The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-10-27
MEssRs. BRONSON AND GUTHRIE.


MIR. Collector Bronson has written a very
pertinent and spirited reply to Mr. Guthrie
instructions concerning the division IF the
spoils Commenting first upon the Secretary
statement that he was under a pledge, which
had not been redeemed to distribute the Offices
in his gift among different sections of the Dem
ocratic Party, he says that he accepted the col
lectorshp simply on account of the high opln-
ion he entertained of the President and his
principles but that be chad never seen nor had
any communication with the President, and of
course there were no pledges between us, save
such as may be implied between honorable
men holding the like relation to each other"
Gle had a right to expect that would dill
gently and faithfully discharge the duties OF
} the Office, and maintain, in all proper ways,
the principles which restored the Democratic
partv to power and, 80 long as ! performed
that implied obligation, had n right 70 expect
that his confidence in me would not be with
drawn. have never complained that the
President has not discharged his part Of the
obligation, and am not conscious of having
omitted to discharge my own"
Mr.. Bronson agrees to the remark of Mr..
Guthrie. that the President and his constitu-
tional advisers stand pledged to the principles
and policy laid down by the Baltimore plat
form, and had reason to believe that all gen
tlemen who consented to accept Office under
the Administration stood pledged to the same
principles and policy" but he says this proves
nothing to the present purpose, for there is
not one word in the Baltimore platform or the
Inaugural Address about distributing Offices
among the different sections of the Party"
Mr.. Bronson admits that all Democrats
"who cordially united on the Baltimore plat
form of 1882 and are sincerely attached to
the principles of the Party, although at some
former period they may have been out of the
way ought to be considered eligible to Office"
and this rule he says has guided him in all his
appointments; but, he remarks, he has not
gone into an inquiry as the Secretary of the
Treasury thinks he ought to have done, as to
what section of the party the appointees for
merly belonged.
! at is not only impossible to administer such
rule as that with success, but the couse-
quence of adopting it must be, that we shall
never have one Democratic party, united upon
a broad basis of principle but mere combi-
nation of different sections, held together by no
better bond than the love of Office, and ready
to fall to pieces the moment one section thinks
itself aggrieved in the distribution"
Still, he admits that he has made more ap-
pointments from the National Democrats, or
Hards," than the other wing of the Party,
and for this reason:
"Most of the custom-house appointments for
this port have always been made from the
counties of New York and Kings, in which are
the three large cities which form part of the
port In ls48, the Democratic and Free Soil
vote in those counties bore the relation OF more
than four for. the former to one for the latter.
| From the Free Soil vote should be deducted the
Wing Abolition vote which went in the same
direction. After making the proper allowance
on that account, think it safe to conclude that
not more than one out of seven of the Demo-
Gratis in those counties voted the Free Soil
ticket in lS48 In this view of the matter, |
think it will be found that the Free Soil section
is far from having just cause for complaint"
| In allusion to the remark of the Secretary,
that "the division of the Party at Syracuse
could and ought to have been prevented" he
dsclaims any agency in the matter
"If any Government officers are chargeable
with what took place at Syracuse, the burden
must rest on those who were thereof whom
three were from this cty-and not upon the
Collector who was at home attending to the
duties of his office
81 do not state these things by way of apollo
~, for have none to make nor by way of
counting favor, for have none to ask"
As to the reunion of the Party in lS49, COM
mended by Mr. Guthrie, the Collector says he
never approved Of 1.-THE Free Soil leaders
combined to maintain all their sectional doc
trines:
"All experience proves that such a coalition
as was formed in l849 can never be thorough
ly cemented Sooner or later it will fall to
pieces. The cohesive power of patronage can
not long save that which has within itself the
elements of dissolution"
As to his reasons for prelerring the ticket OF
the Hardsn to that of the Sottsp be is quite
explicit:
al rejected one ticket, because the nomna-
ton had been effected by means which no hon.
est man conld approve, and because the nom-
nees had been brought forward by men who
had been hostile to what deemed the best in
terests of the State, in relation TO the canals.
approved the other ticket, because the nomi.
nees were right on the question of State policy,
and because those who supported it were con-
tending for the principles which restored the
Democratic party to power, and placed Frank
lin Pierce at the head of the Government |
presume there can be no objection at Wash
inpton to my maintaining now, as ] have al
ways done before, the principles on which the
National Administration stands and with
questions of mere State policy you must allow
me to say the Administration has no rightful
concern"
Mr.. Bronson cannot say what will be the
result of the present state Of things but he is
convinced that "if the National Democrats had
fair field and the Free Soil Democrats were
not fighting under false colors, their ticket
could not get votes enough to help the Wings
through with their nominations And in this
connection he bears his testimony against the
Washington Union, print of "no great i'm
portance in itself" but only as the organ of the
Administration
eThe Washington Union, while protesting
to speak the sentiments of the Administration,
has thrown its weight on the side of the Free
Soil ticket. IL has undertaken to decide upon
the regularity Of our Conventions and to sit in
judgment upon questions Of mere State policy
II takes the side of those who have once proved
, fathless to the party, and put the Union in
jeopardy, and denounces those who have all
along supported the principles which restored
the party to power. 1t is now co-laborer
with the Free Soil prints in this State, some of
which it so lately read out of the Democratic
s party. Though that print is not in itself of
great Importance, yet when it processes with
out rebuke, to do these things a. the organ OF
the Administration, much mischief may be