Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-09-05
The DEPARTMENT CLERKS.

Any one at all familiar with the depart
ments at Washington is aware that there is
always more or less trepdation in them on
the eve of Presidential election; but
never, perhaps, and for various good aud
sufficient reasons, has there been more trep-
event of democratic victory. the Office
| holders seem to concede that they unjust
60" And in the event of republican
victory, the "plulned knight, who has al
ways been considered "a spoIs lnau', will
have such IL hungry host 81 huit-breedS TO
provide for that the Old stalwa.t >i;,gerS
may we'll trenble for their places, whist
! the bold Ben Butler openly declares in his
recent promunciamento that "change OI
officials is healthy, and that tile various
offices of the Government belong to the
people thereof, and that frequent changes
| of federal officials are necessary 10 counter
act the growing aristocratc tendencies 10
life oilicc, as wei! as for the discovery aud
punishment Of frauds and embellishments Of
public money"
Here, then, is Scylla and Charybiis,
with Vengeance, for the poor clerks, With
"A possible rock ahead" in old Butler
No wonder there is trepidation. But, peril
Gus az the outlook may seem 10 the chronic
officeholder, may mol the pcrils be some
what exaggerated by his approximations
That there will be great changes in'the eS-
ecuLive Offices, with cause or without cause,
whatever the result Of the election, and that
the civil service act presents little, if any,
obstacle to such changes, no one will prob
ably question That act demands; the JEFF
| c,rcon;op rpuuiSitiou hInupstU and cana
bilitv." but it does not demand political
impartiality, or it would never have become
an act and, all things being equal, or rca-
snnably 50, the republican or the democrat
will generally secure the prize sought, III;
the one party or the ether may chance to
be in power But that there will be any
thing like "a general sweep i'll the subord.
nate Offices of the departments no enc who
| has witnessed nine successive admnistra-
lions land if those Of Tyler, Fillmore, John
son, Arthur and Grants second term be
included, fourleen). will apprehelil a thing
of the kind az probable, or even possible.
As for the chiefs of bureaus or even divis-
ions, and the Presidential appointments
| throughout the country, that is another
| thing. No chieftain, be he civil or military,
will attempt TO achieve success with lieu
tenants lukewarm or hostile at heart. And
| in the event of continued republican power
many such changes are inevitable, though
| for 81 somewhat different. reason, and yet
because of faction differences Or somewhat
similar ones. Indeed, III the event OF Mr..
| Blanc's election, changes in C!iicc, low rs
well us high, are likely to be as numerous
as in that Of Mr. Cleveland, if not more.
| No one who WAS il Office when Buchanan
succeeded Pierce, nearly thirty years ago.
viii! question the probability Of this. Then.
| the Departments were iolrrahiy full OF
| democrats as they now are tnlerahly full Of
republicans though scores III number then
to hundreds now. Then, as now, in the
event of Blainc's election there was Il p0pu.
lar man elected, who had lcng been before
the country as a Presidential candidate.
and had, OF course whole corps d'atmir of
| friends to I've rewarded, and had hut Il
| limited number of Offices III the best, where
| wtha TO reward their oag years Of devoted
personal and political service, and most of
| those offices were already held Ivy Jealous
| polilicai friends. Here was a dilcmma-the
| same that now imrends. What to do? Why
rotation in Office" Thai good old dcmorra-
| tic, though rather obsolete doctrine, 'ro-
| tation in Office was summoned for the
emergency from the ''va~ty deep of the
| past and. unlike Owen Glenduwer's spirit.
| il came, and did woman service. The most
exemplary officers ofalI grades, and perfectly
| uuilnpei.rhable from democracy in principle
and pracice-ayc pecllniary practce--fnr
| in those degenerate days it WAS deemed a
point of honor to contribute to the support
of the political household hundreds Oft these
devoted men, scarcely warm in their Offices,
| were blandly solicited TO step down and OUT
"fur the good Of the party, t" give place To
| equally unimpeachable democrats whose
services in the recent campaign demanded
recognition, and they dad it, not smilingly
perhaps but they did il such was the dis
ciplne of THE Intensified democracy" in
those days. Not Hebrew Jeptba. or Il
Roman Courtius could have done much bet
ter under the circumstances, nor Il Turkish
Pasha have yielded more mcckly To The
bowstring, or Il japanese noble more grace
fully performed Hari Kari The spectacle
was truly eaitying, though not perhaps, in
all quarters entirely agreeable and old
Secretary Marcy, who made room for CasS
in the State Department. quietly remarked
to a friend with his grim smile They charge
me with the doctrine TO the victorS belong
the spoils Of the vauquished' but they can't
say | ever favored plunderin3 i'll our camp"
The same old statesman when Secretary Of
War under Polk when charged with keep
ing wings in office gravely replied, "fah no
not whies-go ask then! go ask them -
That president Blaine" and his cabinet
will, TO some extent. be compelled To imi-
tate the example of Buchanan and his, in
order TO redeem the thousands of pledges Of
prosperous and popular political career, is
scarcely question. But the soldier ele.
ment in office, and that is not small, how
about that? Is not that beyond all perad-
l,,tl h1lp
Yes, if every republican office seeking sol
der is then in Office. But if not. and the
offices prove insufficient to ego around"
may not the Rotation" principle he APP
piled even here? But if, by possibility, it
should turn out to be 'President Cleveland
what then? Will he dare 10 disturb them
Most assuredly not; provided always thata
reasonable proportion of them are demo
Gratis. But is it so now? is one in ten, is
one in hundred, democrat? Has there
ever been political discrimination If there