Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-01-25


gers, in which every effort to gain an insigh
INTO the worth and fitness of the applicant il
neutrallzed by the consciousness that the sys
TEN itself has destroyed the value of test
Inony IN such cases. No sooner is a man il
place than his rivals or enemies are on hie
track, ready to prove that he was the most
unfit person that could be chosen, and that
the party will be utterly demoralzcd if he il
not instantly removed and his place given tc
another. If month or two were all that If
wasted in this employment, it would be bad
enough but the truth is that by far the
larger part Of the time Of the President and
all the members Of his Cabinet is occupied
by this worse than useless drudgery, during
the whole term Of his office, and it forms lit
orally and absolutely the staple Of their
work. But this is by no means the whole OF
1t. The members Of Congress do not escape
from similar burdens. Instead of studying
the subjects of legislation, their tables are
piled with letters from constituents seeking
their influence to obtain place, and ranging
the whole gamut from obsequious petition to
insOlcnt and imperative demand. Leaving
Washington, we do not leave behind US the
Application nuisance. Every Collector OF
Customs or of Internal Revenue, every As
SCISSOR or Postmaster, and every United States
Marshal finds himself in ii greater or less
degree the object Of the same kind Of pres
sure.
\ political difference between the Exec
utlye and Congress only increases the cor
ruptlng clements. During Mr.. Johnson 5
administrations 1T was notorious that duplicity
OF the most shameless description was used
IN obtaining an appointment from one end of
the Avenue and a confirmation from the 9th
er. 10 one who was a. all acquainted with
the lntrigues then rife at Washington, it is
no wonder that peculation had invaded every
department of the administration, and that a
maximum Of taxation was producing min
mum Of revenue. The condition of things
was one in which honesty was a chimera and
fraud was reaping its harvest. 1t was a
game of - diamond cut diamond - in which
the two parties were using all their resources
and rctnements of intrigue to get the start
OF each other in the control Of the offices !;
while dishonest Incumbents were plundering
the people under the shelter of a Tenure-of-
Othce act which seemed to be skillfully adapt
Ell to remove every trace of responsibility
from both the appointing and confirming
powers.
But why dwell upon period which we all
try to believe was exceptional in our history =?
Because the fact that .uch a state of things
was possible Is the strongest proof that the
system under which it existed was an utterly
wrong one
When a President determines to use the
patronage at his disposal for personal o ?
party purpose, it results practically in farm
ing 1t out 10 the Members Of Congress. The
influences most useful and most formidable
to the Executive are IN Congress. Assuming
purpose to maintain what Is known as
party rule, through the usual subordination
o rank and importance IN the organization,
the Congressman becomes almost inevitably
the most active and powerful of the dspens-
erS oil patronage, since he alone. OF the several
departments ot the Government, is IN i'm
mediate contact with the people, and has a
district To look after not too large to permit
general personal acquaintance with all the
more prominent and active citizens and poll
ItIcians in it. The practice of using the gilt
OF Offices for selfish OF merely partisan pur-
poses could not and Gid not stop with the
President The Congressman who received
his quota Of the patronage had his own ends
to accomplish with it. Running down
the scale Of honor and Importance Of places,
We ind everywhere among scli-seeking men
the same eagcrness To use the power they
have to Ierpetuatc their tenure of C+icial
life. Sycophancy, adulation, bribery, and
all the rest Of the loatbsOme catalogue of
political vices, thicken ar We descend. till
we reach the - rough = doing tie ballot
stuihng or the curbstone fighting for his
party. From top to bottom the whole class
oi politicians who avow the purpose of keep
M uP " the party by the appeal to the
selfish desires for place and profit are bound
to2etl er By the common interest Of the ' ins ~
o. keep themselves in and to keep all others
out
Out Of tins kind Of education comes the
willingness % lay assessments % salaries
without rebellion Men Of good character
in sub9riinatc places learn TO say with pns-
siyc submission, My family's bread de
pends upon my retaining my place. and we
had better have the half loaf than no bread
asking no questions for consciences' sake us
towhat is done with the rest This is " hat
has made it possible that g vul Lar rulfan,
clothed with the rank of United States
Marshal, could stand at the Tay-table Of a
Custom House, and see 10 it that the party
tax was inexorably deducted then and there
by the Government officer from the monthly
salary of each clerk and inspector. as be
stepped up for his money and rccepted for
more than came into his hands This too.
is what has made 1t possible, under a bet
ter party administration, for the pay officer
in the Capitol TO inform clerks, doOrkeepers.
pages, and folding-boys, that they were
- dOcked - 50 much OF their salaries by or
der of a party committee. Finally, long
course Of this education that benumbs the
moral sense has made it possible for com
mttees Of the party Of purity and reform 10
throw away even the thin disguise which had
before testified to respect for public opin-
ion. and TO address circulars 10 Government /,
employees, levying in form an income tax not
known to the statute book.
The departments have been made the asy-
lam for the worthless aud incompetent de- !
pendants Of persons - Of influence" who .
have often received their pay without giving
anv return for 1t, because the head of the
division or bureau could not intrust them
cto It,tv
often extended to cases in which the grossest
and most offensive immoralities have been
shielded and protected by that parsonage,
so potential in Washington, - the member
from this district An instance NAV be
taken from the experience Of the chief Of an
important bureau given by himself He
had division of clerks of general fair char
acter, among whom were heads of families OF
high and even religious morality. Into this
division, by the Influence of a prominent
member of Congress, was introduced Young
man who proved to be not only of little use
as clerk, but so wantonly and Extensively
obscene in his common conversation as to
outrage the feelings of every decent man
and 10 provoke from his lelow-clerks gen
eraI remonstrance against his being allowed
to remain The head of the bureau recon-
mended his dismissal on the double ground
of general incompetency and gross immoral
lty. he congressman, with tuII knowledge :
OF the facts. opposed and for some time sue
cecded in preventing the removal and when
at last upon the energetic instance of
the chief Of bureau, the fellow was finally
disposed of, it was only to send him to an
other bureau, and the officer who had pro-
cured it to be done was abused and persecut-
ed by the . member - whose patronage had
been interfered with
What then is the remedy? 1t is to apply
to the civil service, completely and thor
oughly, the plain principles of common bust