The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1871-04-05

election Of the incoming President were Of the
most signal and decisive value.
The Presidents halls and ante-rOOms are
thronged by the applicants, the more fortunate
or lmportunate pressing their Senator or Repre-
sentative into the service, TO introduce them and
stand sponsors for their merits and claims. The
facility with which written recommendations are
procured, leads to duplicity on the part of the
persons giving them, and il is no uncommon
thing for one who has written a high eulogium
upon the character and requirements OF place
hunter to write private note begging that his
formal Endorsement may not be regarded as OF
any weight, or to seek a private interview in
which he will state that the person is quite
the reverse Of the picture drawn Of him in the
testimonial filed.
Tie President and his Secretaries must re-
ceiye the endless tide Of applicants, listening to
the praises spoken by an official friend, with,
perhaps, a note from the same official in the
drawer Of the table at which they Sit contradict
ing every word of the high panegyric so glby
poured into their ears, and with a feeling Of
wearied disgust at the necessity Of receiving
with equal serenity the hypocritcal praises and
furtiye denial Of them from the same lips. Mr.
Lncoln's grim joke about deciding between ap-
plicants by the avOirdupois weight Of their
recommendations, was, like many of his jokes a
most keen satire upon the utter worthlessness OF
this mode Of determining mans fitness for
public Office. Yet when once it is regarded
settled that official positions are to be distributed
anew by every administration among its friends"
there is little better that can be done
Despair of reaching satisfactory results be-
gets carelessness and haste in disposng Of what
is unpleasant business at best and the time
when it can be announced that all vacancies are
filed. is looked forward to as a comparatively
blssfu future, in which the real business of the
country may receive thought and attention That
time, however, does not come. No sooner is
man in place, than bis rivals or enemies are on
his track, ready to prove that he was the most
unfit person that could be chosen. and that the
party will be utterly demoralized if he is not in
stantly removed and his place given to another.
If month or two were all that is 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 bis office,
and 1t forms literally and absolutely the sta
pie Of their work 1t is, therefore, no figure of
speech to say that the administering the Govern
ment means the distribution and redistribution
of its Offices and that its diplomacy, finance,
military, naval and internal administration are
the minor affairs which the settledpOlicy of the
country has relegated to such odds and ends of
illut as lldH Dt eudkCutD lEOul Tue greater cares
of Office.
Members Of Congress do not escape from
similar burdens. Their tables are piled with
letters of applicants At the beck of some local
politician whose influence at home must be
courted or feared, they leave their seats in the
Senate or House, and visit the White House, or
one of the Departments, to introduce their I'M
Fortunate neighbor, and say everything in his
behalf which the utmost straining of conscience
will permit"
Suppose President to have determined to
use his patronage to enforce policy, to secure
reelection, the bargaining for appointments
becomes at once a systematic bribery, scarcely
more disguised than the system Of corruption
introduced into the English Parliament under
the Walpoe Ministry" When the
President determines to use the patronage at
his disposal for personal or party purposes, 1T
results, practically, in farming it out to Members
of Congress. He may retain the right to favor
special personal friends and retainers here or
there or allow his Cabinet officers to do the
same by theirs. but his will amount to but
drop in the bucket. The influences most useful
and most formidable to the Executive are in
Congress"
The result of the system is summed up
in the following passage:
the natural and almost inevitable result Of the
common purpose of officeholders to preserve
their places and if we once admit that Presi-
dent may use his appointing power a party
or to influence his own reelection, an
memorable logic carries US to the conclusion that
it is admissible and proper for a Congressman to
use bis share of the patronage in the same way,
and to perpetuate his power by the ostracism of
every independent and self respecting man in his
district, whilst the whole favor and influence of
the Government is given to the circle of obse-
quous followers, who are prompt to wheel or
face, when they receive the order from their |
commander Out of the common purpose to |
keep themselves in power which rules the pro-
fessional politicians, has grown the custom of
eyying assessments upon ofice-holders of all
grades The party, in the main, has come to
mean nothing but the organized company Of /
placement
The remedy is to be found in the adoption
Of this principle in brief: Admission to the Civil
Service only upon the results of a competitive
examination, open to all and dismission only
upon ascertained failure of capacity or character.
1t was at a meeting at Elgin, in Scotland, in
September last, that Mr.. Lowe, the Chancellor
Of Exchequer, was able proudly to say We
have thrown open the whole public service, not
10 the privileged classes, but to the people at
arge-to those who possess industry and ability
lmong the lowest classes just as well as among
he highest. | think the greatest benefit of this
measure is, that we have withdrawn patronage
rom the dominion of party and have given it to
he people, 1t will be a proud day for the
American people when one of its statesmen can
ruthfully take up these words and declare, We,
90, have withdrawn patronage from ;he doninion
If party, and have given it to the people,"