The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-01-16

was sincere In these repeated declarations. He
felt confident that at that time the President was
not practising deception on the people But, I'M,
mediately upon assuming Office, there came great
| and general proscriptive sweep from ofhce. Men
of the purest character in every respect have been
removed; and under the specification Of causes laid
charge Of being wanting in these prerequisites.
The papers supposed to be in the confidence OF the
President had rebuked the charge Of prescription,
as being unfounded, and maintained the pledges
made by the President were not violated. They
even went farther, and in their zeal to maintain
the fidelity of the President To his pledges, init
mated that the removals had been made because
the persons removed were wanting in those requi-
sites laid down by the President. Extracts from
editorials in the National tThig were read TO sus-
tain this view.
There were thousands of those who had been re-
moved from office whose character, up to that Pc
Rod, unblemished, and as pure as that OF any
person; and no such charge as being wanting in
honesty, capacity or fidelity had ever been urged
against them. Then, was the Senate TO presume
that the President had violated his pledges made
before and since his election! The organs and the
friends Of the Administration replied that the Pres
ident had not violated those pledges If the pledges
had not been violated the only presumption to be
made is, that the President has been deceived by
| false and infamous libels preferred against all
those who have been removed. And who could be
thus interested in connecting the wholesale system
of libcng, but those who have succeeded III obtain
| ing the places made vacant by the President? 1t
| may be that some Of those whose names will come
before the Senate for confirmation concerned in
the matter Hence the importance of having the
| information sought by this resolution. He would
suppose case-that some one whose name was
before the Senate for confirmation should be found
as having been engaged in this business Of trump
| ing up false charges against those in Office; and 1t
should appear to the Senate that he participated in
the disgraceful business to obtain the very Office
would they not regard such a man as unworthy
of the confidence Of the Senate, and reject him in
| stantly, The resolution simply asked for the
charges filed against the persons who have been
| removed; and he thought the President and his
friends should not hesitate to furnish them.
On the ground that the resolution did not conflict
with the constitutional rights of the President, Mr..
B. cited great number OF instances in the history
Of the Senate as precedcnts for the resoluton-be-
| ginning for them at the period of General Wash-
ington's administration, and running down to
IS4l-contending that from these the right of the
| Senate to make the inquiry had been fully rccog-
nised He then compared the number OF reno
walls under this adminisr alton with those under the
administration of General jackson, and claimed
that the present Administration was the most pro-
scriptve, not only in numbers, but in the charac-
ter and nature of the removals, ever known In the
history OF the Government The number OF reno
walls by the present Administration, in the post
| office alone, exceeded the whole number of reno
| walls by General jackson. The removal of General
Lane as governor of Orcgon-of Mr.. Weller, as
commissioner to run the Mexican boundary-and
| of dozen others, were commented upon, and the
| question asked, whether they were removed for
want of" honesty, capacity, or fidelityf"
After pursuing this subject with much minute
ness, Mr.. b., in conclusion, declared that if any
Senator would rise and declare, in behalf of the
Administration, that the pledges made by the
President had been violated that the removal from
Office Of Democrats, by the President, had been on
account of their political faith, and from desire to
reward their own adherents, and not because those
removed wanting in honesty, capacity, OF
fidelity; and that the present Administration had
adopted the spois system--then he would not press
| his resolution.
The Senate then proceeded to the consideration
of Executive business, and, after short time spent
| therein, adjourned.