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WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1843
196
I would prefer that the duties of office should be discharged by those on whom the responsibility is placed by the Government. You have been appointed and the responsibility will rest upon you directly. You need not apprehend that any complaints will be acted upon by the Head of the Bureau, until you are apprised of them, nor will I be influenced by any complaints that you have been opposed to.me politically. Your appointment was made without any reference to your political faith or opinions. The Department was satisfied as to your qualifications and character for integrity. They are all that I require in an officer. The faithful and honest discharge of the duties of office with those who are entrusted, is all that will be required to ensure a continuance. It never has caused the removal, or rejection of a man who was in office, or an applicant, that he had not been a supporter of mine. These are questions never asked by me: "Was he a supporter of mine, or is he a friend of mine?" But " is he an honest man, a:nd is his capacity suitable for the station to be occupied?" If these are answered affirmatively, it is all that I ·require. I proscribe no man for opinions' sake, but always feel assured that if a man is honest he will do what he feels is right. It is all important that the post offices of the nation should be filled by men who will not let their feelings be warped by party rancor so as to permit them to interfere with the duties of their station. In the selection of officers it would. be unwise in an Executive to select his political or personal enemies to fill any important station, because he could not expect from them a hearty co- operation in carrying out the measures of his administration. The very fact that their opinions had been expressed of an unfavorable character to him would induce them to embarrass him in the administration so as to verify the reasons for their opposition. In public as in private business, no man would prefer his enemy to his friend when he is to trust someone in the transaction of business. Union of sentiment will give strength and success to measures when diversity of opinion and ad- versity in action would destroy the best measures which could be devised. When an individual is elected to office, his friends as well as his enemies are known ; and if he were to prefer the latter to the former it would destroy the confidence and respect of his friends and incur the contempt of his enemies, for they would never impute his acts to magnanimity but to a fear of
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