The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-11-22
The Result.

The Result.
The National Intelfgencer reviews
the result O.. the recent elections as
follows:
The radical organs allude to their
recent successes as positively over
whelming, because they were achiev-
ed, as is asserted, Gin the face of an
official patronage welded by an un-
scrupulous Executive, amounting to
nearly S300,000,00O." 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. Un-
fortunately for the country and the
Administration, this vast Official pa
tronage, the medium Of almost incal-
culable political influence, was not
''wielded' by the Executive, but was
left almost exclusively in the hands of
the radicals, and was by them used
industriously. energetically and un-
scrupulously in tho 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 a great influence .uDon cleo
tlons. Every office-holder is q politi-
cal worker. We have heretofore
shown, by minimum calculation,
that this patronage is worth to the
party exercising it at least from
30, 600 to 1000 votes in Pennsylva-
MIA, and from 10000 to 30, 900 in New
York. In New Hampshire, Connec-
ticut, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and
other States, the influence of this pa
tronage bears corresponding ratio.
1t has been cause of incessant 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 were 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 q con
siderable portion of this patronage
had, only a few days before the cleo
ton, been transferred to the conserva-
tives, the radical majority was reduced
more than one-half; and, in the city
OF New York, where q similar course
was pursued, the conservatives gained
over 11,000 votes; while, wherever
else in those States the radicals were
left in unoisturbed possession of the
public offices, they succeeded in eff
fectlng a heavy increase of the radical
vote. It 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 by
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, 100000" 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 hands these elements
of vast political power, has been and
is still daily abused by those who are
thus fattening at the public crib,
quite as fercely as if he had followed
the example of his predecessors, and
taken the Offices from them.
The National HtelHgencey says:
"Ihe Southern people were educated