Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-04-24

We often hear and read of claims to office We or.
told and especially by partisan newspapers that Ger
tan persons have claims upon the Governor of State
or the President of the United States for an appoint
ment TO some Office. And what are the foundation.
OF such claims We are gravely told that one mar
has claim TO Official appointment. because he rem
dered essential services in election that another
has such claim. because he has always been a mem
Der OF the party, .Whig," s.Democrat;' - thai
thlrd has such claim, because in addition 10 his
uniform, consistent "Whiggery' or 'sDemocracy,'
ne Is poor has been unfortunate in business, and
therefore needs salary that fourth has such claim
because he Is incompetent to any private business
cannot take care of his family HIMSELF and is there
fore mt for nothing but an Office
We protest against this whole doctrine of ella inns
offices are created for the people, and not for the off,
GERS as the instruments for tansacting the peoples
business, and not the OF profit to ndiydu-
ais When custom house was established at New
ork Philadelphia, Boston, or other port, the people
wanted revenue, and they decided through their le-
glsatVe representatives that 1t should be raised by
taxes on foreign merchandise. Accordingly they uro
vided, through these legislative representatives
custom-house with all its machinery Of regulations
Tor collecting such taxes and transmitting them TO the
treasury and as taxes must be collected by ndiyidu-
ais, officers OF the custom house were appointed and
as individuals Will not work, either for themselves
society, without compensation salaries for such off,
GERS were necessary, and were ordered accordingly
According to this, which is true of all governmental
ohces an Office is instrument for transacting that
business OF the people in their collective capacity
which they cannot transact collectively, and an officer
person hired to transact particular portion Of
this business
In all this, where is the claim of an individual TO
| an Office /! Under what obligation is the community
to employ one person more than another, transact
any portion of its business! If the community Sc
lects for this purpose, is wronged! And if it
selects neither, and dispenses with the business
either wronged. If printer needs dozen Journey
men, can any dozen of tire printing trade present
claim upon him for employment He may have suf-
fcient reasons for preferrng some other dozen and
certainly has the liberty of choice BY the same rule
if community need a collector of taxes, it has the
right TO choose and no person can urge claim upon
it to be chosen How preposterous would be the
claim of tailor upon all his neighbors to make all
their garments OF a lawyer to conduct all their
lawsuits Of a physician to advise and treat them
in all their maladles And if the claim of each up
on all his neghbors would be preposterous how much
more so would be similar claim upon the whole COM
munity And if claim of any person upon a whole
community, to be Its tailor, lawyer or physician be
absurd equally is similar claim to be is collect
or, sheriff. attorney, marshall judge navy agent Sec
rotary, auditor, surveyor, or anything else.
Having thus far exhibited the absurdity of all such
claims, we will examine some of the grounds upon
which they are usually urged We are told that this
that man should have Office, because he has rem
dercd important services in election, and indeed
was chiefly instrumental in eecting the appointing
power.
What has he done He has made fifty speeches
to public meetings! He has written volume of ar
ticles for the newspapers He has subscribed lber-
ally to the expenses of the election He has carried
hundreds of voters to the polls and secured their votes
for the right ticket Has he done all this under
sense of duty to the community Under sense OF
his moral obligation to labor for good government
Then he has faithfully discharged his duties as ct
and patriot and has his reward in the approba-
ton Of conscience, and in the security of his owl
rights and those of his fellow men, obtained in thai
very government for which he has labored. He ha:
his reward in accomplishing his object and in the re
feced benefit of the good example which he has set
and needs other Has he done all this to CRAFTY
avarice or ambition! To obtain the salary or honor
of Office Then has he forgotten his obligations
to society, and acted under motives exclusively sci
fish, Does he deserve office for thisf Has he beer
faithful to the community In forgetting his obligations
to il, and in thinking only of bis personal advance
ment 7 He has not, and therefore does not deserve
an Office He has exhibited want of fidelity in TIA,
relations of citizen and patriot and thus furnishing
reason for belief in his infdelty an officer AnC
in making his speeches, writing his essays and car
trying voters to the polls, has he misrepresenet
s or concealed the truth Has he said or done any
& thing to gain election, which rigid conscienc,
would not justify If he has done this under patri
lotto, and not under selfish motives; still has he done
wrong, deliberately gnorantly. and therefore
mot be implicitly trusted as an officer. He may d.
wrong in Office as he has done wrong out of it.
But he has been unfortunate, poor, and therefore
needs salary If this be sufficient for ap
pointment to Office, no community would suffer fo
want of officers for the unfortunate and the poor
found everywhere. But while we admit the obliga
ton of society to provide for those who cannot pro
vide for themselves deny its obligation to selec
these very persons for Its agents. the transactors
Its business. If misfortune or poverty gave CLAIM
to Office the claim would be proportionate to the de
gree of these circumstances and hence the create
their degree, the greater would be the qualification
of the sufferers for public business, and President o
Governor in seeking persons for officers, would b
bound to select the poorest and most unfortunate,
not the abest; and thus test of qualification wou
be the loss of property health faculties and not tn
= possession of brains.
But he is incompetent to provide for himself o
lis family, and therefore should have an Official saa
~ But if he is incompetent to provide for himself
/, lean he provide for a community If his own bust
mess be more than he can manage can he manage tina
for State He requires guardian, and therefore
mot competent guardian of the public.
An invalid soldier or sailor, if qualified for Office
NAV have claim to it over others, if such claim
allowed I'M any case, for he has become disabled in til
service of his country, and may therefore claim il
support And the community, bound to give hIr
bread in some mode, acts judiciously in giving hi
an opportunity of earning that bread by contfnuauc
of public service. But In no other cases do we az
: NIT the slightest obligation upon the community
= give Offices to any persons-Phila Ledger
!. villain named Martin, said to be lawyer, VIII
IF has for some time had grudge against one Hem
Zel, citizen Of the Northern Liberties, Philadelphia
made attempt to kill him on the night OF tne S1
Il L -, fl.rf raaf