National Republican., 1882-10-31
Tho Snnila.

The Spoils.
The present posing of the Democratic
| party before the country in the attitude
of Civil-Service Reformers going back on
the spoils system is enough to make the
ghost of old Secretary Marcy weep, if
/ ghosts are capable of shedding tears, as
it is supposed they are. The expression,
To the victors belong the spoils," was
the one phase that so far has saved the
name of Marcy from oblivion, and but
| for it the generations of to-day would
not have known that such q person as
Marcy ever had an existence. 1t was
great phrase. 1t epitomized the policy
of that good old man, Andrew Jackson,
who introduced the system, and through
it saved the country from Federal domi-
nation and gave vitality and life to the
Democratic party at time when moth
ing else would have served the purpose
1t was not only the greatest and most ef-
fective of the principles by which the
Democratic party ruled the country, but
it was, sad to say, the last of their long
list of distinctive virtues which oceans
of resolutions at caucuses, conventions,
and legislative bodies have vaunted to
the world in language of the highest or
der Of eloquence.
The dogma that spoils belong to vic
tors was one that any Democrat could
understand, and this was not the case
with all the planks of the ancient DEM
cratic platforms. Exactly what was
| t1,, or r,,,,
even of the clear-headed ones quite COM
pretended till the war came and smashed
that pernicious serpent on the head in q
way altogether astonishing but the
turning out of the other fellows and put
ting our fellows in was such tangible
and prosperous gain that it could be in
stantly comprehended, and was most
lovingly appreciated by all, the high and
low, the brilliant and stupid alike.
And now Democracy doesn't care for
the Offices Off ce holding has no charms.
Office seeking is the bane of politics.
The young Democrats are going to shout
themselves ,hoarse over the glorious
prospect of winning victory with moth
ing to divide when the battle is over.
w ell, why not? The party never had
an idea that they have not at one time or
another abandoned. They gave up the
tariff of ~. They gave up the national
bank which was established by the DEM
ocratic administration of James Madison.
They gave up the pet banks of Martin
Van Buren. They abandoned the me-
talic currency of jackson for the paper
rag currency of Mr.. Chase, which was
alarmingly unconstitutional when Chase
had to issue it to carry on the war, and
nearly all good Democrats declared that
he had murdered the Constitution in
cold blood to sustain an abolition war
They voted the abolition of slavery ur
constitutional, and predicted all sorts {
disasters to come JIM consequence of i
; not the lesaet' Of which were to be genera
.l fN5yofthern States by the hordes of South
e miscegenation and the overrunning of tn
: ern blacks, knocking the bottom out c
d the labor market and rendering it impos
!. sible for Northern poor man to ear
IT his daily bread.
e Indeed, we do not remember singl
i measure of importance ever proposed b
1t the Republicans that the Democrats hav
ot not loudly denounced as unconstitutiona
n or freighted with denominations frightfl
Of to contemplate. 1t was said with gres
h confidence that under Republican rul
IS we were going to the dogs with railroa
g fbpeeeed beeed tsaoy and many an anxious year ha
C ist in watching for the grand catastrophe
n Nn,n,tln1nce +l,is Soc al oF,
try yet. The money kings are muc
more eager to loan it money than the
= were under Democratic rule, and peopl
q who are so poor as to have to borroN
- money can get it at half the interest the
could under Polk, Pierce, and Buchanan
n and the people all over the world VIII
9 have heard of our doings under Repul
. liCan administrations are so eager to &C
:. here that they almost trample one anothe
=, under foot to effect landing on ou
a shores. The gravest business now c
- Democratic conventions is to find lar
4 guage hearty enough to express acqu
:. cscence in the doings of Republicans i
= putting down the rebellion, abolishin
l. slavery, establishing suffrage, gettin
# back to specie payments, building tn
n Pacific railroads, and executinga a genera
l. policy of material Improvement. Befor
i. they dare to put up Il candidate for ou
suftrages they are compelled to wipe ou
l. their entire record when in power an,
it take back all they have proposed wheI
n out of power, and meekly, and witt
9 charming naivete, declare that they acqui
=. esce in the policy the Republicans hav
% put through, and are no longer engage
d in fighting dead issues. Having bee
J. doing this for several years for the SAX
"a of getting the offices they are now tryin
+ to cap the climax by declaring that Office
if holding is an awful grievance, and IL
n well-regulated political family will wan
V it's children to have anything to do wit
q it. This will make the ghost of Marc
q weep, but everybody else will surel
\ laugh.
u "A Danger Signal.
70 We learn with regret that on Sunda
% the President received call from hi