The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-11-18
The Result.

The Result.
The National Iteuigence7 reviews
the result of the recent elections as
follows:
The radical organs alludo to their
recent successes as ''positively over
whelming, because they were achiev-
ed, as is asserted, '|in the face Of an
official patronage welded by an I'M
scrupulous Executive, amounting to
nearly $500, 600, O0O" They argue
from this assumption that the result
IS an unquestionably popular verdict
against the conservative policy of the
President. This argument is as de-
fective as the premises are false. I'm
fortunately y for the country and the
Administration, this vast Official pa
tronage, the medium of almost meal
cnlable political influence, was not
"wielded'' by the Executive, but was
left almost exclusively in the hands of
the radicals, and was by them used
lndustriously. energetically and un-
scrupulously in the achievement OF
their recent victories.
The result emphatically teaches the
lessen that if this vast patronage had
been welded" by the President, as
was done by all his predecessors, and
as had come to be the established
practice of National Executives, there
would have been few radical victories
IN the last election to record. It is
useless to deny that this patronage
Exercises n great influence uDon cleo
tlons. Every office holder is politi-
cal worker. We have heretofore
shown, by a minimum calculation,
that this patronage is worth to the
party exercising it at least from
30, 900 to 40, ZOO votes in Pennsylva-
MIA, and from 40, 600 to 80, 600 in New
York. In New Hampshire, Connec-
ticut, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and
other States, the influence of this pa
tronage bears a corresponding ratio
1t has been a cause Of inccssant COM
plalnt on the part of friends of Pre-
sldent johnson, that he has declined
to follow the example of all his pre-
decessors, and has permitted almost
the whole of this vast patronage to
remain in the hands Of radical parti-
sans, to be by them ''.wielded' against
those who We're supporting the policy
Of his Administration.
An analysis Of the result OF the
recent elections in various localities,
shows conclusively that, wherever
this patronage was enjoyed by sup
porters of the Administration, there
were great conservative gains; and
that wherever it had been left in the
hands of the radicals, large radical
gains were realized. For instance, in
the city Of Philadelphia, where a con-
siderable portion Of this patronage
had, only Il few days before the cleo
ton, been transferred to the conserva-
tives, the radical ma; ority was reduced
more than one-half; md, in the city
of New York. where a similar coulse
was pursued, the conservatives gained
over 1l,OOO votes; while, wherever
else in those States the radicals were
left In undisturbed possession Of the
public Offices, they succeeded in eff
fectihg heavy increase of the radical
vote. 1t is plain deduction, from
these facts, that, if removals had been
made IN the same proportion through
out these and other States, the small
majorities by which they were carried
by the radicals would have been con-
verted into much greater conserva-
tive majorities.
An examination of the results bv
the light Of these facts proves that,
with very few exceptions, the radical
victories are attributable mainly, if
not entirely, to the possession and
unscrupulous use, by that party, of
this vast patronage, amounting to
nearly $500, 200, ,O0G," by their own
computation. They have enjoyed
and still continue to enjoy nearly the
whole of this patronage Of the Ad-
ministration they continually de-
nounce, and are striving to break
down; and yet, the President, who
has left in their ha is these elements
of vast political power, has been and
is still daily abused by those who are
thus fattening at the public crib,
quite rs fiercely as if he had followed
the example of his predecessors, and
taken the Offices from them.
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