The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-03-03
BALTIMORE.
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1859.

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1859.
There are not wanting those, who, accepting
even the worst aspects just presented to the House
of Representatives, by the SHERMAN Committee of
investigation, find a ready excuse for the abuses
exposed in the plea of party necessity and party
usage 1t is marvellous to see how speedily a
practice, which, in its inception, is looked upon
with alarm and reprobation, grows into respect
able precedent, and however illegitimate itself
becomes the founder of numerous and even repu-
table family. Any malpractice which can trace its
ancestry into the second or third generation of
successive Administrations especially if those
Administrations happen to have protested opposite
politics-takes rank with the well established rules
OF the country's Government and becomes a usage
to be quoted and to appeal to- for the purpose of
countenancing each new addition to the bastard
brood. When distinguished New York poti-
clan, now no more, first announced the party
axiom, that Ito the vctors belong the spoils," it
sounded to the more sensitive ears of the patriots
of that day, like yell from beneath the folds of the
black flag. Yet how well the buccaneering phrase
seems to have fitted the exigences of the case-how
organizations, and become in fact, the very pivot
on which all their operations turnI Let us see
how this idea has developed itself and mark the
proportions to which it has now attained Gen.
JACKSON first took the responsibility of removing po-
litical opponents from Office, for the purpose of re-
warding his friends. Many of the removals made
by him were for other and sounder causes; but
although the extent to which he carried the prac-
tice was greatly exaggerated at the tme it cannot
be denied that the modern custom of indiscriminate
dismissas the change of parties took its rise and
found its.excuse in his Administration. Yet upon
the very limited application of this policy in JACK
SONS term, the whole country rang with denun-
Citations. Many of his own best friends dsapproved
of his course, and some were on this account
driven from his support. But so quickly did the
abuse, which it clearly was pass into general ac-
quiescence that Mr.. MARCUS famous mot of few
years later date, was rather an epigrammatic or
proverbia expression, given to a prevailing sent-
ment than the offspring of his Independent inven-
ton and opinion. 1t is astonishing to see how
this truly barbarous principle seemed to harmo-
nize with the general taste. In times of political
excitement, the whole country appeared to be con-
'h'S
and banners and the burning of gunpowder We
had cold guards" and ''tenth legions," and
warehouses; in abundance. Even when we had
no military chieftan TO lead, we still followed
military deas-and obtained brilliant victories,
or suffered waterloo defeats" ''We met the
enemy" who became "ours" or the reverse
re rietis was the cry. We had 'guilloiines' for
their necks-"baskets' for their "heads'' con
fiscation for their effects. Men were easily taught
to excuse the using of the patronage of the Gov
eminent for party purposes, on the ground that
when there was a choice between q friend and
an enemy it was natural to prefer the friend
that our theories were opposed to long tenure Of
office-that as all appointments come mediately or
Immediately from the people, whenever an cleo
ton indicated that they favored change in the
head, it argued their wish for change in the de-
tails of Administration also. Thus. in the
great contests between Wings and Democrats,
each party, as ii successfully passed into power,
felt itself perfectly authorized to make a
general sweep of all the officers, great and
small, of opposite politics. But when existing
offices were distributed the thing was over and
as long as the party ascendancy was retained
there was no further change. Occasionally, a
grumbling protest against the doctrine would be
heard from some Gold fogy," but nobody minded
him. 1t was considered a party necessity-al
did it. If it was not strictly right in ITSELF parties
could not be kept together or made to fight
with spirit in any other way. The practice
had obtained universal recognition. and be-
came perfectly reputable. 1t had grown so
completely to be the common law of parties
that disputed its propriety. 1t was
however, soon discovered by the enterpris-
ing engineers, who had studied the subject that
the principle could be greatly and advantageously
expanded If the ''victors'' were entitled to the
''spoils," the more victors rewarded the better
and if it were desirable, on party grounds, TO
make division of the spoils, it was equally So to
make spos for division. 1t was probably found,
that the knowledge that party in power had
done all which that party could do for the faith
full, and that no new apportionment of booty
could take place without change of the par ty
ascendancy, had an unfavorable tendency upon its
stability and that some new arrangement must
be devised, by which the hopes of plumber could
be kept up within its pale. Out of this view of the
case, undoubtedly sprang up the ''rotation-in-
"ofice" doctrine, which proceeds squarey on the
idea, that as the chief end of office is to reward
partisan services, party duty requires a new dis
tribution of place at short intervals so that as far
as possible all may receive share. Further, that
inasmuch with the most economical man
agement of the patronage lawfully on hand,
the ordinary loaves and fishes make but small meal
for so many, every nerve must be strained to in
no Rntt tha ,4ro
to CRAFTY the claims of everybody it is manifest
that the Common" in legal phrase, would be
greatly "surcharged" if all the s'beasts'' were
turned in at the same time. No possible pasture
could be prepared to 'ecd fat all who might stand
without the hedge clamoring for admission and it
therefore became absolute necessity to adopt the
device of serving them in successive relays-each
in his urn-one to be turned out half full, to make
way for another entirely empty. 1t is to
this point we have at present attained. The great
offices were the spoils first sought and yielded up
But it was soon found that if coectorships, post
offices in the great cities, consulships and embas
sizes, were acceptable to the leaders, the rank and
file were proportionally more clamorous for and
better satisfied with, the posts of boatmen or day
laborers. When every conceivable situation worth
from dollar day. to ten thousand year, was ex-
hausted, in order to crafty the Claims of the
friends of the Administration, considerable ap-
pendage was made by allowing Office and contract
brokerage, coal agencies, so divided that one
office may serve three, and all the miser-
able and disgusting abuses evolved by
the SHERMAN Committee, who have, of course,
merely skinned off some of the lighter facts which
foated on the great sea of corruption easily within
their reach.
We call the attention of readers to the lee |
ture which will be delivered this evening before the
members of the Catholic Institute, by the Rev.
FRANCIS BOYLE, of Washington, d. C.-the subject |
of his discourse being "The Esthetic character of