The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-02-14
TIE spoILs SYSTEM.

y 10
| The natural desire Of every man is, to
despoil his brother. Of his goods Religion
forbids him to do So Savages pursue the
bent Of their inclination, and make war
upon their neghbors in order TO despoil them.
Civilized people do 50, too, but they cover
Iup the object by diplomatic pretences.-
\ In proportion to the degree Of vital religion
among people, is the decrease or increase
I. Of the spols system in their individual and
social action. Among civilized nations, the
national desire TO despoil takes on every pos
sible form. When pressed to the wall by
the presence Of the commandment forbidding
its indulgence, it takes on the garb Of hon
esty and even religion itself, and seeks to
retain its possession OF the human heart,
whether in personal or national action.
/ In this republican country, this same prin-
ciple has been forced to assume shapes un-
known to the past experience Of nations, but
Il in no department Of American life does it
take on more deceitful and injurious form,
than in that which regulates the relation be-
tween the individual and the general public,
the relation between the government and
him whose labor it employs and pays for
In other words, the universal thurst for pub
lie office, now prevalent in the United States,
is nothing more than manifestation of the
operation of the spois system. He who is
out of office would despoil him who is in office
for the sake Of the hire which is paid to the
laborer This is the basis Of the whole sys-
TEN Of otiice-seeking, though the presence Of
religion forces men to cover it up and con-
ceal it from the public eye, by every sort Of
pretence, which may help to ennoble it
Public justice, private right, the good Of the
commonwealth, every possible virtue, which
stands in the way Of the office seeker are
overthrow without the least conjunction,
and no weapon is regarded by him as un-
lawful to use in the attainment Of his pur-
pose--to despoil his neighbor Of the hire
which he receives for his labor.
But the most plausible mark which the
Office wears, is that which makes him
look as a patriot ready to sacrifice his time,
his health and his labor to the public service.
He comes in the guise Of one who is pre-
pared, Curtius-like, to leap into the chasm
Of his country's wants. II, however, this
readiness to self-sacrifce does not captivate
the appointing power, the ofice-seeker
sounds the alarm, and the whole tribe at
once begins TO argue with great clamor,
that the public service demands the removal
Of the incumbent from the place sought for
and the instant appointment OF the office
seeker thereto. And il the appointing power
persists in refusing to comply with his de-
mands, il is forthwith assaulted as false TO
the public interests, as perfdious to the party
that placed it at the head Of alters.
This, however, is only one phase Of the
spoils system, and unpleasant enough It IS,
to contemplate 1t has ruled and almost
ruined the country for twenty years, and
unless il is seized with strong hand and
despoled Of its life, It is impossible to depict
the final result upon society In less civil
lied governments than ours, men kill each
other for the sake of the spoils which they
may reap, but in ours the appointing power
is required to kill the incumbent of public
office to make way Tor a successor, The
fitness Of an incumbent, his honesty, his
merit as a good citizen, his sobriety, are all
Of no consequence. The seekers after his
place require he must 60, and generally the
possession Of the highest virtues and qualf-
cations is the loudest argument in favor Of
displacing him, Mr.. Marcy, in giving ut
terance to the saying, that "to the success
4 full party belong the spoils," only embodied
in new words the natural principle Of the
human heart, which prompts man to de-
spoil his neighbor All the arguments in its
iavorrare fallacious, and are designed only
TO hide its deformity.
The administration Of republican govern
inent by the trustees, to whom the duty is
con6ded, should always be for the good of
the whole people, and not for the benefit Of
party or Of individuals Of a party This
will be the principle of Gen. Tsylor's admin
istration Of public affairs, and il the Office
seeker thinks now that the old Hero is GO
ing to eject from public Office a competent,
sober and honest incumbent to make room
for even one equally competent, sober and
honest, he will find himself egregiouslY mis-
taken, egregiously deceived On the con-
trary, the incumbent Of public Office, who
shall not prove himself to be competent, So
Der and honest, will be equally mistaken,
equally deceived, il he supposes, for mo-
ment, that the public good is to be put aside
for his special benefit, that he viii be re-
tanned because the spoils system is to be put
to death by General Taylor. 1t is no part