The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-29


mercial, &c.
The Political Parties OF the Day-3lse and
Progress OF the Corruption OF the Spells.
We have had occasion repeatedly to admonish
our readers of the demoralizing tendencies of
the late revolving scramble for the spoils at
Washington. Without a parallel in the history
of the government. we can only hope that the
country may never again be disgraced by SINH
lar spectacle. This grand carnival of the office
seekers-this tumultuous and overwhelming
rush for the public plunder-what honest man
can contemplate it without emotions of loathing,
commiseration and shame? 1t was general
epidemic for the Hottest members of the House
of Representatives and the Senate contested
the priority of admission to the President and
his cabinet officers with the neediest stump
speakers and camp followers of the victorious
democracy. In tact, for the first time in our
history the majority of the two houses of Cen
gress descended from their legitimate functions,
partments, almost monopolized the business of
distributing the loaves and fishes.
But this carnival is over, and with the ex-
haustion of the spols the hungry crowd of
expectants have withdrawn from Washington,
many well satisfied, many more disappoint-
ed, and not a few brooding upon retalia-
ton and revenge. The recent riotous ''noise
and confusion " has subsidized and COM
parative calm has supervened, affording fit
ting opportunity for little wholesome moral
izing upon this melancholy exhibition with
which the democratic party, and its last impor-
tant victory, and our popular form of govern
ment, have been disgraced. To this.end, there
fore, we have now word or two to say.
The late demoralizing scramble for Office is
due to the doctrine adopted of late years by
both our great political parties as their basis
of operations, to wit: that to the victors
belong the spoils" 1t was first broadly enun-
ciated, we believe. about the year 1882, in the
United States Senate, by William L. Marcy;
and the peculiar circumstances attending the
late Presidential election, in conjunction with
the appointment of this identical person to the
head of the Cabinet. were equivalent to pro-
clamation to the party, one and all, to come on
and share the plumber Of the enemys camp.
They have obeyed the call-the spoils have been
divded-the victors have them; but the moral
of this sweeping experiment has yet to come
The supply has not equalled the demand, and
that fact suggests impending mutiny and mis-
chief to the administration and to the party it
represents. We shall have in good time the Sc
quel to this doctrine that " to the victors belong
the spoils." The incongruous elements of the
democratic party cannot be held together " by
the cohesive power of the public plumber"
were they all satisfied with the distribution.
But with limited supply and an unsatisfactory
division what else can be anticipated but
treachery among the disappointed leaders and
Generalization and anarchy in the ranks?
The only sure and reliable basis to party
charged with the administration of the general
the republic: of fixed principles and broad and
well defined measures of public policy. The
political opinions of the individual had very
little to do with the successful administration of
General Washington. or he would never have
chosen Thomas Jefferson as his Secretary of
State with Alexander Hamilton as his Secre-
tary of the Treasury. Nor, had Mr.. Jefferson
believed in the motto Of Mr.. Marcy, would he
have made the test for office to depend upon
those three questions-'sIs he honest?-is he
capable?-is he faithful to the constitutional
We find nothing as precedent to. the doc
trine of the spols in the administration
of Mr.. Madison, when the maxim was
in active force in his war with Great
Britain upon land and sea. Nor does the
s'era of good feeling" Of James Munroe sug-
gest the slightest tincture Of the modern practice
of political prescription. Indeed, it cannot
be charged to any criminal extent upon John
Quincy Adams, Notwithstanding the partsans
of Gen. Jackson ran down the old man of Mas
sachusetts with the hue and cry of ''retrench-
ment and reform" the government expenses
having risen under his administration to the
enormous aggregate of thirteen millions year.
1t was after the advent of Gen. Jackson into
power that this5 principle of the .'spols" was
first broadly laid down as the living law of the
political parties of this country. 1t was intro
duced into Washington by the Albany Regency
by Martin Van Buren, into the Cabinet, and
by William L. Marcy first emphatically pro-
claimed on the floor of the United States SEN
ate. The Albany Regency is defunct--it de-
stroyed itself; but this doctrine OF 1.-THE spoils"
has controlled the movements Of both parties
from that day to this. for, whether in power or
out ofpower, the paramount object of wings and
democrats has been the spoilsv
Gen. Jackson's war upon the Bank widcned
and deepened the line between the two great
parties Of the country. as reconstructed from the
elements of the old republican and federal par
ties. Upon the prestige of his powerful name
and popularity Martin Van Buren, followed his
. illustricus predecessor" in Office and, as il
The day Of retribution were never to come, he
avished the spoils" upon =" the victors." But
The extravaganza of his expenditures and above
III, the terrible shinpiaster rcvulsion brought
about by his pet bank mutations and sub-trea-