Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1841-04-24
From the Lexington Express

from office. l send you herewith an ex-
tract from the same speech, which has
doubtless passed under his deliberate re-
vision, and which request you to publish,
together with the notice of it which sense
of Justice to myself has elected from me. /
And | respectfully request the st. Louis |
New Era and Missouri Republican, TO give /
that notice place in the columns of their |
journals.
an the Post Office Department in Mis- |
souri,, no removals have been made that
know Of, except for cause. majority of
the post offices are now held by the Oppo-
sition, while they are themselves minor
ity of the State.
~Thus, sir, stands the account of pro-
scription in Missouri, many of the best
offices in the State being in the hands of
the Opposition during their own pleasure.
or until the expiration Of their terms, and
some of them ten and eleven years out of
twelve. Certainly there were some re-
Eovals; but they were few in number-fell
nearly equally upon both parties, and were
always for cause. Of three land officers
removed, one was on our side; of two dis
trict attorneys either removed or not re-
appointed, it was one and one of each po-
litical party. In no case that know Of.
was there an instance of removal for the
purpose of making room for a political
friend, but for the purpose Of getting rid
of an improper officer. For myself. nv
uniform answer to all those who applied to
have others removed was that hey must
shor misconduct. When that was not done.
l refused to recommend the removal; and
this is known 20 the whole State of Mis-
souri,.
MI, b. said he could give other instances
of political opponents retained in office in
Missouri but he had mentioned enough to
comply with his promise, and to show by
facts, that prescription for opinions sake
had never been practiced in that State
that it was a practice unknown there-and
mast originate with the new Administra-
ton, if il gets there at all. During the
twelve years which the Democracy have
borne away, no appointments or removals
have been made in Missouri, except for the
public service; and he was proud to be able
to say that they had been good appoint
mcnts, and had promoted public service. \
All was well
there; and if the new Administration prac.
tises on the professions which the Senator
from South Carolina Mr.. Preston7 has
made, they will have nc. removals to make
in that State. They can make none with
out violating these professions, and withou.
commencing and introducing! that system OF
prescription which we have avoided, and
which they have denounced
As this speech has without doubt, been
made for future reference and effect, and is
evidently aimed at me, although my name
is no where mentioned in it, | will not let il
pass without branding it as a tissue of the
most infamous and unblushing faIsehoods
which ever came from the lips of man.
There is not single individual in Upper
Missouri that is ignorant of the fact that
my removal was a high handed, daring,
and successful attempt to trampIe upon the
undoubted right of every American citi-
zen-the freedom of speech and of thought
that It was done because | expressed in
firm, though temperate language, my I'M
qualified reprobation of the principle of
prescription for opinions sake; and because
disapproved the removal for a corrupt
purpose, of one of the ablest and most up
right Of public servants, and the appoint.
ment Of one of the most contemplate
of party hacks, for purposes and from
iiclNSS sui llOiC corrupt, mo one can
have forgotten Mr.. Benton's letter upon
the sub ect, and the alacrity with which the
degraded crew of crouching sycophants
who follow and fawn upon him for con-
sideration too paltry to be named in this
communication, caught up rc-echocd and
applaudcd lis most execrable sentiments.
No one can have forgotten the assiduitv
with which they labored to support the
position that it was indispcnsably necessa.
ry for all subordinate officers Of the gov
crnmcnt TO agree in every particular witt
its head; that the government could not be-
administered upon any other principles; thai
a house divided against itself could not
stand-and much more of such stuff, which
will not shock an Intelligent and yirtuous
community by repeating.
No man | presume will have the hardi-
hood to deny that Mr. Benton caused to be
presented TO the Van Buren, members of
the Missouri Legislature at the session Of
'3S and 80, list Of the postmasters in the
State, with a vacant space opposite the
names to aliiiX a SYMBOLIC [oHcal1 death
warrant, III every case where the incum-
bent might be obnoxious to any member;
and the p, M. General was ready TO exc
cute the sentence. Those who are familiar
w;th the annals of the Inquisition, or the
persecution of the Scottish Covenanters
in the reign of Charles IL, will know where
TO find parallel for this procedure. Nor
can any one have forgotten that the indi-
y;dual sent here TO sucCeod Mr. Anil and