Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-04-07
Tho two Steps in Corrupting the Gov
0rumen$,

ernment.
When Gen. Jackson became Pres
ldent there was a renewal of what is
known as a strictly-dcfned party or
ganization. During the preceding
administrations of Adams, Monroe,
and Madison, and back to Washing
ton, there had been no such party or
CARNATIONS. The organization Of the
Jacksonian Democratic party eventu-
ally forced all the varied factions of
the opposition into what became the
Wing party. This Democratic Ad-
minlstration at once adopted the prin-
clple known to its predecessors, that
"to the victors belong the spoils."
The victors i'll the sense of the term
then were the democratic party"
and practically the declaration was,
that to party belong the spoils. This
departure from the previous practice
OF the Government was a most unfor-
tunate one. 1t was the first step in
the degradation of the civil service
OF the Government. 1t made party
fealty the primary recommendation
to all offices from the highest to the
lowest, and clothed the Executive
with the moral right, as we'll as the
legal power, to substitute party fealty
for competency and integrity in the
tenure of Office.
But the calamity which was in
flicted by the adoption of the spoils
rule, that all offices belong to the par
ty successful at the election, was but
the forerunntr of far more destruc-
tive and fatal practice. From the
transfer OF the appointing power to
the 'party" there has been much
greater and descending step, and that
is, that the whole patronage of the
Federal Government pertains as
personal perquisite to the Senators
and Representatives of the "party"
at the time in Congress. The man
who in Jackson's day dared to as
sumo tn It the President, in making
appointments to office should coniine
his selections exclusively to members
OF his own party would probably
have shrunk with horror from the
present system of having the sole
power of appointment to Federal Of
flee in the United States transferred
from the Executive to the members
of the party in Congress. The re-
sponsibility, however, rests on the
Jackson party, which made the first
innovation,-which took the first step
to break down the honesty and capac-
ity of the civil service, leading to
further innovations and usurpations
which have made the civil service of
the United States the alms-house of
the unconvicted thieves of the count
ry. BY the time Buchanan's Admin
istration was reached, the unconsti-
tulional and corrupt system Of Cen
gressional dictation was fully estab.
lished, and the offices, profits, and
hopars of the Government were par
celed out among the Democratic Con
gressmen as their personal perquisites
es, with which they paid their parti-
san debts to their bummers and bench
men, and secured their reelection by
the same improper and fraudulent
means.
The Constitution wisely placed the
power of appointment in the hands
of the Executive. The President
was charged with the duty of cxecut-
ing the laws, and the Constitution
gave him the exclusive authority of
selecting his own suhordinates. The
fact that these appointments were
subject to the consent of the Senate
can in no wise be tortured into
support of the principle that members
Of the Legislature were in any wise
to select the officers or dictate their
appointment.
But how is this power of Senatori-
al confirmation now exercised? If
the President at any time nominate a
person for Federal office within the
limits of any one OF the States, the
first question asked, Is the person
the nominee of or satisfactory to the
Republican Senators from that State,
and more particularly to the Senator
whose reelection is the nearest at
hand? If these persons state that
the person nominated has been, in
fact, selected by themselves, the con-
firmation is at once made without
further care or inquiry; if they say
that the President made the nomin-
alton without consulting them, and
that they had made another selection
tor the Office, then the nomina-
ton is promptly rejected or the Pres
ident is advised to withdraw it, and
to send in the name of the person Sc
lectcd by the Senator whose re cleo
ton may be promoted by the aid of
the officer. 1t is using a mild term
to say that this is a burlesque of the
Constitution. 1t is an usurpation by
the Senate which nil ht be termed
scandalous and disgraceful if it were
not in fact criminal. If the place to
be filled is local to a Congressional
District, and the district is represent.
ed by member Of the party, then he
dictates the person to be appointed;
be notifies the President, and, if the
President disrcgards the dictation,
the Senator takes up the case, in
forms the Senate that the President
is usurping power belonging to a
Representative in Congress-, and
forthwith the Senate refuses to con-
firm the Executive nomination! That
is the way in which the Senate treats
the provision of the Constitution
which confers upon the President the
exclusive power to appoint Federal
officers.
This transfer of the appointing
power from the Executive to the
members of Congress has been the
greatest political calamity that has
ever befallen the United States, ex-
cept the Rebellion. 1t has degraded
the Executive branch of the Govern
ment; it has lowered the standard Of
personal character and intellectual
ability in Congress, and is convert
ing the civil service into a den of
thieves. 1t has corrupted the politics
of the country. 1t has changed the