Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-04-19
GEN. PIERCE ON REMOVALS.

GEN. PIERCE ON REMOVALS.
We stated a few days siuce. that in 184l
Gen. Pierce had denounced prescription in The
st, ongest terms. and that reproduction of his
speech would exhibit glaring inconsistency be-
tween his precept at that time aud his practice
at this. The Washington Union of Saturday al
ludes to our article in the following language:
..Some weeks since the Louisville journal
stated that President Pierce had while men,.
her of the Senate in 1S41 denounced removals
from office. We exposed that statement when
it was made; but the Richmond Times repeats it
with degree of positiveness well calculated TO
impose upon the ignorant The President never
made such speech the one attributed to him.
But if he had circu instances have altered since
The one alluded by the Journal and Times was
made in support of a call for the names OF the
persons who had been prescribed by the dmin-
istration which was installed in March, 1841; for
it seems that the Wings of that day paid that re-
sheet for their pledges which implied in the
attempt to conceal the violation of them. The
President then Senator from New Hampshire
contrasted the professions with the practices OF
the wing yarty. He showed how the power OF
removal and appointment had been used to
strengthen abolition fanaticsin in the North. and
he cited the declarations of wing leaders,
Mr. Ewing the chief butcherof the Tay-
Ter caba among others-denying that the Presi-
dent had. the power of removal, and denouncing
prescription and party appointments in the strong
est language they could command. He proved
that the wing party was fully committed by those
declarations and the resolutions of wing meetings
and conventions, aud he complained of the per-
fdy of their indicative policy adopted iu the
face of such committals. That was the point of
his argument-the contrast between wing
professions before election end wing
performances afser obtaining power. The Rich
mond Times, following in the footsteps of the
Huntsville IoSfna., has misrepresented him.
= The Times wilt fnd the Journalan unsafe leader
aud We would advise it to abandon scch a guide
and look for itself when Il UNDERTAKES to speak Of
matters Of public recovd."
~ assure our VI ashington contemporary thai
4 we did NOT lake the Louisville Journal for ON
guide ID this matter. We never saw the article
inthat paper 10 which the Union refers, nor its
psva reply hereto. Shortly after the last Prsi-
asu.ssl eiaesiou, certain extracts from Ger.
asisree< speech 10 The Senate were publisbed II
sss hlg nesssfep efss md u was onsour r..
IS The 5ssport 81 (b066 * ssscts xd,
~ bases DIS state rnent Since the Uaions ) ~.
51narks mst'our We have tnrned 90 our hlss
zsni fl tsst zen. Pisrsass language on tbs &C.
cAsiob refeffed 20 ssas even stronger and more
\ ssnphaIsc shaa we had suppposs5. Il viii be OBJ
served that the Union represents Gen. Pierce al
sos1fnIag himself te aa arraignmsnt Of zau.
Harrisc1s administration. for the violation d
Wing pledges the subject Of removals. The
point fhisargument. itsays. was to contrast WING
professions before an election with Wing per-
formHnces altersobtainine power. We shall see
whether the Speaker did not go farther thar
this. and whether the Union does nos naisrspre-
sens him, when it says that he never denounced
prescription
A resolution introduced by Mr.. Buchanan, CALI
ing for the names OF persons removed from office,
and ofthose appointed by Gen. Harrison's ad.
ministration, being under consideration, Genera
Pierce spoke on the OCCASION and laid down the
following rule as one that should be adopted 81
ell admit tstfations: ~
..T,~rsH 9 81
mere Is lsaid he) but one sensible, practical
rule upon this subject II the discretion of the
office holders will not observe it, lot them feel
the effect of it. 1t is this: When public off
GER neglects the duties of his office for political
purposes, prostitutes it for political ends, or in
any way abuses the trust confidsd to him, to pro.
mote the object is of party, he should be removed;
and SO far as I know, my party yield to that
principle their cordial assent. Bnt when you
transcend this, you assal the public officer in the
free and unembarrased exercise of inaenable
OONSS~'~'>~-'s
man and citizen"
We leave it to the public to decide how far
President Pierce has observed the rule which he
himself laid down in 1s41. Has he removed no
public officers but those who have neglected their
duties for political purposes prostituted their Of
fees for political ends abused the trusts conf
ded to them, to promote the objec of a party
If he has, then he stands condemned out of his
own mouth for having assailed public officers in
the free exercise of their inalienabe and consti-
tutional rights.
But Gen. Pierce said further aI
s.No administration that has held the
reins of government. that euer acilL, can afford
to turn out the public officers who prudently. but
openly. in the exercise of their undeniabe rights,
have done all within their scope to sustain the
power that conferred upon them place.
This is pretty strong, all will admit; but the
speaker did not stop here. 1t will be Seen from
the following paragraph that he condemned pro-
scription even when practised by old Hickory
himself:
I'VE stood before the nation and tbs world
on the naked. unqualified ground tEat we pre-
ferred our friends to our opponents That to
Igconfsr place was privilege, which we chose
g exercise. ought not to say zoe chose sir. tor
i will say what these friends best acquainted
with me know-that there was nothing in
the administration of General Jackson which
/ so uniformly filled to justify as the reno
val of one worthy officer to give place to anoth-
or"
We leave the Union to digest these extracts as
best it may, and reconcile them if it can with
the course which President Pierce is now pur-
suing. We defy that Journal to produce from
Gen. Taylors record any pledge against pro-