The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-03-08

III prosecuting aHN cilin Del0re congress. W Z
trust SUCH is the initial step 10 that system OF
publication which is required in nearly all the
departments of the government. Frauds have
grown With, if they have not oatgrown, the in
crease Of Federal patronage. Every day re-
veals some new phase of corruption. 1t is not
merely that official influence is used to procure
the passing of claims with the promise OF recon
peuse if successful But the forms which are
most hateful in the old and corrupt govern
mellts of Europe, are, if members Of Congress
are to be believed who have access to correct
sources of information, in constant use at the
central seat of authority The ,tttymiMg of offices
~-iu other WORDS their sale for pecuniary
feward-are in familiar operation among those
whose position affords them facilities and op-
portunities to carry on that species of traffic.
When a, country reaches this stage of corrup.
ton, and the people look on supinely, the Pc
riod has arrived for bartering away the public
liberties. We have not yet reached this crisis.
1t is only necessary to awaken the people to the
fatal procliviey towards corruption which the
public Affairs exhibit.
But the reform contemplated by the bill
which protects the Treasury against frauds, in
the manner indicated, does not 90 far enough.
y The mode of. publication should embrace the
remedy that Gen. Jackson was anxious to adopt
He wished the luStration to reach not only those
come, ted with the Administration, and the De,
J partments, bat members of Congress. He
wished 10 man to accept of an Office of profit
under the government, while he was in the
performance Of duties in the national legisla
ture. If this prohibition were established Of
fees would not be sought, intermediately thro'
a position which necessarily increases the in
fuence Of members improperly. The Congress
sioual eficeis,now made the stepping stone for
81, aaRaEefaestt to some post of profit. The citi-
zenssa aslasssare placed at great disadvantage,
as regards claims to offices, to which they have
equal pretensions on the score Of both moral
and intellectual merit, with those who have
found their way into Congress. "a,
Now, there may be some public disadvan-
tage in the exclusion of members Of Congress
from offices of honor as well as profit, by such
prohibition. There may be peculiar QnalIfica-
tons for'ofiical station, by serving it>Congress,
on the score of experience and knowledge OF
public affairs But the limitation in the range
of choice to such individuals as possess polili-
cal experience out Of Congress, would be much
been trained to public affairs, BY one or more
legislative terms, would be in sufficient abun
dance to meet every public requSition. There
are always a sufficient number Of ex-members
to supply the wants Of the Government in tile
higher offices. The benefits Of publication
from this exclusion, would far outweigh any
public Inconvenience from such exclusion.
But the effect on political morals would be
highly salutary. 1t would raise the standard
of official purity. 1t would render the exam
pies of that purity, in high places, of the most
beneficial tendency. Men would not seek the
post of Representative or Senator in Congress
with the view, not to serve the public, but to
| their own personal advancement. Sluch Of
that squabbling which now disgraces the de-
bates, with prospective view to party promo
tion, would be checked. The discussions would
be purified for public objects and not private
! ends, would inform the deliberations. Until
the prizes Of office are removed from the grasp
| of Congressional aspirants, we fear that cllec-
| tua reform will be hopeless-Chas E0. Neps
I ENGLAND AND CuBA.-The New Orleans Pic
uyune of the Gath inst, has the following inter
esting details on subject hitherto alluded to in
our Telcgraphic dispatches:
"Bv private letters from Havana, we learn
that on the 18th inst. the commander of the
British ship-ofthe-line Cumberland waited upon
Gen. Canedo with formal demand for satisfac-
ton and apology for the outrages committed
lately upon the persons of British subjects in the
Island of Cuba, and for the insults to the British
Government in the persons of II. B. NJ. Consul
General, and the commander of the ship-of-war
Il, c.. tbo l,t
part of Spanish officers in the slave-trading op-
erations in Cuba. Gen. Canedo assured the Bri-
tish commander that it had never been his intcn-
ton to insult the officers of the British Govern
ment or to reflect upon their conduct in any way,
and that immediate examination should be made
into the claims of British subjects and ample re-
paration made for any injury that might have
resulted to them through unjust proceedings.
"Thc letter bags Of several Of the late steam
ers from Havana for the United States had been
stopped while being taken on board and taken
to the police Office for examination.
at was rumored in Havana that a British
Commissioner was on lis way there to demand
theimmediate manumission Of every African that
had been imported into that island since 1921,
in contravention of the terms of the treaty with
England. This rumor was causing great con-
sternaton in Havana as it was supposed twould
manumit thrce-fourths of the slaves in the island.
The Bristish Admiral had sent orders to Ber-
muda for some more English Ships Of war to pro-
cccd to Havana, and the permanent English ma
val force there was to be largely increased. An
effort is to be made to stop the slave trade by
direct intimidation of the principal authorities III
the island"
SAVE YnvE EArNINGs The practice which