Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-06-07
APPOINTMENTS.


Unerrifed by the awful denuncia.0n, ort.
Union and ITS affiliated organs OF an indiscrim,,t..
and therefore, unprincip!ed opposition, the lJ
miniStraon is proceeding cautiously hutfruI.
70 restore to the rights Of citizenship lone ma
Scri'ed moietv, at least Of the citizens ofths RI
pub'ic-a moiety which, It may be safely said !,
not inferior to the other; in intelligence, reSnac
liability, patriotism, or interest in the wearr &c
the country. We do not for moment, sunno,a
that the Cabinet is influenced by the insane ra,
lngs OF the Union about. prescription, thourL ! |
course is well calculated to induce perseveTs&co
in the policy which it condemns in such unmiti,
gated terms. Aware of the course Of the Demo.
cratic party in regard to prescription for opinion,
sake with distinct recollection of the supno.
which the Senior OF the Union always cave M
relentless proscriptve policy Of jackson. VA,
Buren, and Polk with full knowledge that the
Junior belongs to that Northern schoo! oil political
traders, IN which the doctrine, ITO tie vctors he.
long the spells, is primary article oftah. and
to the disciple OF which Ietentonsn office OF apo.
Iucal opponent would appear an act Of suicidal
folly; we confess we read the TRADES Of the ex.
othcIal organ with strange mixture Of contemp.
at its rabid violence and admiration ct the lmpu
dence and audacious cfrontery Of the conductors,
In the annals OF party no parallel can be found
for such inconsistency. The eternal whining
over the loss of Office should think would
disgust the more high minded of its own party,
The admission is constantly made, in effect at
least, by the Union, that Office is the vital priuci-
/ pie OF the Democracy. Indeed, In its late inyo-
cation ofthe lnterpoSition of the Senate 10 arrest
prescription. it is distinctly asserted that the
party Will be dissolved if every Democrat is OK.
Guided from situations Of trust and emolumcnt-
The charge made b. Mr. Calhoun, ana then yio
lentIy resented that the Democratic party Vas
held together only by the '.cohcSive attraction o.
! the public plumber, il now, almost i'll t rms al.
mItted to be we'll founded.
And here, in view Of this remarkably frank,
but somewhat lndiScrect, confession Of tie truth
with regard to the Democratic leaders being in.
iuenced only by love orthe loaycS and fzhct we
may proudly turn to the contrast presented By
the Wing party. Twenty wears continuous pro-
scripton and systematic exclusion from exccu-
tive appointments, instead of inducing its disband-
ment, seemed but to draw the party more close
y together. and 70 exalt and purify from all self.
ishness its objects and motives, If office merely
had been the ruling motive, it was easily to be
won by dereliclion ofprincipIe. The history q
Democratic rule shows that apostacy rarely
failed to meet with It's reward. The party n
power well know that renegade Frank vas
worth ten Turks, and as in its theory, office vas
latest was reserved for him who in its emou-
men's could find an equivalent for the disgrace %
beraying his associates. This policy N re-.
NardIng deseiterS, adopted by the Federal Ex-
ecutye, was followed bv the Democratic party
II the country, and IN elections for Congress the
Legislature, state county, and even municipal oti-
GERS, we have abundant evidence that recrsant
Wing was considered a stronger candidate than
an answering Democrat, even before con
stituencies in which the party ascendency was
most uniform and ndSputablc. Enough Of such
cases present themselves oiIlustrate tie tactics Of
the Democracy, whilst the smallneSS Of the nun
Der shows the purity and devotion to principle %
the great Wing party of the country.
General Taylor is prescribing proscriptlon.-
This he could do in no other way than by adj
hitting TO fair participation in the honors and
emoluments of office one half, if not more, OF his
teiow-citzens, for twenty-years systematically
excluded and regarded as a degraded and dis
tranchsed caste. To have tolerated the existing
monopoly would have been to sanction proscrip-
ton. We have no fear that when an eQuii-
brum IS restored, he will adopt proscriptlve
policy himself. 1t is natural enough that the
Union, as the organ Of party which, from length
OF possession, had been led to believe it enjoyeda
proscuptive right to office, should howl over
every removal. But it carries its policy too far.
1t dlsgusts the more discreet of the Democratic
leaders by its unmanlv winnings, whilst the great
mass of the rank and file cares little whether A
or fills post SO that its duties are faithfully
discharged.
When this Administration came into power,
there was not Wing in the thirty Foreign Mis-
sons maintained BY the United Staes-not
Wing filling the office of Marshall, District At
torney, Collector, Naval officer Inspector Re-
celver OF Public Moneys, Register, &c-not
Wing filling a Post Office the emoluments Of
which were worthy the attention Of a Demo
cratic partizan--cerainy not filing an office .
the class which requires the incumbent to pass
the ordeal of the Senate. At Washington two
Auditors, whose whole adult life has been spent
in office, and whose knowledge Of the peculiar
duties OF their bureauX rendered their retention
desirable, have been successfully spared by
Jackson Van Buren, and Polk, as monuments Of
Democratic lberality, though'in fact constituting,
under the circumstances, exceptions which 90
TO prove that prescription is the rule. A few sub
ordinate clerks, useful in their respective spheres,
and maciously called Wings BY those who wish
ed to get thei; places, escaped also the hurricane.
The last and least Of Democratic President,
turned out every Wing he could and his worst
enemies, among his own party, cannot accuse
hum OF ever appointing one to an office which a
Democrat could be found to fill Speaking gem
orally, we may say, with truth, that all the Off
ces OF the country were considered as beyond
the reach of the Wings, as much so as if they
were constitutionally ineligible. A Wing would
have stood better chance of receiving an exec
utive appointment at the hands of the Emperor
OF Russia or the Grand Sultan than at the hands