Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-03
Giyil.Seryipe Reform.

To he EdifOf ~ Mc DtSPdtch
VIII YOU obligc an old reader by publish
Ing the following from Joseph Cooks lios-
ton Monday Lectures (''Occident, page 90l;
81 most thoroughly believe that we are
IL honest a people as there l. on the face Of
the earth; but in the matter Of civil service
we are more tempted than any other peO-
pie. In eighty-tw0 wears our population
has increased from 100000 to j3.00O,0O0.
As late ~ 1901 there were less than 900
ciyil.>crNice officers in the whole country;
now there are more than 100000. We
had then 90 cuStom-hCuseS and now have
13j. OurministeTs 10 foreign counties were
then and our consus 81; now the min
isicrS are 80 and the cOnsuls rs. Then
we had 900 post-ofhccs; now We have
i4.SiS. The Republican party has (had) at
lis disposal 10000 appointiye officers.
George Washington could know something
dc finite as to the fitness OF all the men he
appointed 10 the civil service: but ii il not
IN the physical or mental power OF any one
man. nor OF any ten men. now TO slit the
amy OF applicants for employment under
Government, and 10 dispense IL enor-
nous patronage intcllieently. We must
not expect 10 tie with paper Irvine a grab
bag as wide a. the continent aud contain
ing cOnstantly-increasing income, now
amounting to 500, 100000 annually.
What il The ,poil> system: Ii is the aT,-
phcation 10 politics Of the old style of mar
sballing armies in the medieval age. The
army was TO be inspired by the hope OF
punder-loOt booty, These were the
watchwOrds OF attacking battaIions when
ciiywas TO be sacked. \ secret conclave--
single ehieiiain-gaye orders for the
whole army, and the rallying cry Of the
soldiers was booty. Aaron Burr was the
first man to apply To polite in this coun-
try the military system Of the medieval
age. Spoils loot. booty. spoil. TO the
victors. This was 10 keep up the esprit de
corps of great political organizations;
aud Just as in IN army. few men
give the law 10 the whole mas OF
soldiers. 80 q secret conclaye or single
chiefiain, according TO Aaron Burr's sys-
TEN. was to rule the whole army OF those
who had the franchise. As the supreme
crime in the soldier was boiling or deser-
ton. 80 the supreme crime in the voter
was TO be boiling or desertion from the
line Of effort prescribed by the caeftain
This Is the spOils system that had it, first
application 10 our politics 10y the subtle,
sensual. almost deyii>h soul OF Aaron
Burr, who had no confidence shown him
either 10y George Washington or Napoleon
BOnaparie, much a. he tried TO gain the
goodwill Of each OF these shrewd Judges
OF human nature. Martin Van Buren, ap-
proved and extended this. scheme. and
Jackson was the APT pupil both OF Aaron
Burr and Martin Van Buren,.
"What insist ON is thai booty-lo0t-
become OF colossal proportions In this re-
public. You have by this ciyil.service list
less than thirty thousand Of our officers
appointed after examination. All the rest
Is booty get; all the rest, under the pro
visions Of this bill, can be changed when
ever parties are changed. England changes
only about thirty men when she changes
parties. Out 81 10000 officers $4,000. in
gliding all on whose appointment vote
OF The national Senate Is necessary. are not
reached by this enactment. Very soon
there will be 100000 to be changed. even II
this bill u carried out. Our population Is
doubling every twenty-five OF thirty years.