The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-10-16
st. Louis Republican.


For Sublime impudenee the following
from the New York Times deserves the
blue ribbon:
"Those who believe that the principal origin Of
fraud in American politics lies in the spells sys-
tenn which our civil service conducted win be
in that belief 1y tee extent TO wni S1
that party which openly approves and seeks to
benefit by the spos system S Inc ARE
ed the system, and they hsve slways acted upon it
with unblushing fidelity in whatever place they
have succeeded in getting control of patronage
from the United States senate to the New York
city hail. and in proportion as they have obtained
determination OF elections # 8 --- -es = yes
1.-The spoils system" has been reduced
to q science by the Republican party, and
to that system it owes every victory in the
past-save that of 1860 and all the vic.
tories which may come hereafter. I'm
doubtedly the seed of this deadly evil was
planted when the tenure OF office was
made TO depend upon the politics and
political services of the incum bent; but
not until the party of great moral ideas"
assumed control of national affairs was
every vestige of morality eliminated from
a power which Deeded all it could get OF
that article to render it endurable.
To demonstrate the truth of this asser-
ton we. have only TO contrast the
worst offences in that line alleged against
the Democracy during its possession of the
government, with the best that can be
said 5of its successor. Take the most
fragrant abuse of our civil service previous
to 1861, and compare it with the mildest
abuse of that service from 1861 to 1880.
Ii is the difference between snow aud
SCOT. In the days of Democratic suprema-
ey the levying of an election tax upon
e. Il. H. 49,
of these officials in eIectioneering work;
was the exception, rather than the rule.
Now it is the rule without an exception.
Members of the cabinet upon the stump
are as common sight as clowns 10
circus. and their subordinates pay the
party assessments as regularly as they do
their board knowing that it is much safer
to ignore tho bills of the landlord than the
notice of the campaign committee, 1t is
not necessary to say that every attempt to
break up the poiis system" by purifying,
eleyating and emancipating our civil SER
vice has been opposed and crushed By the
Republican party. Only few weeks ago
the most distinguished Republican leader
deliberately insulted Republican presi'
dent on account of few feeble efforts
ia that direction. The same leader has
setually compelled the Republican candi-
date for the presidency to eat the few
feeble words fsvoring civil service reform
spoken before his nomination. his com-
panion upon the same ticket-put there
BY the same dletator-is the loudest smell
ing specimen of civil service rottenness
extant.
The element of fraud" first entered
into the determination OF elections as
fixed and recognized principle when. under
Republican domination, every Southern
state returned Republican mejorities.
Federal bayonets. directed by RepublicsG
wrote the verdict of the
ballot box; and we had In consequence
the usmeIess infamies of negro and carpet
bag rule, until outraged public opinion
swept ir out sight, bat not cut of mind
This element of fraud" reaches It's crown
ing consumation 10 the crime which made
our centennial year forever memorable. The
Republican party. through IFS returning
boards and electoral com mission, thrust
into the presidency q candidate whom the
people had rejected. and boasts OF the
deed as the finest exhibition of its general
ship aud the strongest assurance OF Its
permanent success.
Yet with these undisputed and ildisput
able facts Incorporated 10 our national
history, known and read OF ali men.
the chief organ of the Republican party
has the STAINLESS audacity to charge the
Democracy with the fruits of tine spoIls
system" and ''the element of fraudl"
This is worse, if possible, than Satan re-
bukiug SIM" for Satan is not sufficiently
impudent to assume his own innoc-
eDce.