The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-06-18
THE POSTMASTER GENERAL AND SENATOR

DOUGLAS
We have no sort Of inclination for contest with
Senator Douglas and his friends the party poll
tics of Illinois. The senator has himself, however,
in speech on this Improbable subject, which he
interpolated on Tuesday last into the debate in the
Senate on our relations with Great Britain, manifest
ed different disposition, and lugged these Illinois
affairs by the ears before the public. We forced,
therefore, make allusion to the subjects but shall
stand strictly on the defensive, and having respond
ed to the anmadversions of the senator shall refrain
from all further reflection, as unnecessary in the
premises and Improbable in itself
We shall pass by the epithets with which the SEN
ator has assailed the democratic convention which
not discuss the Legitimacy of their title to the
of democracy, comparei with that of the conven-
ton which held on the 2lst of April Of the anti
Lecompton democrats. The country understands
the history and animatng spirit, respectively Of
those two conventions, too WELL to need any eluci-
dation of the subject from us. We shall address
ourselves to the senator's implied charge that the
administration have pursued policy of prescription
towards himself aud his friends in Illinois, and to
the severe ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WHICH ili4b flsiuu
Special Mail Agent of the government in Illinois Of
the name Of Charles Leib.
In respect to the matter of prescription, think
we can say, without the possibility of contradiction,
that nne-tenhs of the who held federal Office in
Illinois in December last are holders Of their Offices
at this moment and that ninc-enths OF all the mon
who held federal Office in Illinois in December last
were appointed, either by the present the past adj
ministraon, at the instance either of Judge Douglas
or Of his personal and political friends If there be
prescription at all in Illinois against Judge Douglas
and his peculiar friends it consists only in the fact
that all of the federal appointments made by the adj
ministraton in Illinois are not the especial friends
and supporters of that gentleman.
If any of the large proportion of the men who
were originally appointed as political friends of
Judge Douglas still his political supporters the
fault il his own and not that of the administrations
If many of these men concur with the administra-
ton and ifteensixtiehs Of the democratic party in
Congress- and of the Union, in the differences Of
opinion which have recently disturbed the harmony
of the party the fact is certainly to be ascribed to
more rational and possible cause than any pro-
scriptive action the part of the administration.
Asto the special mail agent, Charles Leib, who has
attracted the senator's Inconsistencies it is possible
that his appointment may have been iladvised, and
that his conduct in Office may be reprehensiblc and
unauthorized; but in either case we doubt whether
the floor of the Senate the most fit place for the
senator's complaint Of him, or important debate
on delicate question in our foreign relations, fit
occasion for arraignng loca mad agent before that
august body
Nothing is difficult for administrative officer
to do than to avoid committing occasional mistakes in
comforting Offices upon the seekers of them They
usually conferred the strength Of written recon-
mondations and certificates, and these are generally
given so loosely and unfortunately that it is i'm
possible to avoid grave errors occasionally in the
comforting of appointments. il is possible that
our present Postmaster General, distinguished for
his caution, prudence, and crcumspection in all his
acts has committed an error of this sort in confer
ring commission upon this Mr. Charles Lcib, Of
whom Mr. Douglas complains; but after looking
into the papers on the basis Of which the appoint
mont was made, we strongly of opinion that the
appontee is unjustly assaulted by the senator, and
we think we can convince the public Of the fact.
We extract from Mr. Douglass remarks in the