The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-18
prehens to the policy which the President win 10.
quire to be pursued am, very respectfully.

prehens TO the policy which the President win re
quire to bs pursued am very rssPsststaiaHh Ps ahrHRrR
a. c. Baovs,s Esq, Collector, New York.
Copies OF the above letter sent to TIE Naval
Officer and Surveys, with the following note:-
| WAsHryGros Oct 8, f303.
DEAR sm-I encIoss herewith copy Of letter thus
ITSELF and show you what the President expects in res
ton to the distribution Of patronage In the RESPECTIVE:
sonorm your action in any future ominatons you may
have occasion to make lam, very re, RsstsaMyyn aMynpu
Collector Bronson's RCply.
New YORK, Oct. IL 1853.
S-R-The pressure Of official business and ooa6ns.
nens to . sick room have prevented an earlier
answer to your letter of the Sd instant.
You first state, in substance, that have bssn
under pledge, which has not been redeemed, TO
distribute the offices in my gift among diferent
sections OF the democratic party, and then prescribe
the sourse you expect me to pursue in future. You
do not complain that my appointees are not proper
persons for the places they occupy that they are
not sound democrats sincerely attached to the prn-
ciples Of the party, and firm supporters OF the m.
tional administration. But you think I have not
properly regarded all sections of the party.
| When Mr. Dickinson declined the Colectorship
Of this port, in April last, was asked by several
friends whether would allow my name to be men
|
in the negative. thought Of the matter
until two days afterwards, when saw in the public
prints telegraphic despatch announcing my ap.
pointment l had two years before resigned my
place as Chief Judge OF the Court of Appeals, with
the intention Of never again accepting public ose;
and grateful as I was for this new mark of conf
dence should have declined the appointment but
for the high opinion which entertained of tho
President and his principles, and the assurance u
friends that he earnestly desired my acceptance a
she trust.
When l accepted the place, had never
seen nor had any communication with the President,
and of there were pledges between us save
such as may be implied between honorable men hold
ing the like relation to each other. He had right
to expect that would diligently and faithfully dis
charge the duties of the office, and maintain, in Al
proper ways, the principles which restored tho dem.
ocratc party to power and, SO long as 1 FER
formed that implied obligation, had right to OK
pect that his confidence in me would not be with
drawn. have never complained that the President
has not discharged his part of tae obligation and.
not conscious Of having omitted to discharge my
own.
You tell me that the President and his constitu-
tonal advisers stand pledged before the world to tho
platform and the inaugural address, land had reason
to believe that all gentlemen who consented to accept
Office under the administration stood pledged to the
same principles and policy" I agree to that; and,
though it is but an implied pledge, admit its fun
force. But proves nothing to tue present purpose:
for there is not one word either in the Baltimore
platform or the inaugural aress about distributing
oficss smong different seci ions of tia party. tho
President or his appointees pledged to any such
distribution, you must look to some other document
to find evidence of the obIigation-some document
| which have never seen.
1t may be inferred from the acts of the President,
that he regards eligible to office al democrats
who cordially united on the Baltimore platform in
1852 and are sincerely attached to the principles Of
the party, although at some former period they may
have been out of the way. That is proper rule.
| IL is the one on which have acted in making ap-
| pointments to offce-not because was under any
pledge to do 80, but because thought the rule just
in ITSELF But your letter proceeds upon the grsunA
that should go beyond the inquiry whether appli-
cants for Office good democrats now, and ascer-
tain to what section they formerly belonged and
then make such distribution Of Offices between the
different sections that no one Of them will have just
for complaint 1t Is not only impossiblet to ad
minister such rule as that with success, but the
consequence of adopting it must be that we ahan
never have one democratic party, united upon
broad basis Of principle, but mere combination 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 aggrisved in the
distribution.
Notwithstanding what has been said think it
would be found, on proper scrutiny that the Sec
ton which has 30 loudly and bitterly complained Of
Injustice has received its full share Of the Offices
| which have bestowed. It s undoubtedly true that
more appointments have been made from one section
of the party than from the other and single reason
will be sufficient to show why it was proper to pursue
that course. Most Of the Custom House appoint
ments for this port have always been made from the
counties of New York and Kings, in which are the
three large cites which form part of the port In
lslS the democratic and free soil vote in those coun
ties bore the relation of than four for the former
10 one for the latter From the free soil vote should
be deducted the whig abolition vote, which went in
the same direction. After making the proper allow
ance 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
1913. In this view of the matter, think it will be
found that the free soil section is far from having
lust cause for complaint have acted In this liberal
m,nner-not because was under any pledge, but
because wished to do what | reasonably could
to promote the harmony and continued ascendancy
of the party
It is possible that am mistaken in supposing that
the free soil section has got its full share Of the
places; for in distributing the little Offices in my
gift, which have for the most part gone among the
rank and file of the party, have neither had the
time nor the inclination to do much by way Of in
vestigating the antecedents Of men who wore sup
posed TO be all right now.
In reference to your remark upon the recent rup-
ture Of the party at Syracuse, that the division
could and ought to have been prevented" It is
enough for me to say that not only had no agency