Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-04-12
POLITICAL.
PRESCRIPTION Is ITSELF TO Re PRESCRIBED"
fNo ILL

\ III
full OF harsh and wanou violations Of those promises
The Democrats had long been denounced by thei
opponents as ohesplerrrS, reeking with the blooa
slaughtered victims, and acting what was denounced
as an uprghteous MAXIM that 10 the rrtorS 6tlong IN
spoits. But since the 4lh March 1S4I from the mo
ment the Wing President sworn into ohce, ant
even before he had reached the palace in his trumpha
procession through Pennsylvania avenue the work G
prescription began IN the Senate, by proposition ther
made, and afterwards adopted, to remove the pubi
printers. The gulotine has seldom stopped since, a
| hundreds, and even thousands of heads have beer
struck off without accusation, except devotion TO thos
| Democratic principles imbbed from Hancock, Jefier
son, and host of Revolutionary sres; and tn
s9olls OF every Office, from tide waiter to prime mi
mister, have been seized on by the Wings with vora
city totally unexamped in the annals of the Republic
| Neither patriotism, and wounds in war; virtues
in private le arduous services in council and IL
gisation neither urgent necessities, honest de
tendency, have been any protection from this RUTHLESS
prescription but IndIscfimnate warfare has beer
waged upon every incumbent however b!ameles
when his place needed by hungry rartizan q
power, and where his conscientious convictions of dn
~ had prevented bin from joining in the orgies of The
| Wing canvass OF $50.
1t IS not purpose this occasion, to discuss The
propriey improperly of removals from Office or
such principles But we hold it due to the purity Of
public noras and the safety Of Republican principles
10 hang up in' public reprnbfoon and indignant SCORE
not merely the Inconsistencies, ba; the hypocrisy and
perfdy which have been practised by the Wing lead
ers "a this absorbing subject
| One of the Senators from New Hampshire, (Nlr
Pierce,) in eloquent speech delivered in the Senate
July I'd, lSil, sad:
"That removals have occurred, is moi the thing oil
which complain. | complain of your hypocrisy.
charge that your press, aud your leading orators made
promises to the nGtion which they did not intend 10
| redeem, and which they now vanly attempt 10 cover
up by cobwebs. The Senator from South Carolina
near me, MIR. CalhounD remarked yesterday, that he
had no language 10 express the Rtdmy which, in his
judgment, must attach to that man, who had been be
tore the people, raising his voice in the general shout
that prescription was TO be prescribed, and was, IN the
face Of such action here begging for place at the
foostool of power
Let US then examine moment the proof of the
pledges which were made on this subject. And next
the evidence, wide and decisive, of the ruthless
ness with which every promise of fobeaance has been
prolaned
The first statement, which we shall cite is from Gene
raj Harrison himself. At Cleveland, Ohio, lie said
81 over the way public ofiicer although he
may oppose me, If he does honestly and conscen
tiously shall be the last man to disturb him. Before
would remove him for difference Of opinion.
'cond suffer my riaht arm TO be serered from myb0dy
Again see an extract from his letter 10 the Hon.
NJ. Berren:
| al opposed to the practice OF making appoint
nen;s to Office The reward Of partzan services.
Yet, urged by party opportunities around him, IN the
face of this and without the slightest offence beyond
a "mere difference of opinion, he proceeded, as We
shall soon ascertain from official documents 10 remove
numerous Democrats, and rewnrd with their places the
"partzan services of numerous Wings. Passing over
several other similar pledges made by him, we next
quote one or two mnde by his successor.
| In Gebae in the Senate in 1884, Mr. Tyler re.
marked, on the Executive power of removal, as fol
| lows:
"But if used merely to reward favores, and TO pun
ish the Offices Of he Government shall be
considered 'spos, to be distributed among VIC
iorious party then, indeed, Sir the consequences are
most iaal-all stability in Government is at nm end
novces are introduced in the place Of long-tred, ex
perenced, and faithful public agents, and the public
interests suffer, aud suffer severely"
"Fhe Presidential power is thereby swollen
beyond oil just bounds operating perpeluay on the
hopes and fears of men, has W6ecomes iaio-nor would
there be secure refuge in The Courts Of Justice
True, the President cannot evic the Judge, but, by hi,
power The Marshal he might pack the jury
| Notwithstanding these honeyed professions, sh1l
lind how sk'ltully it has been attempted TO exer
csa ga power over the marshal" in more than hall
the States of the Union, by removal from office and
malleasance; but whether 10 "psck the jury, OF
"merely TO reward avortss and TO punish opponents,
those engaged in the removals know bsst.
Let next put TO the bar of the public that dis,n
gushcd Secretary of State, who the bosom and
constitutional adviser of both the late President and
In debate in the Senate, in 1885, he (Mr. Webster
declared:
"After considering the question of removal from OF
flee by the President again and again, within the last
six years, in my deliberate Judgment the original de-
| cIson was wrong. | cannot but think, that those
who denied the power in 1889 had the best OF the ar
gument
alt appears to me, after thorough, and repeated, and
consc entious examination, that interpre
taon given to The Constitution in this respect by
the DECISION oil the first Congress.
He repeated IN substance, the same opinions IN
1910, mdcr an October at Richmond. On this, The
Hon. Mr.. McRobers says in the Senate
"Then from February, 1885, until October, lS4O,
according TO Mr. Webster, land he is the great oracle
of his party, upon constitutional law there was no
power in the Constitution to authorize the President
alone to remove from office. Has the Constitution 81
the United States been altered changed since that
time How is it, that this denounced, repudated and
rejected power-the power of removal from Office
should have sprung into ncwness OF life, as by re-
surrecton from the dead, on the 4th Of March, lo4l
"Sir, with all these arguments and solemn declara-
tons of the now Secretary Of Stale against the
s,lyutional power of the President remove from Of
flee, he now heads Administration that has been,
since the 4th of March, prescribing men, and removing
from office, the ground of political opinion in
manner, and with an audacty and reckessness, never
witnessed in any civilized country
Next read the deolaratit ms Of Mr.. Ewing, the Sc
creary of the Treasury, under General Harrison He
had in 1892 offered in the Senate resolutions denying
the constitutional power TO make those very removals
which, generally, for but political differences
Of opinion, he afterwards helped remorsey to exer
cse in respect Custom House officers, he whole
! Union. These his words
"Resolped, That the practice of removing oihcers oy
the President for any other purpose than tina, ct secu
ring a faithful execution of the laws, hostile TO the
spirit of the Constitution, was never contemplated hy
its trainers is an extension Of Executive Influence,
preudcin to the public service and dangerous to The
Liberties of the people.
"Resoirtd, That it is inexpedent for the Senate tt
advise, and consent 10 the appointment Of any person
to fill supposed vacancy in any Office occns'oneo "
the removal of prior incumbent, unlefs such pro
incumbent shall appear 10 have been removed tor SUN
Gent cause"
Mr.. Bell, the Secretary of War to General harr'
son. had made like professions, only to be violated II
his department we'll others; and one OF them dae'
while the President lay his death bed See It s'atet
in Doc No. IS, House of Representatives, Jan, lo42
page 7S
In the Debates in April, 1910, in the House OF Rep
reeenia;ivss his remarks vii be found
Mr.. Clay again and again held the same ooctfine.
On the l0ih of March, 1884, he offered the follow
ing, among other resolutions:
! "Resolsed, That The Constitution OF the Y. STATE
does not vest in the President power TO remove at M
pleasure officers under the Government OIL the untet
States. whose Offices has been established by law
| h,,r Ouoled enough TIM