Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-07-16
F. j. ALFRED, EDITOR.
STAUN ON
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Prescription.

two Wings holding Office under the General Go
vernment, in Virginia, whose salaries amount to
more than $500. Ifthere had been more names
they would have been paraaed before the pub
| lie with all due pomp. This then. is all, and in
the list is included the Judiciary and Diplomatic
Corps, men whose appointments date back sese-
raj administrations. If farther examination
had been made into the s'Blue Bookn the tiiscas~
cry could have been made, no doubt, that not
withstanding these fifty-fve office holders held
offices at a salary over $500, the names Of q
much larger number of Wings could have been
found, who, though their salaries did not reach
1850, yet made an aggregate Of emolument in
favor Of the Wings. But with what grace can
| the Wings complain, even admitting the Demo-
Gratis have a ma lorAy Of the offices under the
General Government, when it is a conceded fact
that they possess three-fonrths of the offices
under the State Government ana many of them
with far better salaries than some of the Demo-
Gratis alluded to, Really, these Grumblstonions
are hard 10 please. They claim every thing-"all
the decency0-tEall the intelligence and all
the Offices They seem to act upon the princi-
pie that when the Government is under Demo-
cratic management, the offices should be given
to the Wings because, we suppose, they possess
''all the deceucy''-and W hen it is under Wing
management, (which by the way, has seldom
happened, and then by fraud) no Office should
be givento Democrats, because the Wings pos
sess 'all the intelligence" Virginia has not an
undue proportion Of her share OF the Offices. We
hay that off
pareelled ont among the different States. Is the
Spectator opposed to Virginian holding office
under the General Government Or are the ed
tors only opposed to Virginia Democrats? The
latter custom, we presume, would meet the readi-
est response.
The Spectator says
nNne-tenths Of TIE office-holders in the Uni
ted States on The 4th of March, 184e, belonged,
in all probability, to the Democratic party. How
many might be removed and Gen. taylor re-
main the President Of t5e People, and not Of
party is problem recommended to slocotoco
soution.o
To this question we answer Gen. Taylor never
aeas the president Of the People,n as the popu
lar vote viii clearly prove. This distinguished
Statesman falls short Of majority near Three
Hundred Thousand uotes ! How is he the Pres
dent OF the people! As 10 his being a tno-party'
President, a peep into his Cabinet will satisfy
the most skeptical that that all Egammon.'- y
But lest we should be charged with evading
question, intended, no doubt, for our particular
benefit, we answer, let Gen. Taylor turn out as
many otfice-holders as come within the meaning
Of this extract from the inaugural
II shallmake HONESTY, CAPACITY and FIDEEI--
TY indispensable prerequisites tor the bestowal OF
office; and the absence OF either Of these quail
ties shall be deemed sufficient cause Of removal"
Just 80 many, then, as do not come up to this
standard Gen. Taylor might remove and con
sistently with his own truth, further he could not
go. Now, taking it for granted that Gen. Tay
orcannet find 100000 office-holders who are
deficient in the indispensable prerequisites and
that he cannot add to the vote he received, we
come to the conclusion that he cannot be the
President ofthe people, even though he were to
remove every Democratic ofice-holder under the
Government-yet, notwithstanding be has de.
ceived both Wing and Democrat, we admit that
he has turned out better than we expected or his
own statement would warrant us in believing.
With regard to filing political offices the
Spectator holds the doctrine that they should be
given persons of "like mind,n yet that paper
complains that Democratic administrations have
bestowed Offices upon men Of f'like mind" and
says, too, that without this is done, Hconfdence,
50 necessary to precision and judicious arrange
ment, may be looked for in vain" After this
declaration from the Spectator, we ask if it has
not destroyed the force Of its objections against
Democratic administrations with regard to ap
pointments. "What next?v
No better evidence could be given of the fac
that Gen. Taylor had violated his solemn pledges
than the efforts now making by the Wing pres
to justify prescription. One contends that th'
offices ought to be equaEiaed-another that they
should be given TO persons of '1ike mind,n ant
: another, that because the Democrats refused tt
support Taylor he is not bound to keep the pledg
es with regard tothem, as parties
We ask our neighbors of the Spectator to ana
: lyze the extract quoted from the Inaugural an,
and give the comment to the public,
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10 In our paper of to-day is announced tn