New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-31
PATRONAGE And ITS FRUITS.

PATRONAGE AM IIo
The postmaster mill, in the name OF REFORM
is grinding out paid workers for the Democrats
party by the hundred every day. Inc hepuo-
lcans of Ohio show some apprehension IL 10
well that they do. Every effort should DC iliaoc
TO insure success. The removal OF nearly every
one of the many faithful internal revenue
officers. whose remarkable efficiency Is con-
Tossed by the present Administration, Is another
warning. It ia stated, too, that Mr. Cleveland
il the first President who has ventured to re-
move or suspend Territorial Judges Clearly he
proposes to let slip no opportunity OF rewarulns
his friends and using the public service 1or
partisan ends. His performance may well
staeger Civil Service refOrmers. IL must ap-
pear to them by this time that this Is not the
sort of Administration they protested to desire.
They are not getting the sort OF non-partisan
service they wanted. 1t is true, they are sun
told by organs which seem to have parted win
good sense and sef-respect when they decldeu
To support Mr.. Cleveland that the nominations
of thousands of party workers are merely "oc-
casional mistakes but that the intense devo-
ton of the President to reform is displayed ID
the choice of half dozen Republican oinFiais
for retention, or a dozen Mugwumps for APP
pointment or in the selection OF rev such
eminent business men as Collector hedueh'
tool of Hubert 0. Thompson. But men VINO
bring honest hearts and clear minds to the con-
sder,tion of public affairs know that the Presi-
dent is swiftly Transforming the public service
info n marty machine. What is to be the re-
sult9 With this great army of picked workers,
supported at public expense, and controlling
clerks and contracts and local influence is the
Republican party sure to be defeated Before
reaching that conclusion, 1t would be well 70
consider few historical facts.
Thirty years ago the Republican party de-
feated in almost every Northern State the Dem
ocratic party, when it was entrenched in all the
offices, had with it all the conservative elements
of society, and knew how to use official power
for the fraudulent ends of party, as the coffee
pot naturalization papers had proved. The
Democrats went out of Office with the feeling
that they would never get in again, so much
had they relied upon the power of patronage.
Yet only two years later, when the Republicans
held the offices, and had all the enthusiasm OF
the War to help them, the Democrats made
such remarkable gains in all the Northern
States that, If the South had been at that time
supporting rebellion by voting instead OF shoot
ing, the result would have been fatal TO the Re-
publican Administration. The same experience
has followed the distribution OF patronage ever
since. In every case when new Administra-
ton has made many changes, the result has
been a great loss of power to its party.
Victories near the end of the War insured the
triumph in 1864. Then came the surrender of
Andrew johnson to the Democrats. and the
wholesale use of patronage all over the country
to help the Democratic party. Republicans
were dismayed. There was great fear that the
party was going to be swamped But the he
publicans gained an overwhelming victory IN
the Congressional elections, and their victory In
the Presidential election following was even
more complete and overwhelming than Mr..
Lincoln's bad been in 1864.
But the use of patronage by the Republican
party soon brought it defeat again. 1t barely
recovered from that defeat in 1876, and the
Inauguration of the Civil Service policy by
Republican Congress made it stronger for the
contest of 1880. But that victory had hardly
been won when quarrels about the Offices again
began to weaken the party. To the strife about
the distribution Of places was directly due is
defeat in the Congressional elections of 1882,
and finally in the Presidential contest OF 1884.
The plain truth, taught by all past history, is
that party is made weaker and not stronger
by the distribution of patronage. The hope of
Office moves many. The realization can satisfy
only few, while mutitudcs are disappointed
and disguised. This always has been the result,
and always will be.
President Cleveland saw this clearly, or pre-
tended to see it, some time ago. He announced
this as a reason for being willing to pay some
regard to his pledges. Yet the quality of the
man is shown by the fact that although con-
WINGED that a certain course would be damaging
to his party, and although he had solemnly
pledged himself not to take that course be-
cause it would be damaging to the country, he
nevertheless takes it, yields to the demands of
the hungry wolves of partisanship who sur
round him, and sweeps away faithful officials
by the hundred daily. The man thus shows
that his pretended strength of purpose is
sham. The party shows that its professions of
desire for reform were simply cheating and
fraudulent. If the lessons Of past history are
not wholly misleading the result will be to
promote the defeat both of the man and of the