Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-18

!, defraud the Government of the United
: States, and was sentenced therefor to suffer
J imprisonment m the penitentiary for term
8 OF two years, and TO pay ine Of Ten
: thousand dollars. The Senate, refusing to
: concur until the 23i day of June, 1868, at
: ter the conviction and Imprisonment Of the
: said Anderson, in the penitentiary, thereby
retaining the said Anderson 10 Office while
J in the penitentiary, and In compliance with
, the opinion of the Attorney General, the
! President issued his proclamation removing
the said Anderson, who was still in the in
: cumbency of the said Office while in the
Z penitentiary. The proclamation was ia the
following Languages:
SNOW, therefore, !, Andrew Johnson,
President of the United States, do, in ac-
cordance with the said resolution of the
Senate, and in pursuance of the statute in
such case made and provided, hereby re-
move the said John H. Anderson from the
said Office of Collector of Internal Revenue
for the fourth district of Virginia, and di-
4 rect the Secretary of the Treasury TO trans
NIT to him copy Of this my act and direc-
ton for his removal as Aforesaid.
M s'ANDREw JOHNSON.
HExEcUTIyE MANSION, Aug. 20, 1882
/ This is quite commentary, my country
ton of the times, and Of the practical ope-
ration ofthe civil tenure law, and the extra
ordinary action of the Senate in regard to
partisan officeholders. The President of
the United States, reduced to the humili-
ating attitude Of issuing his proclamation of
removing a convict in the penitentiary from
an Office held under the United States,
! who had been sustained by the infdelity
Of the Senate to the constitution of the Uni
ted States. He said there were other cases
of removal very similar to the one be had
| just stated, but he would not trouble the
people with further repetition on the pres
ent occasion, but would leave the one he
had referred to with them as specimen
brick Of the corruption of the times and NAL
feasance of public officers. sa
THE CIVIL SERVICE. 81
| There has been much said in regard TO
civil service, but no very efficient progress
has been mads in reforming it. Indeed it
is doubted whether the administration and
its friends are very sincere in the effort they
have been making to reform it. 1t has been
suggested that the officers, as far as pIacti-
cable, should be distributed among the
States according to their Federal represent
tation, as in making appointments to West
| Point and the Naval Academy; dividing
| the whole number of officers into three
classes-the first class expiring at the end
! of four years, the second class at the expi-
ration of eight years, and the third class at
the expiration oftwelve years, which would
yacate one-third of all of the officers by ex-
piration of term. This would enable each
President to fill one third of the vacancies
without prescribing and turning persons
out of Office without cause. This is mere
suggestion, without intending to elaborate
it now.
ONE TERN.
Much has been said in reference 10 the |
first term of President being consumed in |
electiOneering for second term, and that |
the patronage of the Government is used |
among his partizans for corrupt purposes, |
which is given as an argument for eonfin- |
ing the Presidency to ole term. This is
believed TO be very good reason as far as
it goes. But this does MT remove all the |
objections or abuses that grow ont of the |
election of President. l. is believed that |
it would be far better not only to elect the |
President for one term, but TO elect him d.
rectIy by the people, which would dispense
with the Intervening machinery of the cleo !
toral college. To elect directly by the |
people would dispense with all Congress
siOnal caucuses and national conventions,
which is temptation TO designing office
seekers and intriguing politicians to make
arrangements for the offices and patronage
of the government 10 be divided among
themselves and their special friends. The
time has arrived when these conventions
should be dispensed with, both State and
National, and the election Of the President,
as | have already stated, be directly by the
people. The election by the people is SIM
pie and entirely practicable. The States
can be laid off into electoral districts, equal
to the whole number of Senators and Rep
resentatiyes in the Congress Of the United
States, which is the basis of the
Electoral College. The electors in
each electoral district could
vote directly for President and Vice Presi-
dent, the candidate receiving majority
of ell the votes cast in all the electoral dis
tricts of the United States should be de-
clared President and Vice President. In
the event there should be more than two
candidates, and no one reeeiving majority
of all the votes, the two highest should be
sent back to the people for election, instead
of going to the House of Representatives
for decision as now prescribed By the con-
stitutiOn OF the United States. This would
be bringing the Government closer to, and !
AAO1C uAIOSLlJ uuOcI Tic OOubIOl VI Vic PcO- 1 ,
pie. This in short, it Is believed, would
make a decided improvement in our sys-
tenn. ~ --t- f.
"a. SENATORS FROM THE PEOPLE.
There is one other amendment to the !
constitution that / would call your
attention to, and that is, to transfer ,
the electiono OF Senators Co the United States
Senate from the legislatures to the qualified ;
voters Of the respective States. The people |
are to be trusted in the election of Senators {
as experience has fully and painfully dem |
onstrated, in preference to legislatures who !:
are constantly corrupted by the use of I
money when Senators are to be chosen by !
them. | will not elaborate this subject
farther than to cali your attention to mes
sage and three amendments offered to the
constitution in 1868, which gives my views '
more fully upon this important question. IL
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
Cd / regret to say that the Democratic party Is I
fast being numbered among the things that were.
That dear old party, God bless herr she has been
The only that has been faithful TO the Consti-
ton. A lifelong Democrat myself, have {
watched with eager interest as she rode upon the
waves of popular thought. have gone with her,
Dyed when she was successful and wept when
'he was not. Many of you have done the same. /
FellOw-citizens, to see party that has always /
been the pride of my heart, sinking fast into q
1
ling at least one silent tear for her downfall
Her doom seems to be sealed, and as it mnst be
70, let us ut least give her decent inteIment.
et us gather around her grave, and with heart
iIled with gratitude for the blessedness she has
Ilready provided with, pray then and there for
Ter speedy resurrection.
GREELEY VS.. GRANT. q
As for Greeley against Grant, L s
I'm decidedly for the former; he Il
las been nominated by the Democratic party :
md while it continues to survive 1 shall follow
where it leads. Mr.. Greeley is far superior to
zen. Grant, as a citizen and as statesman.
They say he's honest and who will dispute it frl-
il he is tried? Against him personally have
lOthing; but have never had him in my minds ,
We as the choice of the people for President. g
There are other ADLER men than he; but in order
o beat the present administration / willingly &C .
ept him. When there is q malarial plane from II
Whence foul air proceeds, | am anxious TO
emove it. / consider that the best way TO ac- a
omplish this end is to make a vacuum, and IL | .
here be one of sufficient strength m9de, II will
,e sure to extract all the foul atmosphere. Grant
epresents the foul air at the White House. BY 4
making tube Of popular prejudice, and creating Z
vacuum, sufficient force could be brought 10 I
,ear to remove Grant, and as a supply of 'puri- e
wing atmosphere, Greeley would rush in, Zap
ause and laughter). Still, as have said am Il
lot thoroughly Greeley man, but would use !
i'm as the 1'crOoked stick to kill the mad dog" u