, 1878-01-12
~ y :
Party Spirit.


in his farewell address to his
countrymen, those he, regarded
as the most threatening and most
to be avoided, were, first, pollti.
cal parties divided upon geo
graphical lines; and second, the
growth of party spirit to domi-
nate in the administration of the
government. We have already
witnessed the wisdom of the
first warning, the danger pre-
dicted having culminated-in the
most destructive civil war re-
corded in history. The second
is yetpending under circumstan-
ces which cause serious alarm
to. every patriot not blinded by
party prejudice and party zeal.
The danger had become SO me-
nacing in the popular mind, that
both of the great national parties
were constrained to deprecate it
in their several platforms in the
last general political compaign.
The Republican declaration was
as follows:
Under the Constitution, the Pres.
ident and heads of departments are
to make nominations for office: the
Senate is to advise and consent to
appointments, and the House of
Representatives is to accuse and
prosecute faithless officers. The
best interest of the public service
demands that these distinctions be
that Senators and Repre-
who may be judges and
accusers should not dictate appoint
ments to office. The invariable rule
in appointments should have refer
snce to the honesty, fidelity and Ca
pacity of the appointees, giving to
5he party in power those places
where harmony and vigor of admin
stration require its policy to be rep
but permitting all others
20 be filled by persons selected with
sole reference to the efficiency Of the
public service, and the right of all
,itizens to share in the honor of rem
lering faithful service to the coun-
Try.
Upon the same subject the
Democratic pledge was as fol
.ows:
Reform is necessary in the Civil
Service. Experience proves that ef-
icient, economical conduct of the
business is not possi-
Die if its civil service be subjected to
chance at every election, be prize
fought for at the ballot box, be a
brief reward of party zeal, instead
3f posts of honor assigned for prov
I'd competency aud held FOR fidelity
in the puolic employ; that the dis
pensihg of patronage should neither
be tax upon the time of all our
pvblic men, nor the instrument of
their ambition.
These were fair promises, to
which every voter IN the land
who acknowled allegiance to
either party was morally pledg-
cd. It was written guarantee,
subscribed to by both parties,
that party should not dominate
in the civil affairs Of the govern
ment or dictate appointments,
except to "those places where
harmony and vigor of admins
tration require it's policy to be
represented THE announced
Of the two parties were
identically the same; there was
not a clearly defined issue be-
tween them beyond party asso-
citation and a choice of men; /;
either candidate might have ac-
cepted the nomination Of the
other party without a violation
of his avowed sentiments: every
voter of either party could vote
for the candidate Of the other
party without the sacrifice of a
single declared principle.
Asan illustration Of the chron-
ic hold party feeling had upon
the politicians, the determine
ton of the election brought on
a purely party issue which fol. a
time threatened consequences as
disastrous to the country as those
resulting from the sectional con-
flict from which We were just
recovering. The crisis was only
bridged over by compromise
which showed the extremity OF
the peril. The reference was
made to a commission selected
with great care, representing all
the highest departments of the