Washington telegraph., 1850-04-24
From the RepNbLec.


The country has never had Chief
Magistrate more averse to prescription
more unalterably opposed to rewarding
party service by Executive favor, or more
anxious that every competent and honest
officer under the Government should re-
main undisturbed than Gen. Taylor. But
what has he to do? He entered upon
the duties of the Executive Office under
circumstances unusual a nd peculiar. He
member of the party which had been
overthrOwn by the election. He found
his friande l1nlor tho ho os s-~e orintiOn--
not one OF them in place of honor or
emolument, but all excluded by a rule as
rigid and inexorable as all imperial ukase.
For this condition of things neither Gen.
Taylor nor the ,Whig party was response
BILE Immediately or remotely. The prac-
tice which led to it was introduced under
the auspices of the men who now control
the action of the Locofoco party. The
motto of the party was officially promul-
gated, ito the victors belong the spoils.
They induced Gen. Jackson to adopt a
course which could not fail to constrain
a Wing Executive to apply remedial
measures, whenever that party obtained
the ascendenoy. A line of policy which
involved the treatment of one-half the
people of the United States as political
helots, must impose the necessity of
change, on change of administration.
Neither self-respect, nor justice to the
prescribed, would permit such a system
of exclusion to be perpetrated. During
the Presidential canvass General Taylor
often spoke of the expectation and desire
of the people for change of men and
measures. He was anxious and determin-
ed not to remove any man merely on ac-
count of his political opinions He had
reason to suppose thai there We're many
incompetent and unworthy men in office.
These he would of course replace by
honest and capable frieEds-men who
would render him efficient aid in his work
OF introducing reform in the several
branches OF government, instead of OBJ
structing and thwarting his design of
purifying the public service. The defal-
cations and malieasance disclosed by
means of these removals, and the vigi-
lance of their successors and his other
selected auxiliaries, furnish conclusive
evidence of the necessity of the changes,
independent of the justice of equalizins
executive favor among the people COM
posing the two great parties with which
the country is divided. If this desired
equilibrium had been attained by the
substitution of qualified and honest men
for officials of this description, removals
would then have ceased. But such was
not the fact; and having this equality in
view, excluding the idea of prescription
at the same time, there was another class
of office-holders whose conduct had to be
considered. This class embraces those
who had brought the influence Of place
to bear upon elections, thus umpairing
the freedom and purity of elective fran
chies. This species of interference has
ever been admitted to be abundant cause
of removal. In some instances, where
the interference has been palpable and
fragrant, the offenders have been moved
accordingly. But up to the present time,
much the largest portion of the Executive
favor and advantage is held and enjoyed
by the active enemies of the Administra-
ton. and we sincerely hope that changes
will be continued with the same judg-
ment and discrimination that have chafac-
terized, generally, those which have al
ready been made-at least, until the
members of the Whig party are made
the recipients of their just proportion of
the honors and emoluments dispensed by
the Executive.