions and political antipathies. Mr. j here
referred 10 removal in his own district
| Mr.. CAMPBELL, OF Tennessee inquired of him
whether the former postmaster had not been removed
| by Mr.. Kendall for opinions sake
| Mr.. JOHNSON replied that the individual refer.
red 70 had gwen to the Department false certificates
and bad Thanked coon skins and had been removed on
Mr. ) : own application to the Department After
further statements in elato. to this person and bi
late successor Mr. J. renewed his attack on the Post
master General Tor proposing the People for the
bentht OF letter writers He pronounce him entirely
incompetent 10 the duties If his office and said he
was competent only in his office and cut men,
heads on lie passed euioyiun on the
ability and fidelity of Mr. Kendall and complained Of
the conduct OF the Public Printers. Certain informa-
ton furnished in answer a resolution Of his in re-
laion TO removals om Office, which had been sent Ia
the Printer days ago, had not yet been furnished
while the bank bill (of between 30 and 40 paces) had
been ordered to be printed Friday evening, and
laid on the members tables on Saturday NOR ninr
Mr. DAWSON, Of Georgia deprcca ted the intro.
duction OF party speeches and of party feeling on
subject like that before tho committee in which was
involved question of right, Of justice and of human
ty. Here were great number Of persons cnntrec.
tors employed by the Government, appl,inr 10 Con.