Was it proper for him to
place himself in office, without knowing whether those whose agent he
was to be, would have confidence in his agency? Can the preference of
another as the successor to Mr. Austin, be candidly called a removal of
Mr. Goodrich? If a due participation of office is a matter of right,
how are vacancies to be obtained? Those by death are few; by resignation
none. Can any other mode than that of removal be proposed? This is a
painful office. But it is made my duty, and I meet it as such. I proceed
in the operation with deliberation and inquiry, that it may injure the
best men least, and effect the purposes of justice and public utility
with the least private distress; that it may be thrown, as much
as possible, on delinquency, on oppression, on intolerance, on
anti-revolutionary adherence to our enemies.
The remonstrance laments 'that a change in the administration must
produce a change in the subordinate officers;' in other words, that
it should be deemed necessary for all officers to think with their
principal? But on whom does this imputation bear? On those who have
excluded from office every shade of opinion which was not theirs? Or
on those who have been so excluded? I lament sincerely that unessential
differences of opinion should ever have been deemed sufficient to
interdict half the society from, the rights and the blessings of
self-government, to proscribe them as unworthy of every trust.
Pages:
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826