Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-04-28
Executive Patronage.

Departments to report list Of all persons en-
ploycd in each, giving the name, age, residence
when appointed. and the time of service Of every
person-the avowed design being to provide for
more equal distribution of offices 10 the several
States aud Territories. This resolution gave rise
to an interesting and important debate; if for
nothing else certainly for the fact that it proves
great dissatisfaction with the present state Of
things, and therefore encourages the hope that n
reform will he attempted
Senator Trumbull regarded the disposition Of
patronage as d" one Of the greatest evils 10 the
country, and calculated 10 sap the foundations Of
our Government. The experience Of the last six
or eight weeks admonishes all that something
should I've done TO effect reform. A great change
| has taken place, and senators and Representa-
tyes have become mere solicitors. Time was
when Members of Congress did not hang around
the ante-rooms Of the Senators to procure the
appointment Of clerks and other inferior officers
Time was when they would not sign the papers Of
applicants" The old senator Cameron Of Penn
sylyania concurred in this and suggested RENE
dy, saving &" II the practice now was as in the
olden time-to consult the Senators-there would
be no trouble They could tell the President the
merits and dement's Of the applicants" Other
experienced Senator's such as fessenden Of Maine
and Sumner and Wilson Of Massachusetts,, agreed
in doubling the propriety Of the signing Of appli
cations by Senators, though they admitted the
right to do it if the Office sought is an inferior
one, such as will not come before the Senate for
confirmation. This distinction is lawyer-like,
perhaps, but rs Senators are the constitutional
advisers Of the President in appointments, We do
not see any improperly in their giving advice
! Jcforc a nomination, if it he asked, rs well as
after the nomination. What these gentlemen
undoubtedly intended was, that the Senators
should be truly advisers to the President unbi-
assed by personal obligations to candidates, or by
favor to any good man above another who is
equally good Nor do we see any Improperly in
Senators acting in reference to inferior appoint
ments also, which do not come before the Senate
for official approval If there is any improperly
in that then surely it is equally improper for
the Members of the House 10 advise in respect TO
any appointments, great or small, for they really
have no more interest in them than have the
Senators.
The other side Of the question, based upon pat
ronage, was presented by Senator Abbott of S. G.,
who would have Offices distributed according to
representation in the Senate, we presume j and
population that is, each State and Territory
should have portion according to its number of
Senators and Representatives, or Delegates This
was objected to, not on the ground that the doc
trine of patronage is itself false and pernicious
but because the Southern States had, for many
years previous to the rebellion an undue share of
the Offices and this suggestion will possibly be
fatal to the resolution. No vote was taken, and
the subject will either be dropped, or go over to
the next session for further consideration.
The pest of patronage is not an infant of days,
as Senator Trumbull carelessly suggested, but a
mature and vigorous devil full forty years Of age
| Indeed when we read that Satan tempted Christ
by the offer Of all the Kingdoms of the world and
the glory of them, il lie would fall down and wur-
ship him, we fancy that it is the old one himself
who is in these days tempting high and low by
the proilers of patronage. The President the
Heads of Departments, the Senators, the Members
of the House, the influential and ambitious men
in all parties, and finally the candidates, are all
tempted to sin against principle, conscience, judy
ment, honor and patriotism, and to sin also against
each other. 1t is scandalous and deplorable
| scramble, in which honest and modest men have
the poorest chance, if 50 be they are not utterly
deferred by their honesty and modesty from going
into the ring at all We do not mean to over
draw the picture We do not mean to say that
everybody in Washington, who is concerned in
the Offices, from the President downward, is cor
rupt. No many, and We hope most, of them
deplore the curse of patronage, and are disguised
with the work that is thrust upon them But
they are oyerborne by the crowd they fall OF fail
against their will. They begin with good prnci-
pies and good intentions, but it is with most of
them as with everybody else they do the things
they would not The President began with de-
termination to bring good men to his assistance
| and to secure that he announced that if he did
not succeed the first time, he would try again
and still again But we think we know what the
result will be. Already he has been assailed by
csmorous crowd of candidates Congressman
of both Houses have pressed upon him their IA
| yorites; and many of them have recommended
men who are not their iavortes, who are not even
well known 10y them, and who would not be APP
pointed by them if they did know them-snce the
| signing of ones name is temptingly easy way to
get rid OF an unwelcome visitor or pestilerous
plague-easer than TO say he is unfit to be trust
ed Out of such material the President and Heads
of Departments have been forced to select thou
sand or more officers in the last six weeks They
have been misled, not to say deceived The
Congressman who have Influenced them have also
been mised, and perhaps deceived The work
may have been as well done as at any other time
in the last forty years Of the reign of party pat
ronage; but it has not been so well done as il
ought to have been and so it will be unto the
end of time, if the Government finds not either
better principle to rule appointments, or a better
way of separating the few kernels of wheat from
an immensely of chat.
We began with n purpose of seeking better
principle and way, but we must reserve that for
another day.
49,