Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1876-05-05
TERRITORIAL OFFICES.
A Bill Requiring Federal
Appointments to be Made
From Resident Citizens,
DEBATE IN THE HOUSE AND
PASSAGE OF THE BILL.
Forty-Fonrth Congress.

] V"SusuASOus ApIu Id.
TIE Clerk resumed the reading of Il
bill rs follows:
''And hereafter the salaries OF all 4
|Oficers of the Territories Of the Unit
E States appointed by The President shl
Commence only when the person appoln
led to such Office shall take the prop
lOath and shall enter upon the duties
, lsuch office il such Territory. and sa
oath shall hereafter be aiminisr erei
1.-THE Territory in winch said Office
'Iheld."
Mr.. Fort-Mr. Speaker. l move
amend that paragraph BY adding shere'
the following proviso:
provided. That al officers appointe
lby the President for the Territories sha
Ibc bona fide residents Of the Territ0ri,
respectively for which they shall be a
lp0inted."
/ Mr.. Baker. of Indians-I would q
the gentleman what authority the legl
lative department Of this Government Ia
to interfere with the President, the e1
ecutive department, In the exercise OF tn
constitutional function with which he
charged in making appointments TO OF
flee?
mr.. rUJ-lnIs IS no interference wit
/ is constitutional perogative The questio
has been fully discussed On other occasion
and settled, and it has been held to he u
limitation upon the appointing power I
restrict the appointments to . certain
class of citizens or to citizens of . certain
State. This is no sort Of objection L
this provision. It has been held by tn
most eminent IF our statesman that the
power could be constitution
ally limited to persons found to have Ger
tain qualifications, and til other branch
IS OF the Government may pass upo:
such qualifications.
Mr.. Maginnis-If the gentleman vii
yield to me the right, will say. in an
swer to the several remarks that | heal
from gentlemen on the Republican side
intimating that this will be IN interior
ence with the Executive, that I DO not
think so. A few years ago all the Del
egate representing the Territories on this
floor, at that time, waited on the Presi
dent, and, presenting to him the abuses
that resulted from the appointment Of
strangers to those positions in the Ter
ritories. preferred that request that all
appointments to Office In any Territory
should be made from the citizens thereof.
The President sgreed with them ard
promised relief, and, in order to remedy
the evil, made an announcement that
thereafter he would make all appoint
ments 10 Office in the Territories from
IONA fee residents Of the Territory in
which the Office Was to be filled. l have
no doubt that that the President faithfully
tried to carry out that promised policy Of
reform; but the political pressure from ali
parts Of the Union for these places was
20 great that he was obliged to abandon
it
Mr.. Fort-1'he politicians vert strong
cr than the President.
Mr.. Masinnis- If that be 50, then l
naRas H4.ahe& us" ianN .JKaP hf hitter ees a.L
dent. Ever since the days of ancient
Rome, Speaker. the pro-consular system
IF government has been regarded, and
rightfully regarded, IS wretched and op-
Dressive at the best. In our system Of
I'll its evils have been aggra
rated BY our w:etchcd system OF appoint
nents to Offices in the Territories. Rarely,
t ever, Can our home citizens. even Of
he ruling party-citizens identified with
'ur own interests understanding our wants
md known to our people-get appoint
nents to Offices among us. These appoint
nents are made from strangers, and gen.
rally consist Of broken down politicians
y inefficient and unworthy persons; or. if
occasion ally an adler man is chosen, it is|
lot SO much in the interests Of the people
which he is to govern as TO get him tenn
'Orarily out of the way of some political
iyAl. They come among our people With
10 acquaintance with our people or our
interests, no sympathy with our aspira
ions. our hopes, and our en6eayors to de-
'clop the country, and depend for their
in Office upon tn. favor of
hose who originally sent them 70 us,
ather than upon the good will, the affec-
ion or confidence Of the people Of the
Territories.
Governors have been sent to the Terri
orics without honesty or characters, men
rho not only dlsglaced the Government,
ut used their official positions to borrow
II the money they could obtain from re-
pectable citizens and then decamprd tol
be places from which they came. Wei
ave had Secretaries who squandered the
and de6antly disgractd
heir positions. We have had Judges whoI
ou!d moi pass an e1amina ION for admis-
ion to the bar and could never earn Nv
nc IN competition with our local bar, and
hese have not been exceptions. but thel
ulc.
The Committee IL their bill attempt toI
eform one abuse; that 10. where oficersl
re appointed and quality at home and
raw their pay without ever going to the
Territories as al. The Committee have
. their bill attempted to remedy this
buse. and hope the House viii adopt
be further reform proposed BY The gen
leman from Illinois. (Ar. Forty from the
Committee on tho Territories. Il 10 Ger
alnly : long step in the right direction.