American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-11-20
Communicated
The Coming Session Of Congress--nloc- n
ton of OMCers.

Amidst the excitement into which Washington
will shortly be thrown-as is always the case at
the opening of session of Congress the
riyalries, the claims, and the intrigues Of aspi-
rants for Office, and by their friends, it will be
well to notice what are the principles of justice
and the policy which ought to guide men and
to rule the votes Of Senators and Members
Though we are opposed to the prescription
Of good public servants and deserving men by
the party to which they do not belong-for the
strongest Of all reasons, that the public service
should be first considered, should be thought Of
before party or even friendship--we cannot ex-
pect nor is it desirable that, as general rule,
| political opponents ought to be sustained when
there are political friends to be provided for.
We say, then, that it is agreeable to all prece-
dents, and to our institutions, for parties to
take care of their partisans.
| Let us not, therefore, carry this too far,
either to be unjust, or to the Inconvenience of
the public service. In the highest Offices, po-
litical considerations, and often sectional con-
sderations, have great weight in determining
the election; but in no case, except in that Of
| Speaker Of the House, and perhaps not in that,
should the abominable principle of rotation IN
office be admitted. This idea of rotation has
become of late very prevalent. Admit it, and
what will be the consequences? 1t will run
| through every department OF government. 1t
j will hold out temptation for numbers Of citi-
zens land God knows there are enough already! y
to break up their business, to leave the ordinary
occupations of life for government employment
with hope or with the confidence of being
supported by friends in their position. Every
man thinks himself strong in this respect After
year or two, he discovers there are other claim
ants with friends and is told that he must give
some one else chance; that all must be served
in their turn that the friends of the party must
| be propitated, that in fact, Democrat must
| be prescribed for Democrat, and Wing must
be prescribed for Wing, ON the principle of
rotation Where, we ask, will this end? Par
ties will destroy their own friends; there will
be no confidence men viii sell themselves for
twelve months, six months, three months Of
fee the public business will be neglected no
one will take an interest in 1t, for there will be
no security no stability; the country will be
| flooded with political paupers who have been
in office just long enough to become unfit for
any other business. We will not enumerate all
the evils which we foresee will result from
such o principle Of rotation in Office being
acted upon. In every other country public
servants are advanced as the term Of their
services increase and finally they are reward
ed with pensions We do not ask this much,
though the principle is good, but we do ask,
in the name Of justice to good public SER
wants, for the sake of party consistency and of
party interests, for the good Of the service Of
the country, we do ask that system Of pro-
scription based upon this impolitic, inconye-
nient and selfish idea of rotation be at once
unequiyocally condemned. We doubt not that
the present Congress will view the matter in
this light, and in all the elections do what is
just to the present incumbents who are deserv-
ing, and what is sound policy towards the par
ties to which they belong.