Daily Kennebec journal., 1879-01-15
From the Boston Journal.
Something About JacksOnian
Democracy.

| to the oung Men : 1tenlocrdDc tub Oh D.
lumbus. Ohio, in response to the toast. Jack
sonian Democracy" contains no opinion on
living issues. but is devoted to the praise of
democratic leaders who were nearly all dead
or retired when the generation of Thurman
entered upon the arena of national politics.
Ii is not our purpose generally to critcise
parties and men who controlled national affairs
thirty or fifty wears ago. There are, however
occasions when il would be just to do; and
when such a man rs Senator Thurman takes
il upon him to disparage the present and ap-
plaud the past--when he holds up the present
regime as an example of probigacy and cor
ruption and applauds the Jackson regime as
the marvel of economy and purity-such an
occasion occurs.
In March. 1929. Gen Jackson became Pres
dent and adopted that policy which was form
ulatcd by w. l.. Marcy to be ''To the victors
belong the spois.'' In forty years his prede
ceSsors had made but one hundred and thirty
two changes in Federal offices. In one year
Gen. Jackson removed 1900 officers-in many
cases men who bore scars of wounds received
in the countrys service to make place for his
supporters. Experienced capable and trusty
men were made to give place to inefficient and
dSreputable men, During the preceding adj
ministraton of John Quincy Adams, the losses
of the government per $1,000 of disbursement
was S5 2s. Under .Jacksonian purity and
economy the loss rose to $40 81 per $1,000.
Under Adams the total loss on receipts and
disbursements per $1,000. through official in
efficiency or dishonesty. was - 80. and under
Jackson 81 80. Under Gen. Grant it was "a
cents and the average from Washington's to
the close of Grants administration was
81 20. During Van Burcn's administration
which was but the continuation of Jackson's,
and when the '',Iacksonan democracy sys-
tenn of purity and economy had come into full
plav. the loss by official incompetency and
theft was sll Il per $1,000
Now let us briefly allude to that purity and
economy which Senator Thurman applauds.
BY reference to House document 1874, see
ond session of the Path Congress, it is
shown that one of General ,Iackson's Cabinet
took illegally Sos, 900. and that several mem-
hers of the same Cabinet Joined others in
forming ring for speculation in public lands,
and that the Fourth Auditor, who was subse-
quentlv Postmaster General, for a fee of $50
600 made it possible for land company to
swindle certain Indians in Mississippi out of
their lands. BY Senate report (i22 first
session of the 23d Congress- made by a
committee raised to inquire into the Post
Office Department management, il is declared
that the service, which had not only been
selfsustaining but had contributed 81 l03, 900
per annum to the revenue, was bankrupt.
The committee found that extra allowances
had been made amounting to hundreds of
thousands. without any increase of duty or
service and without authority of law, and de-
clared such allowances TO be unreasonable,
extravagant and out of all proportion with
the increase of service" and were granted to
personal and party favorites. The grossest
evidences of fraud aud favoritism were found
n b,a nf ma
Contracts were given when not advertised.
and were changed after being accepted.
Clerks in the Department took contracts at
exorbitant rates under other mems names.
Steamboat lines we're established by private
contract without sanction of law. and oppres-
sive monopolies were established by the De-
partment for the benefit of private parties
In turn the contractors rewarded the officials
for their services. The ''secret service"
fund increased at once, and the year be-
fore Gen. Jacksons reelection it suddenly
rose to $4,000. This ''secret service" fund
was devoted chiefly to the support of party
Journals. The bills for 'printed blanks and
twine" were enormous. OF the s22, ,957 of
''incidental expenses of the Department
during the Presidential election of 1882, sl3,-
673 went to party organs. In four years un-
der Jacksonan economy the Postal Depart
ment spent So, 336. $50 in excess of the sum
expended by the same department during Mr..
Adams four years. At the next session the
report of the Committee Of the democratic
House was even more damaging than that of
the Senate.
One of the first appointments made by
President Jackson was that of Swartwout to
to be collector of the port of New York He
was at the time of his appointment an impe-
cmnious and reckless stock gambler, who'll
ly irresponsible. His default began in his
first wear and continued for eight years In
vestigation was prevented by the jackson in
fiuence, although his shortcomings were
known at Washington. After years of fruit
less effort, in 1899, after Swartwout's
term of eight years had expired, an
investigation was ordered. Senator Thur
man can find the report (H. X. 3lS. third ses-
sion 25th Congress- The committee found
that Swartwout's default was 81 225. 7O5. 90.
that from 1894 to 1887 he had held the Office
without giving the bonds required for the safe
keeping of the millions in his hands, that he
was irresponsible when appointed. that the
First Auditor and First Comptroller of the
Treasury neglected their official duty and
that the Secretary of the Treasury utterly
failed to do his duty by allowing this officer
to continue in Office in violation of the laws.
Before the report of the committee was made
/
followed soon after by Price, United States
Attorney for the Southern District of New
York, defaulter in the sum of S72.I24 O6.
President Van Buren, lineal descendant, so
to speak, of Jackson, made Jesse Hoyt Col
lector. He was also impecunious and bank
rupt in reputation, well as in finances. A
committee th. r. $50, second session 27th
Congress) found him guilty of mal-adminis-
tration and systematic robberies of the gov
ernment and importers. Even in the Incl
dental expenses of the Office he plundered the
treasury of tens of thousands His best man
and deputy collector had the MONOPOLY of
cartage, and in three years Hoyt paid him
S9f. 40 He rented a storehouse for $40. 900
a year and charged the government $50. 900
for the same. We have no space to give the
instances and the methods by which he rob-
bed importers and defrauded the revenue. bnt
one can get some idea of the nature Of his
transactions from the fact that the duties col
lected at New York in 1926 under President
Adams, amounted to sl5754 s24, and the ex
pense OF collection was S2ll.471. while the
duties collected in 1910 by Hoyt were but
sL59L76o. and the cost of collection was
s563.829. During the Adams administration
the average cost Of collection at New York
was ] .43 per cent, while under Hoyt it was
5.20 per cent.