The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-07


be directly traced all the evils Of our gov
ernmens. When men support political
party because they believe in its princi-
pies. or adhere to political creed because
they think it the right one, that support
and that adherence are based on desire
for the best good of the country: they are
patriotic. But the minute you introduce
the bread and butter argument, the min
ute that you say to man, support this
and the party IL successful viii feed and
clothe you, there the money indueement
appears and with its appearance vanishes
the patriotic one. Love of country will
induce man to try every legal and honest
means to help his party to success, if he
to the party. The hope of pecuniary re-
ward viii cause many men to work for the
supreming of the party which promises
them that reward, regardless of the means
employed, careless whether that supremacy
will benefit the country or not.
Had it not been for the spoils system the
theft of the presidency in 1876 would never
have been attempted. Patriotic motives
would never have induced any men to un-
dermine, as was done then, the liberties of
their country for the sake of retaining their
party in power. Patriotism would
never have caused the men engaged in that
steal, or any other set of men, to conspire
together to defeat the viii of the majority
of the voters. 1t was the fear of losing
their Offices the dread of having their luc-
rative positions taken from them, the hor-
ror of having to work for living that in
spired the deed. The wire pulling in pri-
maries and political conventions; tie schem-
ing and deliberate lying of politicians; the
brazen-faced attempts to cover up and
shield public thieves; all that is vile and
detestable in our political machinery comes
out of the spoils system. No machine"
could be kept in existence for day with
out it; unless the spoils supported them no
Boss" could dominate over the politics of
a state or number of states; for all this is
the spoils system responsible.
It's last and worst effect was the shoot
ing of President Garfield Guiteau was
the legitimate product of the spoils. He
had been trained in it's school and had inn
bibed its teachings. He had done party
work, had assisted as far as he was able
in party success; where that success was
attained he came to claim his reward No
principle had actuated him in his party
\
taught him had been the moving cause; he
simply worked for a future recompense,
and his anger at not getting it took the
shape of an assassins bullet. That pis
tol shot which echoed through the waiting
room of the Baltimore and Potomac de-
pot, on the second day of July, was the
cry of the spoils huGter it was the last re-
suit of the system.
The question remains are
we going to stand all this?
will we allow this state of affairs to con
tinue, or have the people of tie United
States determination enough to cast it
aside as they would a polluted garment?
If the Republican party has not got the
honesty to do it, let it give place to a par
" which will, If fear of losing their po-
itical ascendency is strong enough rea
son for them to refuse to remedy this
crying evil that refusal is strong enough |
reason for the people to take away from
hat ascendency. The pretences of civil |
service reform that have been made, are
tarcical; they are of the lip, not of the
heart; they are futile. Action must be |
taken, and that soon, else will the spoils- |
men go down with the party.