be removed at any time by the
President, or other appointing power, when their services are
unnecessary, or for dishonesty, incapacity, inefficiency,
misconduct, or neglect of duty; and when so removed, the removal
shall be reported to the Senate, together with the reasons
therefor.

A further provision forbade the President to reappoint to the same
office, during the recess, any person who had been rejected by the
Senate.

To make the President ineligible, as was done in the Confederate States
Constitution, and as President Hayes recommends, would take from the
Executive the temptation to use the appointing power to receive a
renomination or reelection. As the term of a Chief Magistrate draws
near its end, and he becomes more deeply interested in being his own
successor, he may make his appointments and direct his administration
to increase popularity and accomplish his own ambitious ends. He might
look to party management, and ward meetings, and manipulated caucuses,
rather than to the general welfare. The evil of re-eligibility is
increased by the failure of our electoral colleges to effect what was
designed. These colleges have no independence, and most mechanically
register the decrees of caucuses. What was intended to be a check on
party has become its pliant instrument.

As essential to reduction of Executive patronage, and disarming the
President of the dangerous influence and power growing out of it, there
should be a persevering and a large reduction of federal expenditures.
General Jackson, in 1836, truly said, "No political maxim is better
established than that which tells us that an improvident expenditure of
the public money is the parent of profligacy, and that no people can
hope to perpetuate their liberties who long acquiesce in a policy which
taxes them for objects not necessary to the legitimate and real wants
of their government." Large revenue and expenditure give an excuse if
they do not make the necessity for increasing the number of persons
employed by the government. With expenditure comes an army of agents,
contractors, officers interested in keeping up extravagance and
multiplying officials. Patronage flows from the fountain of public
income. To reduce patronage and ensure honest government, it is
indispensable that the Government should extort no more money from the
people than is needful for a just and economical administration. Our
governments, federal, State, and mu