The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-07-08

TRYING TINES FOR OFFICE HoIDERs-Federal
Office holders-those men who perform, or are
supposed to perform certain very easy routine
duties in and around the custom houses, post
Offices and navy yards throughout the country
are in terrible state of bewilderment Just
now. Between Douglas and Breckenridge
two democratic aspirants for the Presidency
they know not on which side to lean They
have no defined notion AS to the answer they
should give TO the question
Under which king, Bezonians
for, If they declare their preference for Douglas
the chances are heavy against them that they
are removed from Office; and il they should
lean towards his Kentucky rival, they may
offend their immediate superiors, and run the
same risk Of losing their bread and butter. 1t
is trying position to have these unfortunate
Office holders in; and the worst of it is that, ct
heart, they do not care fig for either candi-
date. 1t matters little to them whether Breckin-
ridge or Douglas makes his way to the White
House, provided only that he be representa-
tive of the democratic party. If they thought
that they stood an equal chance of holding
their little subordinate Offices, they would cheer
81 Justify for Lincoln or for Bell. There is
no principle in the matter with them. It is
not natural to suppose that there should be.
Their business Is not to make Presidents but to
try and make out living for themselves and fami-
lies.
We really do not know of any public mea-
sure that would be more beneficial In its effects
upon the whole community, and that would re-
feet more lustre upon the administration that
inaugurates it, than the passage of general
law which would give some degree of perma-
nency to the holding of subordinate positions
under the government There is no reason why
clerk or laborer in the Custom House, Post
Ofice, or Navy Yard, should be deprived of the
employment on which he may have been de-
pending for years, simply because the man who
u chosen President prefers to be called repub.
lican rather than to be called democrat. or uice
versa. Leaving out Of view altogether the fact
that o man who has been three or four
years in the post may fairly be pre-
sumed to be better able to discharge
Its duties than he whose only recommendation
IL that he may have carried political banners, or
hurrahed loudly at q mass meeting or had
patron in . member of Congress, these muta-
tons In Office are accompanied with very grave
evils as we'll to individuals Is to society at
large. The Office expectants are, at the lowest
calculation, ten times as numerous IS the Office
holders. Those who have once enjoyed the
idleness Of . stall at the public crib are gene
rally untitled for long time for the ordinary
a~ocations of civil life, and those whs are anx-
iously watching TO get into Office usually beguile
their weary hours In loading, attending political
gatherings, and other such highly useful occu-
pations. In both cases they are drones in the
human hive.
Put an end to these changes in the subosdi-
nate Offices Of the government and ysu at once
cut of ninctcnths of the black guardism of poll
teal contests; you restore to industrial pursuits
the thousands Of lazy vagabonds who control
primary elections in all the large cities and
towns; you get respectable men sent to Con-
gress and TO State and municipal Legislatures;
and, by judicious pruning, you get, in the
course Of time, honest and competent officers to
discharge the duties of subordinate positions.
We do not over estimate the importance Of such
. change In our political system when we say
that in It's ultimate results II would prove Of
more benefit 10 the country at large than any
other public measure that can be inauguratcd by
any administration. We do not expect ever TO
zee such principle established, either by law
or by usage, so long as our politicians are
chosen from among ranting demagogues; but
still there Is no harm in occasionally .assailing
this, as we do all other abuses, and saying
word in favor Of that class which is so much to
be pitied at the present moment-the poor
Office holders These are trying times for them
A for collectors, marshals, navy agents, aud
other leading otlce holders, the guilotine can