Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-06-24

pressed ms views oi the manner n which il
ouSi, to be-, and probably would BE- excrtcd.
Perhaps, the greatest danger, It's has been
observed, oi abuse in the executive power. lies
IN the improper continuance oi bad mn in
office. But the power we contend for, will
not enable him To do this" because the officer
might b. impcachcd. The danger then.
consists merely in this the President can dis.
place from Office, man whose merits require
that he should be continued in it. What will
bc the motives which the President can feel
Tor such abuse Of his power, and the restraints
that operate TO prevent it? In the frs, place.
he will be impeached by this House before the
Senate, Tor such an act OF n,dl.adminis,ration.
Tor contend that the wanton removal of
mcritorious officers would subject him 10 i'm
parchment and removal from his own high
trust" Again he SAYS; ''will hc 1.-THE Prcs;-
dent bid defiance to all these considerations.
and wantonly dismiss mcritorious and virtu-
Gus officer! Such abuse of power exceeds ms
conception"
Mr. Amcs was another advocate ofthc pow
or, and the writer in the Union has quoted hin,
most unfairly and in manner that bctravs his
consciousness that the sentiments of that patri-
ct, II iairly forth would condemn the Dem
ocraic' practice. He brings into one para
graph two sentences whichare widely apart i'm
the speech of Mr. Ames, and omits significant
remark which introduces one of them. Speak
ing OF the removal of officers, he said Il be-
licve experience" the experience, alas of bet
ter times than ours ''has convinced us that il
is an irksome businj s.; and officers arc more
frequently continued in place after they be-
come unfit 10 perform their duties, than turned
out while their talents and integrity are use
full" How little did the men of that dav, see
ing the operations of the government only UNI
der the administration of Washington. antic-
iPate the Vaccinations Of faction sapping the
foundations of liberty By Democratic ac-
tlvity OF the power OF removal!
Another distinguished advocate of the con
stitutional power Mr.. Baldwin, said
We are afraid the President will unncces-
sarily remove worthy man from office. and
we say ii is IA pity the poor man should be
turned out of service without hearing; it is
injurious To his reputation it is his life. saws
the gentleman from New Hampshire il is
cruelty in the extreme. But why are we to
suppose this do not see any well grounded
apprehension for such an abuse of po,ccr. Lee,
us attend TO the operation of this business
The constitution provides for what? That no
bad man should come into office. This is the
OWL H.n,a
from system of iavoritism the public are
we'll secured against that great epil: therefore
the President cannot be influenced bv desire
to get his own creatures into office for it is
fairly presumable that they will be rejected bv
the Senate. But suppose that one such should
be got in, Inc can he got out again despite of
the President. We can impeach him and drag
him from his place" &c.
With such vain reliance upon the ROVER of
Impeachment and other constitutional checks
did those great men, feeling constrained to adj
init that the constitution gives the power of
removal TO the President, shut their ewes
against the danger of system of favoritism''
or oi ever seeing "mcritorious officers wanton-
ly displaced" We who have lived to witness
the futility of all those restraints upon Execu-
tive power, must concede the sagacity of those
who sustained the opposite side in this dcbat tie
and iorctold the evils which now overshadow
us.
In the language of one of them there seems
to be something prophetic of the memorable
circumstances which attended the dismissal of
distinguished Secretary of the Treasury, Mr..
Duane. 1t is the language of Mr.. Jackson.
He says:
"Let il be remembered that the constitution
gives the President the command OF the mill
tory. If you give him complete power over
the man with the strong box he will have the
liberties OF America under his thumb. Ii is
easy TO see the evil which may result. If he
wants to establish an arbitrary authority, and
finds the Secretary Of Finance not inclined to
second bis endeavors, he has nothing more in
do than TO remove him, and get one appointed
OF principles more congcnidl with his own"
And if we look at the scryile Dependents of
Executive power who now dcfcnl every act
oil The ruling party, as the price of their con
tinuance in office, we must acknowledge that
the aPprchensions expressed by another mem
Der, (Mr. SMITH were but too just
II (sSid hc) we give this power to the
President, he may, from caprice, remove the
most worthy men from office. His will and
pleasure will be the slight tenure by which an
office is to b. held, and of consequence you
render the officer the mere state dependant.
thi abjcct slave OF person who may bc dis
posed to abuse the confidence placed in him. "
The result of such a state of things was CLEARLY
iomscen by another who predicted that The
President " would BE- able to raise up legion
OF officers who would support his measures,
secure his election, aud thus perpctuatc his
| political existence
One of tlf, dangers npprchcud.d AT that tim.