The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-07-24
THE RAscALITY OF PRESCRIPTION"

We quote the heading to the leading article II
v.serday's National Intelligencer, for the purpose
az making it the text for few comments on Tho
.rbeet which is thus introduced. Indeed, when Q
o,ner which prides itself in maintaining perfect
o,oprety of department in the worst of troubles, is
nroyoked into the Of so coarse an expression as
The one which graces the head of our article, Its
,.sders and the public will infer the existence oil
.,os extraordinary causes Of the excitement il dis
O0ys. Joseph Surface nerer swore in public; the
Mr.. Templeion of Bulwer only used proiane ex-
oIs,ve when the pistol of the highwayman was al
no head, and great indeed were the annoyances to
which sour army in Flanders" were subjected be-
fore they swore at all, much more before they
"swore (so) terribly"
The editors of the Intelgencer, it seems, then,
0re in trouble Capable ,ehigs, in their opinion,
have been removed from Office by this administers
lion. to make way for men whom they politely call
aoccfoeos.n It is useless for us TO attempt to con-
sole them by any reference to the speech OF MIR.
CLAW on this subject, to which ausion has so fire.
ouently been made. They would tell us, perhaps,
thai, what would have been right in MIR. Clay, is ex-
remely wrong in Mr.. Polk; and, in proof that ''cr-
cumsances alter cases." they might refer us to the
fable of the lawyers bull that gored the farmers OK.
But the "proscription" of which the lntelhgencer
speaks has been by means as general as that pa
ner would induce its readers to believe. 1t has been
by no means as extensive as the prescription by the
wings in ls4l, nor the 1.-THE Of what it would have
BEEN il we may credit their own orators, had they
again succeeded to power in ls45 The "proscrip-
lion - so much talked of, cannot have been very
bloody, which has left in Office, thus far, in this
city, so large proportion of wings.
Wehave an illustration before us to the point, in
the removals of postmasters for the four months
ending the Goth June, 1916, as contrasted with the
removals made in the same period ending on the
3Oh June, ls4l. We select the two States in which
the present and former Postmasters General reside,
for this comparison being perfectly fair, and suf.
fcenty extensive for the purpose.
For the four months ending June 80, 1871, the
number of postmasters removed in New
York amounted to 30I
Remov Ns in Tennessee, in the same period IL
Total 3ls
-
For the four months ending June 80, 1916, the
number of postmasters removed in New
York amounted TO Al
In Tennessee, same period 3
Total Al
More than even TO one in favor of the wings!
And we venture to say that this proportion would
hold good throughout all the other departments of
the government. Constant readers, as we were of
the lntelgencer, we have no recollection of having
seen in the columns of that paper, in 1871, "a
word on the subject of the ''rascality Of pro-
scription." On the contrary, if our memory
serves us, it justified removals then. But per-
haps the "fery trial' to which it was subjected
last November, has taught it the inexpediency and
improprety of such a course. The dsinterested-
ness of such a decision now, is perfectedly OBJ
vious. 1t strikes u.s. that we have before heard Of
people who have advocated the doctrine of an equal
distribution of all the goods Of this world. 1t is
said, however, (and perhaps with some degree of
ush) that people of this class rarely have anything
of their own to add to the common stock.
LIE. us not be understood as offering the conduct
of Mr.. Francis Granger, or the previous course of
The wings, as an grouse for anything which this ad-
rainistration has done. When we seek for ex-
amplcs, shall probably look farther and for high
er models. The removals which have been made,
have been mperiously called for by decided and
irresistible public sentiment Other removals will,
no doubt be necessary, and will not be prevented
by the senseless clamor Of the wings Justification
of measure is uncalled for, when overwhelming
popular approval sanctions it. An administration
placed in power by the voluntary suffrases Of a
free people, and industriously engaged in car
rying out the will of that majority, securely
rests its confidence in the honesty and intel.
ligence of the masses, and, in the present case,
is in no danger of being diverted from its purpose
by the interested revilings of bitter opponents Our
object in these hasty remarks has been simply to
show how bnseless is the charge of "rascally pro-
scrPon," preferred by the Inteligencer and to ex-
pose the disngenuousness which is at the bottom of
the Accusation