The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-15
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
HISTORY OF THE GROWTH or
THE SPOILS SYSTEM.


/, IN tho interesting article Of l.. NJ. Black
tord ON Civil Service Reform, published IN
,our papcr Of June 5. occurs the following
paragraph
awhile the power Of removal belonged
from the first 10 the President appoint
mcnts, except TO Cabinet and Diplomatic
,osi,,ons. as late as 1870 were made for lie
or during good behavior. Then the iour-!eai
tenure was introduced, avOwedly, hnot real
lv. 10 compel more systematic CLOSING oi "c'
counts ON the part Of discussing officers;
hut not until the accession Of PRESIDENT
Jackson. in 1879. was the pernicious doc
trine-"To the yictors belong the spoils"--
actively promulgated. Previous TO tins
time removals from any but strictly politi-
cal places had been almost unknown-lcss
than a hundred in forty years-and always
for cause
while heartily concur with Mr.BlackiOrd
In his opinions of the evils Of the "spOils
system" cannot agree with him in The
history OF the matter. and yet cannot hold
him responsible for the error OF visiting the
sin on Andrew jackson. II appears 10
have been the studiOus effort OF the New
direction, and the charge Of JacksOn's re-
sponsibility for the evil has been reiterated
and reiterated until IL has made lis impress
sion even in the South. Ofcourse, III is always
n disagreeable thing TO confess fault,
and. il is doubtless. the natural consequence
Of this feeling that has prompted this course.
IL is easily shown that the "spolls system
began at much earlier period than Jack
sons administration; that IN fact, IT began
when the government was under The contrpl
and direction Of the New England states.
But while proposing to give some facts con
elusive of this. il is not my intention 10
yindicate Andrew jackson from the blame
which Justly attaches 10 him, that he adopt
ed and even embraced the pernicious exam
pie.
The Southern states owe no fayors 10 his
memory, for he. more than any other man.
through his famous proclamation against
"a sister State goadCd 10 desperation by I'M
lust taxation, lent power and strength 10
those principles of consolidation which
tyrannized over the South for so many
wears after the war. But il is history we
are after-calm and unprecedented history
and that history points elsewhere than 70
Andrew JacksOn's administration for the
origin Of the "spoils system"
PATRONAGE AND sPOILs.
Mr.. Blackford correctly holds that the
spells tsystem and patronage are united.
Indeed. they could not he more intimately
connected, since they bear the relation of
cause and effect Patronage Is the cause
and the spOils system the effect. And who
were first the friends of patronage in our
government Turn 10 the great speech OF
William Il. Giles on the judiciary question
i'm 1901. and there will be found. de-
tailed i'm the eloquent language Of which
he was capable, the full answer t. the
question. The Fcderalists, who had the
control of the government during the first
twelve years-whOse seat of power was In
New England converted the whole GOV ern-
ment into a grand spoils machine; and thu
constancy and assiduity with which they
pursued the policy finds no parallel in our
history, save in the plumber Of the Southern
States after the war by the carpet-baggers-
the political descendants of the New Eng
land Federalists, the Essex JuntO," etc.
ENGLAND AS A MODEL.
The adoption of the Federal Constitution
i'm lTSS was a triumph for this party, as II
gave the means for the full development OF
the principle which was so dear TO them.
Assuming an apprehension OF the States,
they urged the cXpediency of infusing into
the government, by legislation. many artl-
fetal powers through the most ditlusNe
Of the constitution. England
was taken as the model, and the Federal
party became an English party, as tar as
politics, affection. and even dress could
make it. A more corrupt model at this
time could not have been proposed.
Ia vast range Of patronage had been built
built up in that country, and in the admins
traton of it's rich and powerful interests the
English civil policy rioted in every form Of
corruption. Commissions, Offices and posts
Of honor were sold to the highest bidder, and
the wholesale bribery OF voters was the
ordinary course of the elections from
an Office in Parliament 10 the humblest
position in shire. The great fea-
lures on which this patronage was
founded were the vast funded debt of Eng
land the national bank, with its enormous
agencies throughout the civilized world;
the odiOus tariff and commercial system
then prevailing, but now happily aban-
doned, and the complex organization of an
army and navy, demanding the creation of
thousands of offices and the employment Of
thousands Of Oflice-hOders. Similar meas
ures were deemed necessary by the Fede-
ralists tor the new government, and the IA
vorers of the patronage system readily
awaited themselves of every circumstance
existing in this country 10 carry them into
operation.
At that time considerable debt was
afoat in the United States which had grown
out Of the Revolutionary war. This debt
was of two kinds-the debt proper of the
United States, and the dents of the several
states. In the case OF both, the evidences
thereof. bonds, Nc., had passed from those
10 whom they were originally due into the
hands of spectators and stock j0bbers.
These men had eXerted an enormous influ-
ence in having the constitution adopted in
the states, as the old Congress was without
the means 10 raise "a revenue on its own
motion, and the States were unwilling to
do so. Nor were they without influence in
the elections which followed TO the first
Congress under Washington, which cleo
tons boiled with political excitement
CONSTRUCTION OF THE CONSTITUTION.
Hammond, in his political history Of
New York, declares that the old divisions Of
party. formed on the question Of adopting
the Constitution, continued on what was a
consequence of the adoption, the question
Of constituting its terms; and Hugh Blair
Grigsby says. in his "Conyention of 17SS."
that party lines We're never more sharply
drawn than at the first elections under the
Constitution in 1883. After the election, as
William Gravson, one Of the two first Nir-
ginia Senators, observes, 1.-The great num-
her Of patriots who were so very anxious
for the new government" made themselves
apparent in the "infnity Of oflice-seekers'
and creditors that thrOnged about Congress
for some provision in their favor. This pro-
vision was now furnished. Everywhere
old Federalists and old Tories were ap-
pointed TO Office, and Congress soon passed
acts for the immediate funding of the
national debt and the assumption of the
State debts. Hammond says that as the
appointments of Washington were made
on the representation OF his cabinet officers,
chief Of whom was Hamilton, it came 10
pass that all the offices in New York were
filled with Federalists; aud the same thing
occurred in Virginia, where the district
judgeship, the most important Federal
Office in the State, was given 10 Cyrus
Griffin, Federalist, instead of 10 John
Tyler. who, as Judge of the State
Court of Admiralty, which had been
superseded by the aforesaid District
Court considered his REORGANIZATION a
removal from Office. And Tyler 10 whom
the Office was afterwards restored by Presi-
dent Madison. speaking of this action of the
Federalists, pursued in other places also,
declared that 'this Kind Of conduct began
the strong distinction between parties, pro-
ducing "A spirit Of retaliation on the part OF
the Republicans But IL was in the fnan-
ciaI mea sures of the government in It's first