The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-01

81 tAs Collector Singular this mAy appear TO you Il
IL which has uniformly bssa pursasl slacs the
fsaDdatisn Of the government. Weighsrs, neasurers
suass and inspectors have been appointed BY the Col
isstor With the approval Of the Secretary while clerks
persrs bargsmsn, laborers and Others have been
pointed BY the Collector alone It not only been
snasr al former Secretaries of the Treasury bnt during
yoar own time. All my clerks, portsrs cartmen, labor
es, no., have been appointed without consulting you
any fsrn and you never intmated doubt about the
proprsty Of this until you deemed it expedent
Interfere in the local politics of New York
stu ysu insist that the clerks and other ageat
Collector derive their appon and their authority
pablo officers from the Secretary OF the Treasury
aons" Tho you assign for this and extava
gait claim will snow that il is wholly without any legal
foundation You place II upon the Constitution OF the
United States, which provides that Congress may, by
law, vest the appointments of such inferior officers as
they may think proper-ia the heads OF DEPARTMENT.
You then add that Congress has not attempted nor If
1t bad could hay. effected modification Of this pro-
vision OF the institution And hence YOU conclude
that the sppou is in the Secretary 1t is readily
granted that Congress has not and cannot modify the
combination But still your argument to no more
than this-because Congress may ty ta,o vest the an
continent Of certain officers in the Secretary of the
Treasury and Congress has not nodded this oonstitu-
aona provision therefore the Secretary has the power Of
appointment In other wordsbecsuse Congress may if
pleasss confer power the Secretary and Congress-
done nothing the subject therefore ths Secretary
has the power. is the law and the logic of v,,r
letter.
have thus far assumed that you are right in suppe.
ing that tho clerks porters laborors &C. in the Custom
House. public officers within the meaning of the con.
sttuon In relation pontments. But in truth they
agents of the Collector to aid in the discharge
Of the duties which the law has imposed upon him
They the hands by which he works and are no more
officers in the of the constitution than are soldiers
and sansn In the army and navy. They have never
bssa treated mentioned by Congress as officer,
appointed BY the Collector any else but only a.
persons employed by ths Collector hazard nothing in
saying that the claim which you now set up has
cot shadow Of foundation either In the law OF the Land
or In any former practice of the government.
You speak Of ''unwarrantable assumptions and q
manifest spirit Of characterization" my part az a
ground fer the removal But you have been wholly IN
able to show that assumed anything beyond my Just
rights. or that unwilling to act in obedience to
your Instructions all where the law had given
you authority to direct You must allow TO add That
sabordinaton in office does necessarily prove info
ority and between gentlemen the relation OF su peror
and subordinate coners right on the one to use i'm,
perious language, aud imposes duty the othor to
surrender his legal rights.
Yoa complain that the remarks in my former letter
,mpugn yeur motives. did than state facts
facts which you have not attempted to conroyer and
then said to tine motive Of this let others
Judge" your motives have been mpugned it is be
create The impeachment. ~
Nothing In your letter has amazed me more thxn what
you ssy sbsut my selecting free sosrs for ONCE No
man On read what said in your first communication
Without seeing that you called me to appoint a
larger PORTION OF free sosrs whs had left the
democratic party and followed Mr.. Van Buren, on The
saysry auestion in ls4s, than had before done You
spoke 81 the party As being divided into different sec
had bapn
generally made from that portion party to which
adhered You speaking of the recent division
at Syracuse, for had made no nominations after that
event happened You speaking of the different sec
tons = they had existed in the You know very
had net deserted the national standard 1S4s and no
one -. fail to see that ysu intended should give
lies And now you think 1t worthy of "anu,adversion
that have selected tree soiIers for otise"
You cannot escape under . bubble did not inrorm
you you find ie convenient to state thai I had
SELECTED free soiers for oice-meanng persons who
ing none but sound democrats sincerely attached 10
the principles of the party firm supporters OF the
oaaonal administration spoke Of different sections
Of the party just as you had spoken Of them and told
you not that free soers but that ,ths free soil gc
CON- had got its full share 1s Of the offices Your
the language Of your adversary.
More might be said; but if in reviewing this branch of
that can say would be likely to reach you
Having, as trust, shown that the which you
have assigned are utterly worthless it remains to
inquire what was the real ground Of removal II was
until after the recent break in the party Syracnse
you found any of complaint against After the
party had been resolved into its original elements with
out any agency of mine, and by which could net
approve-after had been compelled 10 choose between
the two sections and had naturally adhered my
old associations with the national democrats-aer the
paper which professed without rebue spesk sen
msnts of the Cabinet had taken the side of the
lection, and denounced traitors those who adhered to
lhe principles which brought the administration into
9ower-then It was that ysu first discovered that had
DOT been sufficiently favorable to the free soil section
Can any man of and carser entertain doubt
corning the motiys for your Action, +, 49,
aot You intended to take ground against the
administration into tae opposite scale Tho ,ao o |
VINO had never swerved from the principles Of Marty
were TO DC borne down by the strong arm of no
oecauss the Collector occupied place Of some anu
king il fall on him You then wrote ~ acant by ma
ter and placed copy in the hands an Insulting iet
,h LIS sho wnis perez ~ abopf g ell 80 - -
tended the officer shoulS lying me- Whether you in
out 9s 20 far as bavsb 20 act more than can say
which y" lat was the natur. Of The cent.sysrsy to
gkS~ 1t not conflict between democrats and /
%, but between two sections of the democratic party.
candidates for national Offices in the field and
IL the free soil section honest in procaiminy its
version to the principles of the Baltimore platform and
% was pueS Ney YoTt - ansrs nSovns
qusstons Of mere State policy la such quarrel mem
Der Of the Cabinet Washington h taken Sides and
he's in effect told the democrats OF this State whom they
must select for their local rulers and what should be
their policy In relation to the canals and other matters
Of merely local int rest Your denial this subject
smountto nothing long the acs remain unchanged
Aside from the principle involved the removal mat
ter OF little moment shall leave the ooe at the close
of this day with greater pleasure than accepted six
months ago. But have been assailed without cause,
and there has been gross violation Of the democratic
doctrine which denies to the fo6sral government the
right interneddle with the purely internal affairs and
policy OF the States For these have not felt at
liberty to let your letter PASS without some notice
am, respectfully yours,
GREENE C. BRONSON
Hoo. JANIS GUTHRIE Secretary OF the Treasury