Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-02-13
Our Washington Letter.

WAsHNaToN, ID c., February 0, 1873.
1es"s Editow!--Congess has been still en-
gagged, the past week. in the discussion Of the
financial question, particularly the Senate, which
body has still under consideration the Bland silver
bill. In the House varions questions have been
considered, none Of special Importance and but
little necessary business has been accomplished.
To-day was marked bya
SPEECH or COLONEL JOYCE.
In an argument ON the bill introduced BY him in
December last, providing that from and after
March 4th, 1885 the term Of office of the Pres
ident and Vice-President Of the United States
shall he six years, and that any person having
held the office Of President shall be ineligible to
reelection Any abstract which can here be given
will he necessarily limited and consequently some
what imperfect. In opcnng the Colonel referred
TO the fears expressed at the time by the press
and echoed by the people, of third term of
Grants administration and the consequent dan.
gers Of Capitalization which threatened this coun.
try. While the people did not then and probably
do not now, believe that the Republic Is in danger
OF Immediate destruction, or that the Executive
will mt some fatal moment throw off an assumed
Disguise and proclaim himself dictator, still,
said the Colonel, am satisfied that the great
mass OF the people are in sober earnest about this
matter, and whether there is, in fact, danger or
not in the immediate future, they honestly believe
there NAV be- and they desire to be protected by
n constitutional amendment against an evil which
they fear may some day overwhelm and crush
them He then goes on to say that II any pro
posed amendment is to be submitted, it is OF the
utmost importance that 1t should receive serious
consideration, no as to remedy every conceivable
form of the evil, commend itself to the judgments
and consciences Of the people, and secure their
suffrages for its adoption. lie expresses himself
strongly against and in opposition to third
terms" and believes that the proposition prohibit
ing "third term, and the proposition embodied
in the bill introduced by him, are the only ones
which could command the approval and assent Of
the requisite number in Congress or of the people
| OF the country He refers at length, and in an
interesting way to the proceedings of the conven-
tion which framed the constitution and to the dis
cussion there had upon the length Of the Presi-
dental term. lie cites the many elements of this
question which GO to make up its serious impor-
lance, and considers the proposition made by him
as involving the gravest possible questions and
| therefore invoking careful deliberate considera.
| ton. Congress, he IL aware, can only propose an
amendment to the constitution; the people have
the power to ratify or reject it. 81 cannot shut
my eyes" said the Colonel, to the fact that it t.
under our present system Of unlimited elections
that Executive power and patronage have assumed
such vast and gigantic proportions, leading in
evitably to corruption and dishonesty in all the
departments OF the government, and that in con
sequence of this the people have become alarmed,
and are not only demanding higher standard OF
moral character and more strict accountability
on the part Of their public servants, but many OF
| them are deeply anxious that u constitutional
barrier shall be set up to guard them and theil
children from any further inundation Of evil from
the same source" Again he said, "a public sen
timent has grown up in this country within few
years, and not without cause, resulting in a belize
that the vast increase Of patronage in the hand.
of the Executive will eventually, unless checked
undermine the liberties of the people, destroy oui
Republican government, and rear upon its ruins =
despotism more hateful and crushing than any
before known" In referring to the doctrine tina
ito the victors belong the spoils," the Colone
branches out upon
| CIVIL SERVICE REFORM,
referring to the fact that for the last sixteen year
both political parties have soemnly pledged them
selves in national conventions to some reform o
this kind The watching kept up by the peopl,
for the first faint glimpse of this political mes
siah " is graphically depicted, and the vanity o
all such hopes, up tn the beginning of Mr.. Hayes
administration, is well stated. One great trouble
says the Colonel, has been that while men gen
orally agree in the object to be accomplished, an,
its necessity they are very wide apart as to tn
manner and means by which it is to be consunl
mated and the extent tn which it should he carried
The disgust which has been felt at the attempt
made in years past at civil service reform is ais
referred to- The danger arising from the corrup
use of government patronage does not, in tn
Colonels opinion, lie in the government depart
ments at Washington but In the multitude o
officials engaged in the collection Of the reyenu
outside, in the Department Of Justice, and in tn,
post-ofiices. Here thorough reform is required
Some system he believes should he adopted whic
shall remove all these appointments from eX
ecutve and legislative control, and lodge the powe
where it can feel the weight and influence of tn
people's will 1.-The practice" said the Colone
I" of allowing members OF Congress to interior
with the appointment and removal of publ
officers has led to great abuses and he here re
fers to the condemnation placed upon it by tn
CINCINNATI Conventloni also tn the iorci0le lar
snage used upon 1t by Mr. HAYES in his letter q
acceptance and in his inaugural address. " Ihes
solemn declarations by the Republican party an
its representative head leave no room for doubt
said Colonel Joyce, :" as TO the course its member
are sacrcdly bound to pursue IN reference TO thi
question. The great complaint of the people ha
o''", "o' o''s '''' p"V'' ",'1o'' 'e''N'u '"''
api o'"''"e"' '',o"s" '"e '"""en'e VI "e'ioe's
oo"s'ess' ou' ",S" '''. '"eSe o"i'e'S nave peen
'"e ''o' VI 'eoip'ov''''"s sue" '"'o's ny "'"n'P"
"''ns anu eon''o'"ns r'e ''"ruSeS All" con
'en',onS III '"e VI '"oSe WHO se'"'eu '"e
appointment
THE DESIRE OF PRESIDENT HAYES
has been to relieve members of Congress from a