The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-07-30
Communicated.

The Inelligencer Of Saturday rails against pro-
scripon for opinions sake, and lays down the ex-
tent TO which, in l64l, it justified removals II
copies from the text of its columns in IS4l as fol-
lows:
ono man, for example, coming to the head Of
landed estate, (quere tchere is the head of landed
estate,) Of a mandatory, of mercantile house, or
the command of ship, would retain in authority
under him an overseer, foreman, cashier, or a
mate (and so also Of inferior employments,) in
whom he had no confidence, or whom he knew or
found to be entirely incompetent or negectful. To
this extent, and no more, do we justify removals
from Office"
Mr.. Seaton says, in his letter published in the
"Union" of Thursday ''that so long officer is
faithful, competent and exemplary in the discharge
of his duties the mayor would soon think of going
and he thinks that he would have just as much right
to go, into his house, and take the bread from his
hearth, as to take away his office" Now, | viii
test the sincerity of Messrs. Gales & Seaton, Tin
reference to the only political Office which might
tempt their cupidity,) and ask them if they found
in office printer to either or both houses of Con-
gress, who, in their opinion, ''was faithful, compe-
tent, and exemplary in the discharge of his duties"
whether they would take advantage Of change Of
politics to turn the incumbent out, and turn them
selves I'M Would Mr.. Seaton consider that as GRIM
inal-"as entering that incumbents house, and ta-
king the bread from his hearthr' Have not Gales
& Seaton done this and are they not ready and
Wiling, al any moment, 10 10 III dyalM
The class which Gales & Seaton enumerate as
Just objects of that removal which is not proscrp-
ton, are interiors in whom the superior "has no
confidence, or whom he knew, found to be, en-
tirely incompetent neglectful."
Here three distinct Enthusiastically, the
man who is incompetent; secondly, the man who is
competent, and who neglects the discharge Of his
duties. Well, there remains third subject of re-
mova.--not either of the foregong-not the man
who is unable, the man who fails to discharge
the duties of his Office; the man who is competent
to do his duty, and who does itthat is, the man in
whom CHE superior has no confidence" So that MIR.
Gaess three grounds of removal are, "incompeten-
cy neglect and the lack of the confidence of the
perior." The two first grounds cover all Mr.. Sea-
toms grounds of removal; for Mr.. Seoton says the
officer is never be removed long he is "faih-
full, competent, and exemplary !" but Mr.. Gales,
writing in 1941, (Mr. Seaon in 1885,, adds another
ground of removsl--the will Of the superior, his
"want of confidence" in the inferior l am very
much inclined to think, from what we saw in l64l i,
that Mr. Gales's "iunnt of confidence" meant, in
democratic party, except that handful of it, who, in
securing his confidence, lost that Of the democracy,
to their cost and their eorrow-all that part of the
democratic party here, who, politically, have not
lost the confidence" Of their wing friends, have
lost that of their old democratic associates Mr.
Granger lost scon fdence" in the whole of the demo
cratic postmasters, and was only Gas he declared in
Congress) prevented from their multitudinous and
universal decapaton, by the fact that the President
lost confidence" in him.
The fact is, the city hall, before the log cabin was
built, was the headquarters Of whigery. The wing
meetings were frequently held in front of IT. and IN
1910, one Of the rooms in it was given up to a wing
! committee, where their documents were kept, where
they were frsnked, and whence they were issued.
1t Is idle for the mayor and MIR. Gales to be at
tempting at this time Of day, to show that politics
were never looked to- in the selection of the corpo-
ration ofice-holders. 1t is perfect nonsense to
tend that all the sixty-odd corporation officers are
wings accidentay-that they were all appointed
without any inquiry into, or knowledge Of, their
politics. The mayor would be just successful in
attempting to prove that the sun, moon, and stars
are composed Of atoms, that danced together, and
that they continue to perform their revolutions by
accident.