The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-05-18

Header OF the party, hiaac IN e'a""'"'N IL -
in reply to MIR. CLAYTON, 70 prove that,
while the President has the power to re-
move, as Mr. CLAYTON had commended,
only for Just cause, yet, that the President
was the sole Judge Of what was just cause,
and thai the Senate had no power to inquire
into that subject "This, sir" said be,
q IS my view Of the constitutional power Of
the President in relation TO removals.
power, in my view of it, resied solely IN
him, and for the due exercise Of which he
must have the sole responsibility will
not Gas Senator) consent to divide il with
him" This was the doctrine OF every De
mocratic Senator Of that day, and it was
Repeatedly said, in The debate, that, if the
Senate attempted to inquire into the causes
Of removal, President JACKSON would not
deign TO answer them. No doubt he would
not, Mr., BARTON, and other Senators OF
the Adams party, offered resolutions repeat
eddy 10 inquire into causes Of particular re-
movals, and they were uniformly voted
down; every single Democratic Senator IN
variably voting against them, on the avowed
ground that such an inquiry was an uneon-
stituti)nal encroaehment on the right Of the
Executive 10 make removals at his pleasure,
Mr. BlBs, in the debate on the power of
removals, volume 6, part first, page $40,
read long list of removals by President
WAsHINGToN, ADAMS and JEFFERSON, and
showed that every commissions, except for
judicial officers, had always been, by its
terms, a commission TO hold the Office at
the pleasure of the President" He quoted
from the report Of the case in the Supreme
Court Of the United States, in Marbery Us
Madison, the opinion Of that tribunal, which
seemed to settle the question Speaking Of
removals, that Court said, by the Constitu-
tuition Of the United States, the President
is invested with certain political powers in
the exercise Of which he is to use his own
discretion, and is accountable only TO his
country in his political character, and to his
conscience"
The question having been thus repeatedly
settled at that session, as il had often been
before, the Wing Senators bowed in de-
ference to the decision OF the majority, and
we believe It has never been raised by any
one since that period
Mr.. WEBSTER, Mr. HOLMES, Mr. Clay
TON, Mr.. FRELINGHursEH, and others, who
had actively participated in the debate at
that time, abandoned the subject and never
resumed il again
When Cen JACKSON came into power,
the offices Of the country We're about equal
| " divided between him and his political op-
ponents; he and his successors Of the same
political creed had swept from public Office
every Wing in the country except few
whose political services were considered in
dispensable. Al this moment not tenth
Of the men in public office are Wings. The
only parallel in our history for this state OF
things will be found at the commencement
|of Mr. JEFFERsoN's Administration In
his famous New Haven letter, he ayowed
his determination to restore the equilibri-
UNI. Until President TAYLOR does the same
thing, and gives to the friends Of his Adj
minlstration an equal representation in the
Offices Of the country, in proportion to
their numbers as indicated in the election,
the only party procribed is the party which
sustained him, and refusal by him to
do them Justice would be tantamount to a
continuance and sanction by him OF the
same proscriptive policy which has kept his
friends cut Of power for more than TWEEN
ty years. We agree TO the doctrine laid
down ky Nj CLAYTON and other Wing
Senators twenty years ago, that no removal
should be made but for cause, but that cause
must lie alone in the breast of the Pfcsi-
dent, according 10 the uniform decision Of
all branches II the Government, and what
ever may have been the original merits Of
the question, it is now settled that the Presi-
dent has just as much right 10 demand Of
Congress then reasons for passing law as
they have to demand Of him his reasons Tor
removing an officer.
If the President shall conline himself in
his removals to cases where cause ior the re-
moval, exists, az he undoubtedly will, he
may during his Administration do justice 10
political friends, without prescribing his polt-
zeal opponents, and should he succeed in
giving TO his political friends an equal repre-
sentation in the Offices of the country, in
proportion to then Numbers, 50 fai from mer-
ting abuse for prescription on that account,
he viii have entitled himself to the high mer-
it Of having, by that very act, prescribed
and put down prescription Of twenty years,
which had taught the self-stylcd Dcmocra-
cy TO believe that they were born to hold al
the Offices, and in Mr.. Jcffcraon's language
chad come into the world, booted and spur
red, by the grace Of God, TO ride the res,
Of the people, +,
TO THE EDITOR or THE NATIONAL WHIti
THE ADMINISTRATION and THE OF.
i R0SIEI0N RHES4.