The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-06-13
.r Communicated.
TENURE OF EXECUTIVE OFFICE.

Ie that walkeh uprghty, waketh surely p" rs
The loud clamors of recent recipients of official
favor-the coarse language in which their denuncia-
tons OF the Executive are clothed, because they
have, like members of Congress and the President
HIMSELF to go back to private life to resume that
honorable course Of industry which is daily ad-
vancing millions of their honest feow-citzens to-
wards independence, if not to wealth-the false i'm
pressiens they seek to nstil the public mind that
their "heads are cut Off" that they are "gulotin-
ed" (referring to the sanguinary phrenzy of the
French revolution -that the democrats are the sole
authors or inventors of the practice Of removals,
producing, of course, rotation in Office )- has oc-
CURED to the writer of the following lines that
calm view of the subject may enlighten the people,
or prove, at this moment sautary to those who do
not either wilfully or desgnedy disregard the letter
and true spirit Of the constitution. None, it need
scarcely be repeated, but perverted political ina
ginaton, can presume he holds public office for
life, but that it must be surrendered the pleasure
of the Executive who bestowed it, and that like the
law of nature, operating the tenure of human ex-
isence, tits subjectto mutabty. Weneed not, in this
country, perhaps refer to the rotten monarchies Of
Europe, where it is well known a contrary practice
obtains-where Offices and their emouments are
VIGOROUSLY an object Of traffic, often sold to the
highest bidder, and may be held for life or resold
The constitution under which we have the happi-
ness to be protected, eschews all such political evils
as of foreign growth, and may never be permitted,
we hope, to take root in our SOIL
In Bancroft's History of the United States, Ga
work worthy of the enlightened spirit of the age,)
we find early traces Of the dawn of democracy
(l639) animating the infant colony of Massachu-
sets. II is there recorded that
1.-THE doctrine of rotation office asserted even to
the neglect of winthrop lest there should be governor
I Gn Of h sdse' Pre- that the office
resolved that magistrate of kind should be elected
for more than year."-noL l. page 400.
The same republican spirit has descended down
H.. Io. nj L,,,l
afterwards, influenced not only the federal conven-
ton of 1882 but the representatives Of the first Con-
gress held under the constitution, wherein it is de-
clared that
The Congress may BY law, vest the appointment Of
alone in the courts of law, heads Of
Con. article H., sec. 2.
In the Congress of 1889, a full and long debate
was had on the subject of removal, which was at
that early period ably examined and turned over in
every point of view. The subject before the House
was the bill for organizing the department of For
eign Affairs, department of .State,) on motion to
strike out the words: "to be removable by the Pres
DENT" when it decided, by vote Of "a against
20, that the power of removal could not be abridged
by the Legislature, recognising the power of the Ex
ecutive as in full force, embracing, of course, the
"inferor officers referred to in the language Of the
constitution, whose appointments not submitted
to the Senate.
On that occasion, Mr. Sedgwick said:
"As the nature othe government requires the of
think II is to Be exercised in this way Iby the
Executive by hand capable of exerng itself with effect
and the must be conferred by the
executive officer Of the government"
Mr.. White said:
The constitution contemplates a removal in some way
or other besides that by impeachment Does not that
strongly imply that without such exception, there
would have been discretionary power in some branch of
the government to dismiss even them"
Mr. Ames said:
n order that he may be responsible to his country he
them, with power to remove them when the qualfca
tons which induced their appointment exist Ad
vanages may result from keeping s pover yemora TER
rorem the heads of officers: they NAV be Stimulated
sponsibe for the whole executive department"
Mr.. Hartly said:
1.-THE gentleman (Mr Smith, OF South Carolina.) con.
not TO be removed but for criminal conduc-he ought
TO be removed for inability hope this doctrine viii
be admitted In this country See Eos Debates 3D.
roll 4, page $50 10 404
IL may not be essential in illustrating the doctrine
OF the tenure of executive Office to load this sketch
with further congressional extracts as since the
existence of the first Congress- their reports on this
topic are replee with evidence Of testimony to the
same effect
During the administration of Mr.. Jefferson, the
doctrine Of rotation, supported by the omnpotence
Of public opinion, was not only extensively put IN
practice, but popularized, and may be said to have
then taken root Executive removals IN his time
were freely and frequently made. Until the resora-
lion Of democratic ascendency, under the auspices
Of Gen. Jackson, a comparative party calm had
regned. That distinguished statesman, however,
deemed II his duty to exercise wholesome activity