Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-05-10
Speech of Hon. William c. Rives.

| DIR. kIves began by remarKlhS, thal uio
habits and pursuits of his life, Tor many
years past, had removed him entirely from
scenes of political excitement. | have no
desire, he said, again to engage IN them
While had public duty 10 perform, l en-
deavored to discharge it honestly, faithfully,
and to the best of my ability, more anxious
to serre than merely to please my constltu-
eats. Cherishing with sincerity the prIncl-
pies brought with me into public lIfe,
could not, ~ ali honest man, change them
at the bidding Of any party. My services
were no longer acceptable; and have since
lived private citizen, contented anu nap
py, with no complaints or regrets IN the past
no aspirations in the future.
| But, felow-citizens, | should be sorry t"
say that have lived an unconrerned sPrc'a-
tor of public events. In Il free country,
! every citizen the humhlest and most OBJ
scure, rs well ~ the highest, has Il patriotic
duty TO perform in watching over and de-
Tending, according to his opportunities the
precious deposit of the public liberties
Candur compels me to declare that, from
time to time, have seen much cause for pa
triotic anxiety, but never 80 much aS ut the
present moment.
| 1t is this conviction which has induced
me- may say constrained me-not with
out many struggles against the force at habit
and that love of retirement which grows
stronger by every days ndul gence, t" aP-
pear before YOU, in obedience 10 the Halter
ing call that has been made upon me.
know how incapable | am of adding, by
anything can say, to the force Of the many
able and eloquent appeals that have been
alread Y addressed to the intelligence ana
manliness of the country. But, powerlrss
us my voice is, feel that | should be- rerre-
ant to the duty of n good citizen, |! were
not to raise il in such cause. while there
may be one of my c.untrymen willing I"
listen to me.
do not appear before YOU to plead Tor the
triumph of Il party. No, fellOwcitizcns, 1t
is Il far higher cause which now demands
the exertions of us all. \ bold and unbush-
ing corruption has invaded every depart
ment Of our national administration, which,
if not promptly and vigorously checked by
the sovereign rebuke of the people, must
soon cngulph the public liberty, rs 1t is r;'-
pidly undermining the public morals.
The wisdom and valor of our ancestors
bequeathed to us noble free institutions,
which were intended to place the public
liberty securely under the guardianship "t
the public virtue 1t is these noble lnStltu-
tons which daring official abuses. embolden-
Ell by IMMUNITY, would now pervcrt to the
destruction of Liberty, by undermining eve
nv guarantee provided for its security-eyen
the virtue and patriotism of the people
themselves. Shall we not, then, rally t"
their defence, one and all Of us? Shall We
be told that this is the cause of Il party ?
Believe me, iellow-citzens, it is the vital
cause of constitutional ireedom-the com
mon cause Of every American citizen, Dem
ocrat, Wing, or by whatever party denomI-
nation he may have been hitherto known,
who values his birthright, and is manfully
determined to defend it,
That have presented to You no exagge-
rated picture of our public situation, is I'M
fortunately too well established by facts,
now of universal notorety. Revelations
brought out. during the late session of Con
gress, have placed them before the public in
a form not to be questioned.
Look ut the report upon public printing:
and YOU will see there how deliberately and
ingeniously, in that large department of the
public expenditure, corruption has been or
ganized into q system to multiply brides to
the employees and supporters of the Gov
erumcnt. Every contract, whether for pa
per- for printing, for lithographing, for en-
craving, has been SO managed a not only
to yield rich harvest to the contractor him
sell, but to the officer Of the Government
who awards the contract, and To the inter
mediate agents employed rs brokers to pro-
cure it. Thus is a single job made. by its
ramifirations. to enlist and remunerarr IL
dozen or more political retainers, AT an rnur-
nous cost to the Treasury; for the prices
| allowed to the contractor must be CORES
pondingly high, to enable him to pay the
customary tributes to his patrons and assoc
cates.
And this rank scene of corruption has
been passing under the very nose Of the Go
yernment, in the city Of Washington. One
of the LEVERS of black maii--one who re-
ceived the modest sum Of 1000 for his
good will and patronage in the sale and
| brokerage of public c0ntractS-was but the
other day owner and conductor of the official
organ of the Government, and is even now,
We are told, public printer in fact, though
not in nama.
Look now at the huge report made upon
tiIt NuNN ihi'n w H'''.
delphia and Brooklyn-a document gigantic
in its proportions, but yet more gigantic and
startling in the official iniquities it reveals.
have neither the time nor the patience I"
enter into the disgusting details of these
revelations. But one glaring and monstrons
fact appears from them all-the systematic
employment of contracts for every variety
of work and materials in both OF those vast
establishments, and that with the direct APP
probation of the Government itself, To reward
partizan services, and to debauch the sut-
frages of the people.
There you will see contracts involving
large amounts of the public money, directed
by the Government to be given, i'll open vio-
lation of the law, to the highest instead Of
the lowest bidder, from the sole consldera-
ton of the number of subsidized voters, in
the employment of the preferred party,
whose sufrages were required in the critical
moment of contested election. So minute
ly and Systematically was this policy car
ried out in one of those establishments,
that Democratic members of Congress rep
resenting the adjoining districts were for
malIy constituted by the Government its an-
thorized agents for making an equitable
division OF the public spells among its sup
porters; and in this manner, the yard was
filed to the number Of several thousand,
with worthless and incompetent men, whose
only claim Ia emDlOymcnt was founded on