Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-02-28
NO. 20.

those mtrusted with'its administra-
tion should confne themselves with
in their respective constitutional
spheres, avoiding in the exercise
of the power of ono department to
cnemach upon another, The spirit
OF encroachmcnt tends to eonsol-
idate the powers Of all departments
in one, and thus to create, whatever,
the form Of government, u real des-
potism, Thcncccssity of reciprocal
checks in the exercise of political
power, by dividing and distributing
il into ditlcrcnt repositories, and
constituting each the guardian of
the public veal against invasions
bv the others, has been evineed by
departments ancient and modern;
some of them IN cur country and
under our own eyes, To preserve
them must be rs necessary rs to
institute them This was the
opinion Of the statesmen of hun
drcd years ago, The evil appro-
hcudcd by The author of these ex-
pressions has fallen upon us. Ii is
true that its diroful effects hero
predicted have not been experienced
we are not yet controlled by u
despotism but its hancml inilu-
encc is quite apparent to the close
observer. No Intelligent reader
needs to be told that IL has become
the custom in our own times for
the members Of the law-making
department of the government to
insist strcnuously on the pertory'
nance Of one of the prominent
functions vested by the constitu-
tion in tho oxecutivo--thnt of tho
appointment of large share of tho
administrative officers, They do
not, il is tcuc, aim to subvcrt the
fundamental law of the nation by
the actual performance of duties
| legally assigned to an other depart
ment, but rather to concede n iie-
titious compliance with constitu'
| tutional requirements by making
} the executive the agency for the
execution of their plans, II il not
difficult to see that an abuse like
this when carried far enough must
result in making the oxccutiuc de-
partmcnt but an appcndagc to the
Legislative and yet senators and
representatives are found tenacious
| ~ and dchantly resisting every at-
tempt to restore tho practices Of the
earlier days in this particular. Tho
modern congressman professedly
knows little of any corrupting in
lluenccs that can emnflate from his
management Of the Offices III his
district, but he is fully alive to the
, importance of nm element that has
been introduced into American pol
itics since the time of Washing y
an element to which ho ap o,;,
the term courtesy of the 81 .na,e
n term which, literally IT, ons,oto,
means that it is extreme ~ discou
, teous for u president - as.,me
be other than ligu q heod IN u
matter of appoin' n,en,s n o0ic
= and that his du' ,,es IN this respe
eon''s' S','P in executing the b
lleslS o' '''o several representative
u nenavc and House. "WhatW 50,
ono " le Solons from u neighbc
s ''s % ate, standing aghast at Il
"a" Tagant bottoms of some ci,
J - vice rcfo:mer, "do you mean
say thai / am not to appoint Il
n, post masters in my district2'
OF senator from our own State incense
ne by the attempt to restore TO IL
C. executive some Of its constitution
Or functions that have been gradual
y. slipping away from il seek
I'd TO demolish the whole schem
s- and suppress all further ag
~ tation Of it by innoccntly il
4 quiring, what il civil seryi,
II rcform?" If sentiments thus ho
ID tile 10 any interference with tn
s worst evils OF the government wei
/ confined TO few eccentric publ
\ characters il would be misrcprc
d sentation TO use them in comparin,