The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-03-27
Tha na1oe.Ho,ders' Power.


THE New York mammoth papers are sill
against CosKLISs. The Ii,aes, the Republi-
can organ, has wagea spirited war upon
him; aud the Herald has, like another ME-.
pHssropaELEs, been coquetting with him. The
Tribune is sharp and pungent upon him
THINKS him asn articuio norris" With
these we may count the Ereains Post ana
Harper's Weekly. The World, the so.casied
Democratic organ, OF course well performs
its simple Office OF annoying the adversary as
much as possible. The Tribune, Times, and
Herald seem to concur in the expectation
that UoSgLiNa will make no show 10 the
Cincinnati Convention, but "hz" out at the
opening.
Nevertheless, the pro-consul will have
force which any OF his competitors would
gladly count upon. He has the favor OF
GRANT and the power Of the oficeholders
to back him. This advantage is understood
In party politics nova days. The Times,
commenting upon the CoSxLiNG mar1uyreto
dragon the Republican party into his nomi-
nation, makes the following remarks on this
point:
We cannot forget that the main motive for
seeking control of party machinery in these
days ia something lower than legitimate am
Understanding more sordid than psrti
sanship. 1t is the hunger for the fruits,
direct and indirect, OF patronage. The CHIEF
or a faction, a. In the case of the senior
senator from New York, may be above any
desire OF pecupiary gain, while he may be-
By the exigencies OF the situation, compelled
to use the greed of others : and If be stoops
TO that, be finds large array OF o1hce.hoiQ.
ers und Office seekers ready at his hand. Ii
one chief does not use them, anotner
will. They are there, active, eager,
and possessed of enormous power. They
sre sure-to some extent they are compel
lad-to use that power with an eye single to
the chances of retaining or gaining office.
They know that their fortunes are at the
mercy of the appointing power, and an i'm
pulse, stronger ia the long run than disin-
ferested party zeal or upseltisa patriotism,
tends to sway them as the appointing power
directs, The worst mischief, therefore,
arises, not from the nature Of our party ma
chinery, but from the enormous Influence
constantly ut work to pervert it. We adopt
modes OF party action which open great op.
p0rtunities for abuse, and then we set up the
millions expended in the civil service as
brides TO induce politicians to seize these
opportunities. This is the gist Of the whole
matter. 1t Is to this that those Republicans
must direct their attention who desire
radical and lasting Improvement. The
election of the best of men TO the presidency
and to Congress will be only palliative.
We may, by great effort, ut peculiar juno
lures, overcome the baIefu power Of patron.
age, but we cannot prevent it from rising
aud assuming control again until we change
tire system of minor appointments In the
civil service. When we give the sixty
thousand su5ordiate ofice.holders tenure
for good behavior, and render the million
or so of ofice.seekers incapable OF procur-
ing any reward from the public Treasury for
mere political service, they will let the
party machinery alone.
Exse.ly. "When we give" &C., and
pray when will that be? Never under our
present form OF government. The "outs"
will never give The "ius" the lifetenure,"
and as there can never be time when there
will be no "outs" to oppose this tenure,
there never will be such change made.
But there is this to be said about it. That
the outs, since the patronage Of the Govern.
ment is against them, must get what adyan-
tage they can from the public scandal of the
abuses and corruptions Of the incumbents in
fighting to displace them. In the present
presidential campaign we have the example
OF pro.consular candidate with the whole
patronage of the Government to back him.
Thus the patronage of Government is to be:
come torpedo in the ranks of the party
that welds it, and may help to blow up the
party itself. BLAINE and those leaders and
people who are arrayed against this patron
age will find 1t possibly more pow erful than
even they have supposed.