The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-04-17
] HECIIIf HsIu,
WHarssn, April II.

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WHsressH. April IA
70 iuE EDi7Dx: In answer 70 yoa<
invitation INSIDE psahliesy To aII rho
mav choose TO write up tie question
a. state consultation. aIioH me %
send son the following letter written
b. me In February, lss2 snd printed
Il that time in your paper:
FOR years past Il has been evident 70
III intelligent minds that the welfare
81 the natioa impefztiveiy demands .
change in our citf1 service system
The albert sriters6f The country have
portraved the evils Of the present sys-
TEN. Presidents have Recommended
ii in their messages ~ Congress.
bills have been introduced tn Congress
for thxs pufpose. and nearly all the
prominsnf statesmen Of the country
acknowledged the necessity Of some
change being made. Those who hare
lived "a this territory over Is years
I'll, remember the difZiculty 81 procur-
ing names 70 I'll mp the county tickets
Sic fer Office then, because there was
counties all The Offices pat fozsshes
would not Afford man . living. In
nearly every county some man
could be found holding three
or four Offices, simply be-
eauxe nn one else soaid take them.
II II quite different now, and ut the
Sc applicants can always be found for
All the principal offices. The same
has been the case with the nation At
large. In the early days OF tho repul,-
|ic there were but few applicants for
federal positions, and removals sssiTk
only made for cause. and 80 eonthsnesl
for nearly fifty years Of our nstional
existence. lint rs the ration Increased
in wealth, poser aud population. OH
ciai position became more lucrative
and attractive, and necessitzted i
ereatef amount OF work and exr,endi.
fure 70 carry the elections. Then was
proclaimed the doctrine. to the victor
belong the sp0iIs. and from that slay 70
this. with every party change OF thf
national administration. IL has uni.
fornsiv been tfse practice 10 rcm0re
every federal oliieefuider, and sip
plant them with those who had been
sssefkl IL securing victory 10 the wir-
ming party. Af the time OF the for.
nation oil our government. the plural
itv system of election was the plan fs
urartice IL the InGst advanced nationa,
and although the trainers OF our con-
.tftutEou devised II form OF govern
sueut fay superior 10 any that had ever
exintad. the idea of improving the
elective system did not seefa 70 enter
their minds. In any nation vherc the
rulsrs are elected by the people. and
where the successful candidate II the
one Who receives the most votes. the
result viii be the formation OF parties
among those who possess the suffrage.
and the extent 70 which party strife
will be carried viii be In proportion
10 the indncement offered as the re-
ward al success. Where mere burs-
cofnbe Is all that Is to he gained by the
rank aud file Of political army from
q successful campaign, but litsis ami
mostly viii be displayed, but where
gold Is lavIshly squandered 70 obtain
success, and life OF luxury and ease
for term OF years Il held cut q a
prize TO the victors. the inevitable re-
sstit Is TO stimulate all the base por-
ton of our natures. and lower the
moral standard oil the people.
At present there are upwards OF
100 900 persons in the United States
holding federal positions from which
they derive n living. many OF them
lucrative, and IL Is safe to say that ct
every presidential campaign each OF
these positions IL promised hv each
party TO at least 10 persons II successful.
Here are ?, 900 900 Of persons faboring
10 accomplish purpose. spurred on
by the most potent motives that can
Influence humanity. utterly regardless
OF what the result may be to others,
TO the nation or To humanity al large,
so long IA their ends are accomplished.
Where ell have a voice in the election,
and where all are eligible 10 Office.
party organization and party diacis
pline must c<tst: and where the
highest number 81 votes viii elect. the
people must necessarily become AR
rayed into great parties. New parties
may arise, or the old ones rnay he.
come divided, but the natural result IL
10 forn the masses into two great
parties. To insure success the adj.
herents Of each party must know pre-
yipsls TO the election who they are To
vote for at the election. and for this
purpose party conventions are estab-
iished, and were every adhsrent Of a
party To take paTi in these eonveI-
lions, much OF the evil OF the system
would BE- mitigated. but at least one
halls of the voters ia the nation. from
various causes. wsn not pa tieipase In
the primary proceedings, while every
one who has political aspirations Is
sure to attend and procure the attend
anee Of those who viii act as they di-
rect. and the conventions are con-
trolIed by whatever faction has been
the uiost active ia procuring the Ut
tendance OF adherents. and on the
day of election the masses of the peo-
pie have their choice Of two persons
Tor each Office, while the probability IL
that they would not have had 10 vote
for either OF them had every one ex.
pressed his wishes at the proper tlme.
To sustain this course time and labor
are necessary. ana no mans time or
labor can be procured without com.
pensstion in some form or other, and
as political campaigns are of almost
yearly occurrence in the Intfest
States, aud political armies require
able and experienced leaders as well
rs 0tiffy ai1tttt9s tt tlS&8N9t&t III ttsfttts ?
tina. a certain class ri our eltixexis
must make living from politics. and
~ success in politics ssseinafes and
alinres the mind In the same manner
a. success al the gambling table 81
stock exchange. nus little heed Is
giyea to the manner Ia which success
Is Obtained, and the watehw0rd to-day
In politics Is. The end will Justify the
means. At tho present iirae the reve-
ntla III the United states Is between
s, 0o1.us0 and 81 .see, 600. and the party
in power has the handling ard paying
oat 81 that vast stunt. aud the expena-
ing OF over half al it. Add
% that the amount annually collected
and distributed throughout the nafion
fer city, county and state purposes,
all d which Is handled By the party
u power in tie different states. aud
the mind can form Some idea of the
magnitude IT che prize Ia be contcnssesi
Tor on the political battle field Of the
United states. And this prize i
annually Increasing in compound
ratio What would the AVERAGE man.
IA tho present condition nf humanity,
no. do ia os'aln 81 retain possession
OF sseh q prize l. il Wise 10 allow the
temptation "a sxiSts To these who
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