Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-12-02
NR. BOUTWELL, ON THE OWL SER.
a.. - WOE. 3'.[

kIOIQ tuS NAUOu.
The dexterity OF soIhS OF tho friends
Of the spoils system in sdarkening
counsel sbout-cixil~ service reform
WA euriously illustratsd in q, spsech
of Nr. Boptwell's ct Plymouth, Mass..
is4 week. Mr.! Boutwell, Is an old
,offooholder sud ofioeseeksr. For
wieueverahe has not been
holding Office he has been seeking it,
40 thst he speaks on the Subject both
with knowledge and experience. Ac-
cOrding TO him, the notion held by
the civil service reformers that mem.
bets Of coUgress "exert . great deal
Of influence in the appointment, Of
of McSholder., and thereby secure re-
nominations and elections, and per-
petuate themselvss in power" 10 so
fanciful that his audience, he said, ,
"w0uld, on ref1s 1sction, all como to the
conclusion that there eau enly be tho
slightest foundation, for, such . re.
marx" This 10 almost, but not quite.
up to the level OF Mr.. Thurlow Weed'a
humorous prediction that If the spoils
system be abolished, "political de-
vOtlon. gallantry, aud love of country
will become obsolete" The doings
Of the oficeholders aud their relations
to congressman aud politics are. Of
conrse. Within the observation and
knowledge OF hundreds Of Thousands
Of persoNs ,slf over the country. The
charges made against the former by
the civil service reformers are net de-
nied BY them. and ara met by the great
bulk Of the politicians with the an
swer that there 10 nothing wrong in
chat fhAU .Hns hat NJ
Boutwell, mounts the platform to de-
ny the fact before . body OF intelli-
gent Massachusetts voters, ~ If he
were talking of something which was
within his knowledge alone, he makes
display OF what In = young man would
be ealledSah sudacity which must be
fatal to his future usefulness. The
speilsmen really must agree Oh their
defsnse. 1t 10 ridiculous to have two
thirds of them pleading confession
and avoidance, aud the other third q
general denial.
Mr.. Boutwell, 10 also trou bled abou,
the creation Of Ill "officeholders'
oligarchy," by which he meant, as
he showed further on, not au Office.
holders oligarchy At all, but = "pro-
fession of oficeholdsrs," thus indi-
eating that when he used the former
phrase he really did not know what
he WAS saying, but was simply using
one Of the catchwords by which the
machine men try to frighten the pub.
lie from interfering with their littls
games. He talked as il there were
now no profession OF officeh Olders,
which every one knows is not the case
But it dawned, on him rs be went on
that he himself was . striking illus.
tratiol Of the incorrectness Of his as
sertion, SO he confessed that it per
haps 'did not come very well frsm 6
man who had held Office almost al
his life" 20 protest syaiust the crea
tion Of such . profession. He wa,
right in this. It came from him witt
very bad grace indeed, and all ,h,
excuse he had 10 make for it was thai
he chad reached the point where b,
could speak not only with grea: free
dom. but with an unusual absence q
personal motive % to what be ma,
say" But there is no point in . man
career 1t which he 10 entitled to be q
inaccurate as hr pleaees, aud il 10 ne
lfpen TO sny one 10 justify su allega
ton which is not trus, by tue plea tia