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

The practice OF using the gut OF ofhces 10
selfish or merely partisan purposes, could not
and did not stop with the president. The
CONGRESSMAN who received has quota of the
patronage had his OWL ends to accomplish
with it There have always been in Con
gress many men of elevated character and
purposes, who have made a strictly c0nscI-
entiOus use OF their powers and influence.
The country would long since have gone 70
ruin If this had not been s.. Bat there has
also been a large and growing class who have
deliberately USED their position and its in
hucucc solely to retain their seats and fur
Their their purposes OF personal ambition
This class % persons has gradually come 70
regard al their personal appanage an alquot
part Of the public offices, equal 70 the pro
uortion of one to the whole number of con
.,ressmen. ami have declared themselves
robbed Of their rights if it was not fully ac-
rocded 70 them They have used this pat
ronage Systematically and avoWedly to retain
their own places and strengthen themselves
IN their several districts or states For this
purpose il has been manifcstly necessary to
treat a rival or an opponent within their own
party rs if he belonged 10 the opposing or
.anIzation. An authentic and recent m
stance of this viii explain ami illustrate the
practical working of the custom better than
much general statement. \ gentleman who
government OF hl- own state. and who has
been recognized rs one of TIE most powerful
supporters of his party in the state, desired,
or " hat seemed t. hmm honorable and sufh-
eicnt reasons, to secure a minor appointment
abroad. lie was personally well known 70
every member of the delegation Of his state
in Congress, and some Of these were addressed
with a request to favor his appointment
Their response expressed the highest regard
and appreciation OF his public character and
. services, but >IgnIhed that it was an under
stood rule that the assistance OF other mem
bcrs Of the delegation must depend upon the
supI 0rt Of the member from his own district
The person applying, however, was not the
friend " and personal supporter OF the
member from his district, and that member
approval and recommendation could not be
Obtained. The whole delegation, consequent
lv. felt obliged to refuse their assistance
The gentleman thereupOn addressed the head
Of one Of the departments with a statement
of the facts, and inquired whether one whC
had been a somewhat prominent supporter o.
the administration in his state, and had beer
elected ID an Important state Office by biz
fellow citizens. was 10 be held u be entirely
ut the mercy Of his repre- entatIve IN Con
gress. so far as federal favor was concerned
The result of this appeal was promise from
local character al home, the position abroad
having been meanwhile filed. This promise
being made known, the representative a.
once made a vigorous protest, putting j
avOwedly on the ground that 1t would be hi
own political death to allow one who nigh
be a rival to have a federal appointment
within the district. The protest was recog
nized as within the custom IN such cases
and the promise was withdrawn. On thi
the friends of the disappointed man began {,
make somewhat dangerous agitation at home
an indignant denunciation was received from
the applicant himself, and new attempt a
compromise was made by the offer of anoth
er place out of the district, which was de
clined. The result was a disturbance in tn,
district, producing what is called 8 democrat
/ ization'' of the party. and an opposition
member was returned to Congress at the mex
election As is usual IN such cases, tn
moral drawn from the occurrence varies &C
eording to the stand point. One faction de-
clarcs that the lesson taught is to tighten tn
party discipline and g shoot the stragglers.
Others being foolish enough to conclude tina
the thing proven is that the civil servic
needs reformation, and that patronage
should be cut up by the roots. The case i
a perfectly fair sample of its class in all par
ticulars. and illustrates with fidelity tn
tendency to disruption and defeat, which il
found wherever a dominant party attempt
to perpetuate it's power by the distribution
of the - spoils," which tendency is stron,
in the direct ratio of the intelligence an
independence of the constituency '-Secre
tary Cor IN y. A. Rerietc.