Arkansas intelligencer., 1845-05-24
A MUCu.NEEDED REFORM.
'CUuciudpd.

CUncfuded.
But-(shall again pxcIaim The obleclor) )-shal
we have an annual sweep of otiices-a We rly ro
tation of the great vicisiludes of In and Out! i
is bad enough as it Is now-wouId you quadrupIt
the evil already so perniciou>'.>
No, certainly not. On the contrary. we would
indeed apply IN elfeclunI cure to this evil 1t i,
| now tolerated to some extent every four wears be-
cause the public mind feels that even though an
experienced incumbent may be superseded by an.
other who has vet 10 make himself familiar with
his new duties, the prospect Of four years ten.
ure is long enough to make few months OF inef
fcient experimental settling down in the Office Of
little importance in comparison with The motives
inclnIng victorious party to this species Of re.
ward to It's merllorious or more nocesous friends.
This length Of tenure is also sufficient to consli.
tue an attraction to the latter; To tempt them from
other modes of Induslry--to lend them to hope for
Office aim for it. labor for It. and finally to press
"ard upon the central dispensing sources of pat.
r"nnge. with "powers of aPnlcatIon' hard. hard
indeed to be wthStood. All this would he chang.
ed under an annual tenure Of the Presdencv.-
Neither would the public mimi 'hen tolerate unne.
cessary political changes of office from year 10
year; nor would a President. n candidate furannu.
al re.eiecIion. then venture upon them; nor would
Office thus fugitive and slippery in the grasp be
an object OF pursuit or desire 10 any extent com.
parable with The present mserab Bile state of thing
in this respect Even. the refore. without any res.
friction upon tho power Off i of patronage. this
one simple change At the central mainspring OF the
general machinery. would go far to apply the re-
medy so much needed throughout the now disor.
defed action of the inrtlest extremilies.
But we do not propose 10 stop here. We would
in that case fix regular term for Ill offices in
their nature susceptible of such limitation, and de-.
prve the Executive of the power of removal with.
out cause TO be aSsi gned to the Senate. Sull"ct
TO the check of an annual responsibIlitv the Exc.
culive would then take very good care that these
reasons should always be good ones. The extent
of the federal official patronage would then be
confined 10 the offices falling vacant irrgunrly
from time 10 time. hero and there. Taking four
or six years MS the general tenure, every year
would witness the expiration of only One.iourth or
one-sIxth Of the commissions Of office. instead of
the whole being considered, as now, subject 10 the
action OF the vast patronage power Of the Execu.
tive. The altered state of things to which We re-.
fer. as the certain result of the suggested reforms.
would moreover generate such II state of public
feeling on the subject, that the usnge would soon.
we are sure. grow up to be. to re.appolnt all faith.
fu and servIcable officers, of secondary grade.
without reference TO their politics.
Is not the simple suggestion of these thoughts
enough 10 carry home 10 every mind an earnest
wish and desire TO realize in Practice The change
that would then come over the spirit of our poll.
lcsl
To attempt to apply similar views to the action
OF party or an administration now. is ou, Of the
question. No party coming into power, or alrea-
dy in 1t, wlll-or indeed, in reference 10 the prac.
tcal necessities of position ought to undertake such
n suicidal quiyutism. The existing evils are bu,
the fruit and folInge produced by a necessity OF
nature from the deep ROOT, and the vital sap which
it sends circulating through the minuiest ramlfca.
tions of the structure.
1t is the system which is wrong, but the system,
MS time and the progress OF events have developed
it. has to be administered on its own prnci pies. -
TO be in the system, and to attempt while in this
system, to defy and nuhfy its principles. is at
once absurd in theory and seIf-dest<hctve in Prac.
tice. A President is more governed by his party.
than his party by its President. General jackson
could not carry out in practice many Of the ideas
which he entered on the Presidency most honestly
desrous Of adhering to. Contrast Gerl eral harri.
sons undoubtedly sincere professions on this sub.
ject. with the performance ofhs one single month
and of the continued action Of his Cabinet while it
adhered to his successor, and constituted the ad.
mns,rntion unmiligatedy Wing. The system.
the system, we repeat. tends 20 create n necessity
which administration can only modify and di.
rect. but cnn neither resist nor evade. 1t CONES
into power. for instance. with vast numbers of dis.
,ingushed and meritorious friends needing Office
quite as muc as existing incuinbenis AS we'll, or
better qualified for its duties--expectng l.. desr.
ing it. and supported BY the general local feeling
of their party, which expects nd desires the pro-
posed changes, and which will be disappointed und
dlspeased if that expectation is not grasfed.
And when it is then come in mind, that, as a