Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-03-06
How the Appointments arc Made ut
WaShinzfOn.

The editor of the Cleveland PlGindealer, de-
srous ofbecoming benefactOr to Republicans
in pursuit of Office, gives the following explana-
ton of the way in which applications are treated
at Washington 1t IS very correctly detailed
The country having become so extended, pop
ulOus, and so many patriots in it, that it has been
found totally impracticable for the President, or
even heads of Departments to attempt to decide
upon the merits Of candidates They cannot per
sonally know one in a thousand of the applicants.
They are obliged to refer all local appointments
TO the highest officer of the Government or rep
resentatiyes of the people in near each locality,
and consequently Congressional Representatives
are considered the best referees. A member of
Congress is supposed to know personally the
prominent men of his party in his own district,
and the ones most proper to appoint. Members,
too, are always willing to take the responsibility
of these appointments, which is great relief to
the appointing power.
III he errs his constituents can call him to an
immediate account, and this course is considered
safest under all the circumstances, both to Gov
eminent and to people. Where there are no adj
illustrative Representatives in District the
Senators consulted, Cabinet Minister if
there is ore.
Necessity has forced upon the Government this
policy, and the cases will be very rare when 10
cal appointment is made in any Congressional
District against the wishes of its Representative
So nearly all the Government appointments can
be agreed upon at home, without petitions and
without going to Washington at all But if an
applicant chooses to make out his on paper
and take his chances among the pigeon holes at
the Capital, his papers, if for Presidential ap-
pointment, should be directed ITO the President
Washington City, d. G.
The President will probably never see said pa
pers at all. They will be opened, and if applying
for postofice viii be filed in the Postoffice De
partment If for Collectorship, in the Treas
ury Department, &C., &C. 1t would be as well 20
direct all such papers directly to the heads of the
Departments where Office is sought. A clerk in
each of the Departments takes charge of all
such papers, folds them and files them in desk
set apart for the State from which they came. AT
ter the President is inaugurated and his Cabinet
is confirmed he calls them together daily for
awhile to consult and determine first the pollen of
his Administration, then the disposition of the of
fees in accordance with that policy. If radical
ism is to be repudiated, these radical men can
make themselves scarce, as all appointments
above a certain grade are made by the President,
acting with the advice of his Cabinet and the con-
policy may sweep away nine-tenths of all the ap-
plications on file in the Department
1t Is customary TO set apart dav to consider
the appointments for each State. When Ohio's
turn shall come, the Departments will be notified
to send all applications TO the White house to be
considered by the Cabinet. Each bundle is first
examined by the clerk in charge, and briefs, no
ting the contents are prepared to accompany each
bundle. These briefs only are examined in Cab
met Council, unless perhaps letter from some
distinguished person mentioned in the BRIEF should
be called for by some particular member The
brief that contains a recommend from the Repre-
sentative of the District where the Office is To-
Gated is the one that will carry the appointment
nine cases out Of ten. General appoint
ments, such as United States Marshals and At
torneys, will be governed generally by Cabinet
Ministers where there is one, and where not, by
United States Senators. Petitions, although long
as the moral law, without these Endorsements, are
not worth the paper on which they are written
Cabinet Ministers, Senators and Representative:
are the legally constituted and politically recog
nized umpires Of nine-tenths Of all the Federal
patronage. and Office seekers will comport them
selves accordingly.