The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-06-14
SON. the candidate of that party for the presidency
In public speech at Cleayeland, he uttered the
following language:

be the last 10 disturb him Before would him
for difference OF opinion, Ipould ser my righ
10 Be spsrcd from ay body opposed the practice
Of making appointments to Office erermd ef partisan
tices."
What said Mr.. Webster, the great champion Of
federalism, and Gen. Harrisons Secretary of Slater
In debate in the Senate, in 1885, he used the fol-
lowing words:
Aher considering the question Of removal from Office
by the PRESIDENT again and again. within the last six years
10 my deliberate Judgment the original decision was wrong
cannot but think that those no denied the pow 1888
and repeated and examination that an CHROME
Gus interpretation was given TO the constitution in this
respectby the decision Of the first Congress"
We next call into court Mr. Ewing, the Secreta-
ry of the Treasury under General Harrison. In
1882, he offered in the Senate the following, among
other resolutions:
"Rss0irsJ That the practice of removing officers by the
faithful Of me- ,sah taai s % spr Of
constitution contemplated by lis ramers is
serree aud dangerous 10 The liberties Of hspeopie"
This was also, in substance, the opinion of Mr..
Clay, when his party was out of power. On the 10Th
of March, in 1884, he offered in the Senate the fol-
lowing resolutions;
",oirsd, That the constitution of the United States
does NOT eest i the Predn The posr 20 al his pleas
officers under the Of the United States
where Offices have been established by law"
The last witness we cite to prove the declarations
of the leaders Of the wing party before they came
into power, is Mr.. Preston, then a senator from
South Carolina. Ina speech in the Senate, during
the second session Of the twenty sixth Congress,
after the election of 1910, and before the new ad-
mnistration into power, he made the following
significant declaration:
"Ihe system Of prescription is itself 10 be prescribed
stand on that ground and, help God wi far
am concerned act upon believe those who to be at
the head OF the government have put themselves the same
ground 1hty come INTO porer mol 10 divide ne pos 81 ne
country among the metes Of fiction - protest against
power reject and repudate the Infamous doctrine that to
the yictors belong the spois II shon resist and d,no
all gfrins Of office political rerard turning of Of
fee for political opinion'
These were the doctrines and promises Of the
leaders of the wing party before they came into pow
err, Now let us look to the performance, and see
the consistency and honesty of those very men, and
the boldness Ito call it by no harsher term) of
those editors who again and again re-echoed and
endorsed the promises of their leaders, sustained
them in the ruthless prescription which followed,
and noW complain of the comparatively few reno
walls made by the present Executive, many Of
which have been made for good cause and
not for mere difference from him in political
opinion, and the remainder on the proper and
just ground Of giving his friends fair representa-.
ton in the Offices Of the government, and placing
in responsible positions men whom he must
rely in carrying out the policy and measures Of his
administration, instead of intrusting their execution
on the most important subjects to his political OPP
ponens, who have an interest in thwarting and en-
barrassng him.
The first demonstration of importance which
marked the advent to power of the new wing adj
minis,ration in March, ls4l, was the celebrated
proclamation of Mr. Clay in the Senate, uttered with
all the jeering sarcasm Of which he was master,
"tha, The democrats in ctce already i,ied and
demned, and ,rere about going, like criminals in CART
WITH HALTERs ABOUT THEIR EEcKs, TO EXECUTION;
that If ONE remained in office, HE WOULD LEFT As
MONUMENT OF THE sPARING GRACE OF THE WING
PARTY" We have not Mr.. Clay's speech at hand,
but these Were in substance his words.
What then followed On the very day on which
Gen. Harrison was indicted into office, resolution
was introduced into the Senate, removing Messrs
Blair e. Rives from the Office of printers Of that
body, which ultimately passed, in violation of a
solemn contract entered into between the Senate
and the prescribed printers. The next victim Of
removal was Doctor Martin, the present accomplish
ed secretary of legation at Paris, from the Office Of
chief clerk Of the State Department, the very day
the new Secretary entered upon his duties. Then
followed the most ruthless and sweeping proscrip-
ton for opinions sake ever known in the political
annals Of this country. At the expense of extend
ing our article to unreasonable length, we will
give list Of the removals which were made dur
ing the few days preceding Gen. Harrison's death,
and which were Of those grades requiring the con-
frmation of the Senate. They follow: