The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-15

states OF New England, Il appearing from
l,st of ,he State debts accompanying the sec
elary's report that more than one-nali oi 'le
aggregate State debts were due from ,nose
states and South Carolina. The Dnrnlns
protest Of the Legislature OF Is, -, |
against this monstrous acton Is tne m's. u ~
maj long series Of protests. when many
ondad j., yxor ofthe scenes Of corruption
tbat ensued i'm the opening up OF new oihces
and now opportunities for plumber. D! WI |
tho of those unjust and unconstitutional
proceedings. MIR. jefferson Is withess.
.onriers and relay horses went galopn's
nv land. and swift sailing pilot boats WcrS
sailing by sea, aud agents were einplv!cu
in every State TO bny up, for TWO sliti' III,
on the pound, paper and certificates VI WI
before the holders knew that Congress n".
already provided for their reuei"P''o" ~
par
NATIONAL BANK.
After the same English model, the feIer-
alists created a National Bank' cnec'yu a
tariff system OF protection for New England
interests. and established bounty system
for The fishermen, and every time such
measure was adopted by Congress their
natural operation demanded the creation oi
no,y offices. and rs soon a. they were ere
otod they were filled with iierce'and recent
less partisans. In 1895 senator Henry
Tazewell, writing TO james Monroe, dec
c,arrd that every important officer s0uth OF
the Potomac had been succeeded 10y one
north OF il save twO-MOnrOc ana lrcdch
and the former also was soon after removed
by his recall from France. II was worse
aftar Washington lett the government
in 1891. and John Adams, typiiying Inc illl
English idea of patronage. succeeded. John
Gardiner and Tcnche Coke were removed
from their Offices. ii is said, because they
would not sign addresses lattering me van
itv of the New England magnate. \ letter
was written 10y the Secretary ol ar III
l7gS. during The difficulties with France,
that the political opinions of the soldiers
should be made the test Of their acceptance
as such by the government.
According 10 his own letters, Adams CEN
surcd Washington for appointing certain
Jacobins 10 office, and prided himself upon |
his ..cautiousness, in this respect: Marcy
himself never laid down with greater pre-
cisiom the principle of the spOils than ana
Bayard and Otis-the Federal leaders IN
Congress. The first announced that "the
politics Of the Office seekers would be the
Great object Of the Presidents attention,
and an inyincible objection if different from
his own" and the latter that the pccunary
claim Of Henry Miller, q supervisor OF HE
revenue. for extra clerk hire, Occasioned by
his leaving his Office TO electiOneer for
Adams. was "a paltry consideration mn
nitely outweighcd by the services hc was
rendering his country" in so doing.
TIE PRESS THROrTLED.
The press was throttlcd by the sedition
act and its editors were debauchcd by nu-
merous appointments to Office in Virginia
and elsewhere. The Fcdcralisis i'm posses
sion Of the state offices kept pace with the
National government In New England
the town politics had been long source Of
spoils and corruption. and Mr.. Gary, OF
Massachusetts, had alluded in the Federal
Convention 10 the base character ot the
men who got into the Legislature Of that
state by the dirtest means. In New 0rk.
according TO GraysOn, the federalist, had
heaped unsparing traductOn on the head
of Governor Clinton. who represented the
Republican party, and in Virginia. where
the justices OF the peace were all Federal
lists. and controlled all the offices Of any
value in the counties, despOtic domino
ton was establishod-all the more grieyous
because the justices Were. under the Con-
stitutiOn of the state, in office for life and
no power short Of a convention could break
ND the iunt0. As late as 1876 Mr.. Jefferson
writes of family of Federalists who got
possession of the Bench early in the history
Of the government, and, having the power
to nominate TO their own vacancies, "neYer
admitted man upon it that was not OF
their clan or Connection
PRESIDENT ADAMS COURSE.
As the termination of his admintration
approached Adams increased his efforts at
enlarging the patronage Of the government.
Having had the first filling Of the offices and
early ..eXcluded." as Mr.. Jefferson says.
..every shade Of opinion which was not
theirs" he and the Federalists had no Occa-
sion 10 make any new removals, but set 10
work to still further extend the influence OF
the Federal Government by opening up Of
fees in the judiciary, where the appointees
would be lodged for life. The Judiciary, il
was true. was already filed with men whOdid
not hesitate TO degrade the character OF
their offices by electioneering and exhibit
ing their Federalism from the bench in the
most indecOrOus manner, but to provide
for still other partisans, bill was intro
duced after Mr. Adams defeat for re-elec-
ton in 1900 TO erect thirty-siX new Judge
ships 10 be called Circuit Courts. Late in
the last session of his term of Office the bill
was hurried through Congress and the ap-
pointments placed in his hands. Adams
did not hesitate in the exercise Of his power
without even a feeling Of shame that he was
appointing men TO Office for life whose prin-
cipies had been just condemned by the peO-
pie, and without even waiting TO know
whether the district judges would accept
the new places in the face of the storm
which ultimately swept away the law, lac
instituted a system of amOtOn from one
bench TO the other and even nominated, in
the cases Of Mr.. Reed and another person,
two of the very members of Congress who
had voted for the bill, TO the vacancies
thus enforced in the district courts.
Now, the Constitution said that all
Judges should hold during good behavior
and yet it actually happened, as one Of the
results Of Mr.. Adams zeal, that two per-
sons held the same commission at the same
time from the executive To perform the
same duties, while the offices to which the
promotion was declined remained vacant.
In the case of Mr.. Green, who voted for the
bill, such was the extreme culpability and
negligence of Mr.. Adams that he was ac-
tually commissioned to the bench Of the
Circuit Court, although the COnst-
tuition forbade the appointment of
of a member of Congress 10 any civil Office
under the authority Of the United States.
| (which shall have been created or the emOlu-
ments whereof shall have been increased
during the term for which he he was elect
ed" And rs il this was not enough, in the
expiring hours Of the administration, John
Marshall was nominated Chief Justice in
the place Of Ellsworth, resigned; rbcO-
phlus Parsons, Attorney-General; llarri-
son G., Otis, District Attorney OF Massachu-
sets; James \. BayaTd. Minister
Plenipotentiary 10 France-all OF them
chiefs of the rcpudiated regency.
Down TO II o'clock Of the night
Of March 3. 1901, the work went on; and
when all the important offices We're filled
Adams busted himself making appoint
ments Of justices of the peace for the Dis
trict of Columbia. But at that hour Levi
Lincoln. the Attorney General, appointed
| by Mr.. Jefferson, entered the Office Of the
acting-Sccretary of state, John Marshall.
bearing Mr.. JeAerson's watch in his hand,
and required him to surrender the place
and all its papers. Judge Marshall was
forced 10 retire, casting a farewell look
upon the commissions lying on the
table. and in after years used 10
laugh, and say that she had been allowed
to pick up nothing but his hat The Fed
eral regime came at last to an end amid the
hearty rejocings of the people, who looked
back and saw nothing but an endless vista
of outrage and cOrruption; offices made the
| prpV of Wirp-WO. kprs and hitter parfisauS