The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-06-18

Ii is not surprising to find that states
man Of the cillbre of John Z. Calhoun opposed the
INST introduction Of the Spois system into American
politics nearly fifty years ago Dr. Won Hoist, in
his recent biography, CAmercan statesmen Series, }
makes this quite clear. First the learned biographet
| commentary:
But would not the very life blood of the body polite
be poisoned n the Government should fall into the
hands of mercenorics with whom politics constituted
only trade, which they devoted them for the
sake of the spOils - Of ONCE? Was not the love Of
country In danger Of being drowned In the whtlpOOl'
party strife # the oiCia spokesmen the national
parties should he men who owed their position the
deNerty with which they gathered followers around
their standards by means Of the spollsg Would NOT
the pocB Of the Republic degenerate more and more
from contest about great public measures principles
aud ideas into mean scullc about the hnsks, VI 1t
| should become acknowledged priucpc that 50 In
1.-THE victor belong the spollSy' Would not every
party be forced TO follow suit if the example should be
| once successfully set-for what party could hope ia
vauqush with UNFRAMED volunteers the skilled bands
| of lansqucnets lighting for booty? Would not the
management Of the public affairs rapidly sink until II
became hywurd, II, instead of fitness for the uicc,
the services rendered to the party, rather TO the
chiefs of the party should become the criterion 10,
all tile appointments aud If the FedeinI offices should
come TO be filed with those who had not succeeded IN
private fe for would not the Others at best consider
| the Federal offices but momentary make shifts, Il
ability aud faithfulness could longer theii
| tenure Last, but not least, would not the peop
begin to turn with disgust from politics when they
| saw the statesmen more aud more oused by mere
bread and butter politiCiansg And what is the life o
| democratic republic worth If the people accus"n
themselves tu consider politics the monopoly Of tet %
| men whom they do not respect .
This is powerful summing up of the evils of th
system as they appeared to the acute and logical mini
Of Calhoun, and Is followed by an extract from hi
mpassoned speech In the Senate February n
| 1885:
When 1t comes TO he once understood that polite
Is a game; that those who cngaged In 1t but aC
u part; that they make this or that profession nu
from honest conviction an intent To fulnll them
hut as tho means of delndlng the people aud tlroug
that delusion to acquire pOwer-when such profession
are tobe entirely forgotten, the people VIII lose a
confidence in public men; all VIII be regarded n
mere iugglersthe honest and the patriotic As We
~ the cunning and the prOslgate; and the people wi
become Indifferent and passive to the grosses abuse
| of power on the ground that those whom they ma
elevate, under whatever pledges lnstcad'of reforming
Will but initiate the example Of those whom they hay
expelled.
Unfortunately at that time the true remedy by
comparative study Of the civil service systems Of III
world had not been discovered, or we should doub
less have found Calhoun Advocating 1t with all II
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