The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-09-16
- -------------'---------
THE sPnII.R SYSTEM.

A resolution adopted by the Democrats
ic State Committee of New York has
brought the spoils system to the front in q
new and startling aspect. That resolutloni
reads
.sRssasosa, That the peoples right to be
represented in the executive office OF the
United States by the chief magistrate OF
their own choice has now again been I'M
perillsd This right OF the people IN rep
resentative republic is fundamental OF sell
government. Whether this right be Imper
filed as in 1876, BY a conspiracy OF force
and fraud among the office holders OF q
party in power aiming to nullify the peo-
nIe's verdict, or as now. by the bullet of an
assassin. whatever his motive, that peril
should awaken in every patriotic breast
not only the respectful sympathy OF Tree
men with the victim of such atroclty, but
also that political vigilance which IS the
cost of maintaining the safeguards OF civil
| liberty"
Tt was really the spoils system and prac-
tically nothing but the spoiis system dis
o,lised in reconstruction cant which sent
General Garfield and Mr.. Sherman ana sun
dry other Republican visiting statesmen
to New Orleans, in the winter OF Io1p-lf,
to falsify the electoral vote OF Louisiana.
l.
returned to Washington to declare the
Electoral Commission an unconstitutional
nroiect. but under the stress OF the spolls
system he consented to sit on this uncon-
sfitutional commission, and he voted on
every occasion in a way to conceai the
/ poIiticaI crime which he and his colleagues
had perpetrated in New Orleans. what
lint the spoils system was the true impeH
inc and overmastering handspring OF that
/ ssconspiracv of force and fraud among
| the officeholders of the party IN power
/ which in the winter OF 5000
nullified majority of the votes actually ana
legally cast in November. 1876, ana the
ETilden electors? What other motive could
have been strong enough to consfraln the
republican leaders into undertaking and
carving through what they then accom-
4 nlished? Was it the financial question,
or the tariff question, or the bank question,
or the taxation question? It certainly was
: not the rantipole, catchpenny Republlcan
cant about the Southern question, Tor Il
was one of the conditions upon which MIR
HAYES was counted in" that the bayonet'
, should be removed from the Southern
states. and that everything should be con
/ coded to those States which the democrat,
I had demanded for them in the canvass
J MOI It was the spoils system which gene
rated the frauds OF 1876, ana IL was tic spun
!, system which fired Guiteaus shot over TN
= spoils system the Republican organization
: broke UP at Chicago into stalwarts ant
half-breeds, just as in past years over tn
same system the Democracy OF New or
4 County has so often broken up into lam
many and anti-Tammany. The quarrel
between the stalwart and the half-bfee'
' factions of the Republican party had n
n other reason or excuse for being but office
! holding and otfiee-seeking. The vagabon'
: Guiteau with his pistol blindly and terrlbl
formulated the more or less vague, reck
less and headlong talk which he had hear
Iarnong the stalwarts. Stalwarts ADLER an
. better than Guiteau had doubtless excialn
e ed in his hearing. not of course that the
i wished Garfield dead. bnt that 1t was Gal
ifieId in the White House who kept the sta
y warts out of place and office. The veal
o desperate office seeking wretch simply gay
St to all this talk practical and shocking e.
y preston. such as those who INDUCED IN
: never contemplated or dreamed Of III
: spoils system, we repeat it was, therefor
- (which sought in 1881 to burke Presidel
es Garfield, just as it was the spoils sysfel
is which in 1876 burked the viii OF the Anne
to lean people expressed in the choice
II Democratic Presidential electors.
~ World