The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-02-23


corded under the administration of Governor Brown,
and wanted only dating signing at the time he
into office
Owing 10 an accidental omission in of the pre-
vi,us numbers respecting the manner in which pa
tents had been issued to trustees companies and WI
dows, il may be inferred thai the recorder Of the Office
was responsible for those II is therefore but
justice TO that officer say that he always opposed
issuing those patents in those Objectionable nodes but
that 10 these in other matters he has been com
PEELED to give way to the views Of the Commissioner
We are next informed that within these four years
there have been furnished from the Office, one hun
dred and thirty eight reports, statements, statistical TIA
bles &c, requiring much time and care In their prepa
ration The value of these tables and statements de-
ponds SO much upon their accuracy that from the want
of The necessary data upon which TO base nay opinions
can only say that have some which were alike
mex plicable, unintelliglble and erroneous.
During the last four years, also indexes have been
prepared Of the names Of the paentees for upwards of
1000 folio volumes Of records embracing 100000 pa
tents Any one in the habit Of referring to Indexes
aware, by often disagreeabe experience that there
are two ways of making them one which satisfies the
wants fthe enquirer and the other which does not
Ii therefore we are only informed by these Indexes that
we shall find the name Of John Smith, upon some
dozen pages in each of these thousand folio volumes,
dread the prospect of having refer TO each Of those
pages to find out the Particular I" John Smith" to
whom certain tract granted and yet such is the
only benefit to be derived from these Indexes The
old indexes by giving the particulars stated in the pa
tent, enabled the examiner to turn at once, from the
Index to the precise record required and although the
continuance of that plan Of precedence urged up
the Commissioner by its obvious merits as well
the reasoning Of those best acquainted with the sub
ject yet to time and enable himself with the least
possible labor, TO obtain credit for the preparation OF
these Indexes to upwards Of 900 folio volumes Of
records, the mode changed, and he now conse-
quently expects praise for work which must be here
after reperiormed, and in proper manner before any
benefits can accrue from such indexes BY law, too
the preparation of these Indexes is placed under the
immediate direction of the Recorder, and yet if not
mistaken, the work has been executed in manner to
which that officer was utterly opposed.
Besides accomplishing these various objects there
twenty regular clerks less employed in this Of
flee than formerly nineteen Of them were dispensed
with anterior the date Of my last annual report
consideration Of the facts stated in my previous mum
bers will serve show that this is the very last sub
ect upon which the Commissioner should have con
graduated the public assumed credit to himself for
trust ii has been shown that these clerks autho-
rzed by law for performing specific duties detailed in
Commissioners Browns report; that many of those du-
ties, and of them of important character
have been entirely neglected from that day this and
that others which have been attempted have been per-
formed in such imperfect and dscredtable manner
that no benefit, and much injury may result from
them.
II is somewhat singular that while the dismissal of
twenty clerks is thus vauntngly forth the Commis
sioner should have forgotten TO inform Congress how
many ertra cierks he had employed. If am not mis-
informed, some half dozen more, of unauthorized
clerks, have been employed for years past and paid
,ut of such pant Of the appropriation for the employ
nent ofthe regular clerks was not applied to their
And now that that fund has been ex-
lausted and in the face Of his annual report proclaim
ng that he has dismissed twenty lawfully authorized
Jerks, not required, for of employment he
makes, it is believed, applications which unseen
~ the public eye, to Committees of Congress solicit
ing additional appropriations to enable him to contn
ne the employment of unauthorized clerks.
ni,y the personal standing Of the head n,por
ant department to resort to miseraby deceptive mea
surcs like these in order to make vaporing parade of
minor services, wretchcdy performed, while important
lutes remain neglected shall leave to the considera
lion ofthose whose province is may be- to decide
and If it need be, to correct.
II may appear unaccountabe that the head of
ID apartment should dismiss clerks appointed by law,
while the duties for which they allowed remain
and the time employ others not
by law and pay them with money appropr
ated for the compensation ofthe regular clerks Such
a procedure amounting in effect to annulling an act
Of Congress- and substituting for it. the caprcious will
Of an individual, is indeed unaccountabe upon any
just notion of public duty consideration of other
not proclaimed in the Commissioners
report may throw some light the subject.
AS among the twenty dismissed clerks there
old and faithful public servants, whose qualifca
tons and attention TO their duties far superior to
some OF those who have been retained, we can only
attribute their punishment to the suppos,on that they
had the frmness to withhold their signatures from
certificates designed bolster up the
of the Commissioner, when he engaged in
toversy with officer Of the department. or because
they considered it part of their public duties to pro-
claim their allegiance to democratic principles" nor
exhibit their devotion democratic associations,
by appropiatng any part Of their time or salaries in
supporting the democratic cause = but, the
rary, avowed or suspected Wings And as in
the selection Of clerks for dismissal the lot fell chiefly
persons Of this character so also the same
have doubtless prevented the justly deserved promo
ton Of others yet in the office and as those who bent
the plant knec-who signed the certificates without
scruple when required, and who manifested suitable
devotion TO democratic associations were retained
and often promoted TO higher salaries, it is not unrea
sonabe to suppose that pure devotion the interests