Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-11-18
Another letter from JnGGc Bronson.

N1lIl'- g.
SIR: If vou had been content. in Your let
ter of the '22d inst. with Announcing INV re-
moyal from Office. it would have been the end
Of our correspondence on that subject But
ns vnu have attcm,tcd to a.>i..n reasons for
the ,rnc,slinr. have something to say in
rarlv.
You Geuv the rirht Of the Collector to act
without instructions from YOUR DEPARTMENT.
i'm any casa. This doctrine is entirely new ;
for in much the larger Ialt Of the Business
Of tie iustom House til" Collector is
Guided hv the revenue laws. and has
always acted without Instructions from thc
Secretary of the Treasury. it is only in
special ca, :. where the law is of doubtful
construction. or the duties Of the C2llector
have rot been fully (Hg,rrihnd ly law. and
where the Secretary has Il lisrc%tin:s power
that he has been authorized t. i..u. instruc-
tiuns to Collectors And none of thcse eases
have anvthin. to do with tn, al1oiurucnt of
officers uf the Customs. On tnat heal the
ri ,hts ari duties Of both Secretary and COL
lcctur have been rrrscli ned br Congress. and
neither can control the other when acting in
his appropriate sphere.
IT, as you appear to suppose, the Collector
can do nothing without instructions from
YOUR Department. the business which is now
4
hour could not be ACCOMPLISHED in IL month.
You have evidently set too high am estimate
upon the extent of vour powers.
Thcrcason which Nuu have aSpivnrl for this
sweeping claim of authority is as cxtraor-
dinary uS the claim Itself \ our words are :
" " here the Department i not expressly en-
powered to rive instructions to suhordinatcS.
it has the authority to do So. Il. inherent in
the bower f. remove q refractory officer -
Sow. as ! read the Constitution. the Srcrc-
tArv Of the Treasury has No power t. remove
a t.Il,ctur Lov.y.r refruct ,ry hclnay be-
rb, n,vcr nf r.moyal. as we'll as of .upoint-
mnnt. is vested in tle President. You will
II, we'll. therefore. to look for some better
reason than thc one You have assigned for AN
unlimited authority over Collector, in TIE So
lection of their ulrrntS.
Nuu think il SINGULAR that a gentleman of
my LEGAL acouircmrnts and experience should
fall into the error of assuming that the Col
lcctor appoints the various persons cml loycd
in the Custom llouSc-some with the APPROX
al of the Secretary, and some ON the sole au-
thuritv of TIE Collector. Singular as this
may appear to YOU, it is the course which has
vniiormlv been pursued since the foundation
Of the Government. WcighcrS. McasTcrS
GuagcrS and inspectors have been appointed
hv the Collector. with the approval of the
Secretary while Clerks, Portrrs. Bargemcn,
luborcrI,, and others, have been appointed by
the Collector alone. 1t has not only been So
under all former Secretaries Of the Treasury,
but during YOUR own time All my Clerks.
PurtrrS. Cartmcn, Laborcr'S &c.. have been
appointed without consulting you in any
form and YOU never intimatcd doubt about
the propricty Of this course until YOU deemed
it cNpcdirnt to interfere in the local politics
of New York.
Still YOU insist that the clerks and other
agents of the Collector - derive their appoint
ment and their authority as public officers
from the Secretary Of the Treasury alone. -
Tine reason you assign for this new and cN-