The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-11-27
oaice-Hunting-The Spots

Senator CARL SCHCK1 u,,;,o Z.
Thursday last, before the Mcie, .erv
,,rs,v association Of New YORK; IVY
eble and eloquent lecture upon the 49, .orr
ne"r.;v;, service Eeform." He naa w..
,,r,o evidence, and entertained III. -
rrc,,,v hr his vivid picture OF euu ho sh.no
b,ea''S :" .,, 49, ard the rewards In the snape
Of Office metcd ou' ~ :,
the "spolls Sfs'eh' ,,.sst quoted 4
ech..o na ,cm,,k made by LINCOLN JUST
af,sr tbe war pertinent to the .neine VI nA
,,'I,,,c. Mr.. LINCOLN, few Gays are, VI.
t.To. richmond. pointed out to iric'o
-. crowa Ct otfice.s"ek ers SURROUNDING
49,, ,,1 said "Lookat that spectacle.
..Tnw NC have mastered rebellion, but
,,tAoro ron see something which may Do.
..a.n,o for more dangerous to tho safety Of
..,so country ITSELF" Senator scHrEz
,,onrht the declaration eminently wise ana
truthful, and worthy 0! Il man who wouiu, nc
,,id IN time be recognized throushout inc
,..>;,,, O. me os the nobiest and wiscst lnls
,,,,.,,ry could ever boast Of. Apart from
.hs, The remark OF nr. LINCOLN was enIlrely
,.,,a The country can better stand war
-. ,,,cn than one Of fraud. Open enemies
:; "a, s;s:v and defeat but the undermi-
wing aod sapping Of the spoilers within
the corrupt schemes OF the roooers OF inc
,u,,.,ic trcs-uty-are far more dangerous TO
tAc mace and duration of the Government.
The GOOD ship Constitution may live
,br.,,gh the battle and the .storm-may
sauu destruction in hundred forms-but
when the worm has gallerled her keel and
hor ribs until her body is honeycombedan
ready to breDS up in pieces, her day Is
ended and her voyages brought to close.
Tho cannon of tho enemy, the thunders OF
heaven, and the dreadful Winds, may have
IA vain been directed upon her; but the
c>Etfmptble worm, secretly cutting her
trough and through, may in few years
1i.aliy disable her and end her career. The
politicsl worm-the "spoilsman"-doest the
sane for the Government. Fall when 1t
may, its fate viii be due to the corrupt poll
ti,ins and ofiicc-hunters of the country.
senator SCHuRz gave no more importance
= he subject than properly belongs 10 II.
He exhibited TWEED as merely repuisiVe
example OF the progeny Of the spolls sys-
ten, lie asserted truly that its corruptlons
had steadily grown until now, when they
were crca,cr than ever before. He urged
that the evil had become 20 great that the
nation should consider itself, in selt-de-
fence, bound to unite in the election OF
honest men, irrespective Of their polltlcai
an.iia.ions-mcn who had the mora! cour-
a.. TO shrink from wrong and to punish liz
peryetratsop. With such men in office and
the spoils system uprooted, the Republic,
he sa!d, might be restored to the lofty tone
and Inc moral pride OF her best and hap-
pest days.
'rlr lecture was timely, eloquent, aud
ig-,. But wi,at effect will it have? Can a
national tordcncy-a tendency caused by
Inherent corruption be checked? We all
re lne evil of the spells system. Does 1t
not corrupt good men? Does it not OIL the
hna with spies, and hgpocrites, and boot
iichs, end knayes. and rogues! Do we not
~: Rem well educated and raised as gentle.
men rc;ycr;iny their offices to Injustice ana /;
Outrage through fear that il they show
ks:dlcss and fairne55-nay, even humanity, !
they VIII lose standing with the vIndlctive
Government at Washington, and their
places also: What else is it that ann.Xcs
excessive bsils and fines and imprisonment
to slight CHtEces in the South? Does not
the hope Of office take away all personal
iuGeucGdcGCe and convert honorable men
into the mere tools of power, the servlle
slaycs of men In place, who have the pa
tltnage OF Government in their hands:
Does not this corrupt system sap the toun-
tiatiJus Of public virtue and degrade tue
honor aud pride Of society, inducing men
OF intelligence ard retirement to lower
themselves to tao level Of the base and
kn4v!&h, who seek TO live without labor by
yobbing The public treasury
Aud yet, although all people see this, can
the "sys,cm," as Senator Schulz said, be
ufrootcd! We hardly think it can. As
long as the country remains as so called
republic there is no good ground to hope
Tor 4 revolution OF the civil service. Who
stali reform it? The party in powerI That
pTly does not wish to reform it, because
It's followers never cease to hope tor office, |
aiid Arc daily wishing for vacancies that
they may set places. VIII the party OPP
posed to THAT in power reform it? Ger
family rot; because no such party is ever
Without hope CT getting control of the Co.
Ncrnment at the end of the present Admin
!>tTaton, and it will not deprive itself of
the power to turn everybody out and give
tie offices to its followers as the reward of
their services.
Every country must die of its own dis
eascs--ln other words, of its own vices. 1t
Is lot consistent with providentiel dispen-
sations That The ingraincd constitutional flor
the Executive pa,ronageis secured to it in
The ConStltut!on) Vices of land should fail
70 WORK out their consequences. The spoils
system Is the cancer Of our Government,
ana IL VIII eat into its vitals until some
great political CONFUSION shall change the
government and possibly abolish the spoils
system at the same time. 1t is, indeed, IS
easy 10 change the Government rs it is to
destroy the army Of otfiae-hunters. 1t
W"tta nave been great blessing to the
country had executive others been all ap-
pointed for lite or during good behavior
bHt that which could have been easily
done iii The beginning is now, we fear, be-