Carl Russell Fish

“ Though parties seemed dead, politics were not; and three opposing political leaders, three rival candidates for the succession, were members of the cabinet. Under such conditions it is natural that the heads of departments should have played a more prominent part in the distribution of the patronage than ever before or since. The president attempted to avoid friction by giving to each head complete control of his own department. Adams gives an account of the appointment of Solomon Van Rensselaer to the post-office at Albany. ”

“ That there were active, able men in office under Adams is evinced by the careers of some of them after they were turned out by Jackson; [70] but it is probable that there was also a certain amount of dead timber. Although Jefferson was the only president as yet to abuse the removing power, none of the others seem to have used it with proper vigor. The neglect to remove officers who were dragging through long sicknesses sure to end in death is certainly to be condoned ”

“ Consult no party in your choice; pursue the dictates of that unerring judgment which has so long and so often benefited our country and rendered conspicuous its rulers. These are the sentiments of a friend. ”

“ In the last month of his administration he did appoint a Federalist to an important office, — George Izard, to be governor of Arkansas, — and told Adams that he regretted that he could not have done so oftener, but that he had gone as far as he could without forfeiting the confidence of his own supporters and thereby defeating the very object he had at heart. [35]
Monroe was not a man from whom we should expect innovations ”

“ Gallatin complained that a Mr. Chrystie, selected by the New York members for a lieutenant-colonelcy, was nominated for a majority only, because of the hostility of the secretary of war. [5] The nomination of Thomas Pinckney, a South Carolina Federalist, received some opposition in the Senate, [6] and caused general surprise. Even Lowndes, an extremely liberal man, wrote to his wife regarding it, “The Republican party, having so large a proportion of the population of the State, has enough of talents and of virtue to serve the country, if the administration knew how to select and employ them.” ”

“ He would not dignify it by direct attack; but Quincy, who delivered the main speech in favor of the original amendment, was openly fighting the caucus. “The Constitution,” he said, “prohibits the members of this and of the other branch of the Legislature from being Electors of the President of the United States. Yet what is done? The practice of late is so prevalent as to have grown almost into a sanctioned usage of party. ”

“ Monroe and William Wirt tried to be, and actually were, above faction. Adams, Calhoun, and Clay took a lively interest in New York politics, and were quick to believe in the vices of their enemies and the virtues of their friends; but their letters show little real understanding of local conditions — from a political point of view they are decidedly amateurish. [41]
The case of William H. Crawford, secretary of the treasury, demands more detailed consideration. About no man of equal prominence in American history do we know so little ”

“ It has been shown that, because of their local knowledge, the advice of congressmen had from the first been considered important; it is obvious that the congressmen themselves would be better known to the president than any other citizens of the more distant states, and that he would, therefore, often appoint them to office. Jefferson gave places to twenty, and Madison to twenty-nine. ”

“ Commendable as this practice was, it did foster in the service a bureaucratic feeling, and in the public an apprehension lest government officers should consider themselves a class. An examination of the various Blue Books shows, moreover, that sons were often appointed to succeed fathers, which increased the disapprobation. A bureaucracy is always aristocratic ”

“ To be sure, the largest share fell to him; but as all presidential appointments were discussed in cabinet meeting, how could he expect to carry on an extensive campaign of personal aggrandizement under the noses of two avowed rivals and President Monroe? As a matter of fact, many of the men appointed to such positions under the secretary of the treasury favored the election of Calhoun. [54] Crawford might reap some slight profit from the law, in that he had a high probability of success ”

“ Prior to the presidential term of four years, members of Congress having received the privileged ticket of admission assemble themselves in a sort of electoral college, on the floor of the Senate or of the House of Representatives. They select a candidate for the Presidency. To their voice, to their influence, he is indebted for his elevation. So long as this condition of things continues, what ordinary Executive will refuse to accommodate those who in so distinguished a manner have accommodated him? Is there a better reason in the world why a man should give you, Mr. ”

“ This criticism, however, only slightly touches the question of the purpose of the bill; no reflections were cast on Crawford, who was, in fact, the special representative of the old-fashioned Republicans, and a particular friend of Macon, the watch-dog of the patronage. Madison feared an encroachment on the appointing power of the president, and Jefferson apprehended corruption in general. ”

“ The removal of the postmasters is shown to have been at the request of the representatives from their respective districts, the presumption being that, in most cases, the government would not look behind the reports. In at least one case the cause for dismissal was stated to be that the incumbent had lost the confidence of the people, which is another way of saying that he was politically opposed to the person who asked for the change. ”

“ This charge was not made until 1828, and Adams then added that the sickness of Crawford during the last eighteen months of Monroe's administration prevented his active use of the weapon he had forged. [45] Fortunately we have Crawford's own statement of the purpose of the bill, in a letter of June 12, 1820, evidently written to the president. He said that he had told inquirers that reappointment would take place when there were no reasonable grounds of dissatisfaction unless some one was found with stronger claims than the incumbent ”

“ Possibly, too, he might have intended thus to bind the New York politicians to him, as his supporters there were men who practised the spoils system in their own state and afterward helped to introduce it into national politics. ”

“ As the election of 1824 approached, and the closeness of the contest became more and more apparent, the supporters of the several candidates made efforts to attract the Federalist vote, which, though small, might prove decisive. In the interest of Jackson, his correspondence with Monroe advocating the appointment of Federalists was brought to light and published. [55] The enemies of John Quincy Adams made public his father's correspondence with Mr. ”

“ In regard to Crawford, Adams was doubtless mistaken, as Gallatin, his intimate friend and candidate for the vice-presidency, had written, just after the publication of the Monroe-Jackson letters, strongly disapproving the doctrine “of paying no regard to party in the selection of the great offices of government” (May 22, 1824, Gallatin, Writings, ii. 259) . ↑ Webster, Private Correspondence, i. 381; J. Q. Adams, Memoirs, vi. 523. ↑ Webster, Private Correspondence, i. 415, 417, 421. Rufus King was sent as minister to England, and afterward the post was offered to Webster ”

“ U. B. Phillips. ↑ Jefferson, Writings (Ford ed.) , x. 168-169; Madison, Letters and Other Writings, iii. 196, 200; J. Q. Adams, Memoirs, vii. 424. ↑ Senate Documents, 16 Cong. 1 sess. ii. No. 89. This total is obtained by a comparison and combination of the figures for the several departments of the civil service. ↑ Annals of Congress, 18 Cong. 1 sess. 236-241; National Intelligencer, May 20, 1820. ↑ Statutes at Large, 14 Cong. 2 sess. ch. 45; Crawford to Gallatin, March 12, 1817, Gallatin, Writings, ii. 24-25. ”