Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-09-04
A Douglas EIectOr on office Seekers and
office Holders.

The DOUGLAS and BELL men are fluent and some
times eloquent in their denuncatons of the Admin.
istrauon Tor removing few postmasters; notwith-
standing the work of removal is done by the only
Cabinet officer that has ever been claimed By the
DOUGLAS party. Bearing upon this point, we to-day
present few extracts from the speech of Hon. HAIR
vEY NJ WArrERsoN, DOUGLLs Elector for the State at
Large, made in Congress in 1910, in reply to Hon.
JoHN BELL: Mr. BELLS Gag Bill being then under
consideration Mr.. BELL, in his speech, had been
particularly severe on the Administration for rem0v
ing officers for opinions sake and upon Office
holders for interfering in elections. In the course
of his reply. Mr.. WATTERsoN said:
Mr. Speaker, the clamor of the OpposOn about
office holders is new to our ears. 1t is the cry
OF the outs against the ms. IT Will BE AS PERPETUAL
A. The EXISTENCE PARTIES. We hare often heard ii
JgOTe Strangers TO the cry would be led TO suppose
that all officers. all who far hOnOred with con-
hdence as TO hold any public station of profit or
trust are necessarily enemies to their country, par
ucularly If they should hear the emphatic denun-
Citations Of them by my colleague Mr.. BelD. IT, sir,
there are too many office holders let him specify
Them and bring forward bill to dispense with them
and assure HIM that will go fer it. No PROPOSE
ton has yet come from him for that purpose, and
none can be expected
If sir. the President Mr. Van Buren, is be cen
SiTed at all, IT OUGHT TO BE FOR KEEPING IN OFFICE
so MANY OF HIS OPPONENTS II he is to hare all The Odilun
think he ought to ,a,Ue Il for SOmettiRg So
far as l am concerned, would as to all important
officers, SWEEP THE POLITICAL CHEss-R6ARD and tits all
sheer hypocrisy in the Opposition, when they make
any other profession, because whenever and where
ever they have the power. they carry out the prn-
cipe of iRdiScrimindte prescription. So
long as / could find among my own friends those
who were equally competent and deserving, uoould
invariably giUe them the preference Such. sir was the
doctrine of Gen. Washington in his Administration
and who will dispute its correctness? No Admins
traon can or ought to be supported that treats its
friends with neglect or injustice Gen Washington's
opipion or this subject is worthy Of repetition in
connection with this clamor about prescription. i
shall not he saws whilst have the honor to ad-
minister the Government, bring man into any Of
fee Of consequence. knowingly, whose political
tenets are adverse TO the measures which the Ten
era Government is pursuing; for this IN my OPINION
would be sort Of political suicide. That II would
emoarFass Its movements is certain ~
Now, sir, my colleague Mr. BelD has so much
70 say ABOUT office holders, may not be improper to
'u"S 1'o.0 much more numerous mDOrtndte, noisy
ana hungry class. TIE OFFICE SEEKERS Here would
remark mat the energies of Office seekers are slim
uAa'eu oy nope SpOa or by resentment for TeecfiOa
anu lhelf Efforts IN opposition 10 an Administration
are much more Jealous and efficient than those
made by Its friends IN its favor IL has beap dbt5
indeed. whether an Administration vains or,T f;I
through us patronage Where one person Is en-
pointed, many are disappointed and become 5;fs
iected A French Minister remarked tbst IN is
Appointments 10 Office he made "a dozen pner,;as
and one Migrate Office seekers, TOO are more free :;
the use Of pGTty JredpOaS than their adrersaiieS he
office holders, can be-"