The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-22
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
HISTORY OF THE GROWTH OF The
sPOiLS SYSTEM.
Tn. Article Of President Lvon g. 'y'e' u
william and MARY College CONTINUED"
Partisan Patronage - Sh""s'
...... ...s HcnuhIIc ItselE

w
The New England domination came TO an
end. The government passed Tor many
wears into the hands OF the Virginia politi'
Grams who. rs shown in many ways, cspe'
cially by their State constitutions Denc'eo
In cn,rus,ing the least possible power into
,he hands of the executive branch. In ac-
cortlancc with this spirit, Grayson, VINO
represcn,ed more faithfully the opinions OF
the Virginia people than probably an! OIL
their representatives in the first congress
had strongly opposed the proposition 10 en-
trust the power Of removal 10 the President
And thus when jefferson came to the helm
of government, IL was an assurance that
whatever else might be said, the reign OF
patronage was over.
The new president was by long odds head
and shoulders above the othcf men Oh Ms
times. Whether we consider MN as
writer Of state papers, rs law giNer, rs u
financier, as parliamentarian, OF rs =
party leader, his works testify 10 MS great
ness in manner that compeis recoSni',oh'
lie was the type OF the Virginia people
genial. casy.tcmpered, and unconventional,
and was. from his first entrance into public
life. one Of the best expressions OF that
frce native thought which abhorred con-
strajnts and f0rmalities OF all kinds, when
brought about the revolution OF government
in 1918 and the revolution OF politics III
1901, and which, years before bOth events,
wrling bitter complaints from the royal
Governors Spotswod and DinwiddIe,
who were nightly disgustcd in having u
deal in the House of Burgesscs with tue
..mob of the country" acting in the capa-
CITY of legislators, men often Just out ol
the condition Of servants with "repub-
lean ways. of, thinking" and OF lntracia-
table manncrs-indced, OF such 'lnsO-
lence," as on one occasion In Dmwiddle' >
time % send their mace-bearer within the
bar of the Supreme Court. presided over
by the Governor, and forcibly take
away the ministers Of the court as were
members OF their House." Yet bold ne
jefferson was, | never could quite under
stand the policy Of himself and Madison IN
rcsorting so long 10 the measures OF EN-
barge and nOn-intcrcOurse in resistance OF
Encland's aggressions on our commerce IN
preference to the more manly alternative OF
war. The only possible apology for him eX-
lists in the fact that the opposite party were
even more timid and cautious than them
selves. With these latter the capture and
Imprisonment by the British of six thousand
of our citizens cost them not one-tenth the
concern that the embargo did for single
year. But il is not my purpose IN this articlc
to gofar into the general affairs OF admins
trations. must keep straight to the line
which my subject has marked out Tor me.
JEFFERsoN's STANDARD.
Having been abroad during the agita-
tions over the adoption of the constitution
jefferson had prOfessed himself as well he
might " neither Federalist nor anti-Fede-
eralist" And 10 this lucky accident was
due doubtless his seat in Washington :
? Cabinet. But when in IA short time his
opinions formed i'm decided preference foi
the views held by the ant-Fcderaiists, on
Republicans as they soon began to be
called, he resigned his seat as Secretary of
State: and thereupOn Washington de-
clarcd that abe would call no man
into an Office Of consequence
whose political tenets were ayerse TO
the measures which the government was
pursuing" In opposition TO this principle
thus avowed by Washington, Jefferson adj
vanced in respect othe requirements OF Inc
applicant for office. the principle of fitness
which is expressed in the following ques-
tions sis he honest? Is he capablef Is he
faithful "a the constitutions The SID
Of the Federalists had consisted in
creating numerous offices the ap-
pointments 10 which they monopo-
lied. To diminish this monopoly and
yet not incur the charge of encouraging
''spoils and corruption" became at once
Je1ersOn's object. The amount OF force.
including regulars and militia, which the
several acts of the preceding administration
had authorized the President to raise was
considerably over 100000 men. This for
mdable army, which would have been
without criticism if ii had been employed
as 1t should have been long before in resist
Ing the encroachmcnts of the French and
the British, was out of place in view
Of the peace policy of the times. Accord
ingly, Jefferson very properly reduced II
10 four regiments Of infantry, two regiments
OF artillery and two troops of light dra-
goOns. A host Of lucrative places went out
with the reduction. Proceeding next TO the
civil establishment, he withheld all COM
missions TO justices and others, which the
Adams administration had not had time to
issue. The inspectors of the Internal revenue
who had been brought into Office by the
mere authority of the Executive he discOn-
tinued in mass. Calling in the aid of Con-
gress, he next had the late judiciary
act and the internal revenue laws repealed
and in so doing closed up three-fourths OF
all the offices, containing an army of stipen-
diaries. No new appointments were made
to any Of these positions, and in dis
arming the Federalists, Jefferson rescued his
own motives from imputation by surrender
OF the remaining one-fourth, left in office,
Jefferson removed 30, and promoted Repub-
lcans to the vacancies. And the same wise
fOrbearance continued during the whole
period of the Republican regime ending
with Monroe's administration. The sup
preston of the vast majority Of the Office
holders by Jefferson enabled Madison TO
get through his eight years with only five
removals and Monroe with only nine. AT
a "A M
began 10 arise.
MONROE's ADMINISTRATION.
With Mr.. Monroe the last chapter In the
public career of the old Revolutionary poll
ticians drew TO a close. The old Federal
party. idegtifed with the feelings of Great
Britain, and constantly losing ground i'm
the contest, was crushed and buried under
the odium excited by the opposition OF the
party 10 the war OF 1872. At the end of
Monroe's administration, the Republican
party held the field in solitary triumph.
The Federal party had disappeared. -Four
aspirants for the presidency had lOOmed UP
in ls2i-William II. Crawford, who had
been Monroe's Secretary Of the Treasury
John Quincy Adams. MOnroe's Secretary OF
State; Andrew jackson, the hero Of the
late war, and Henry Clay, Speaker Of the
House Of Representatives. All four claim
cd 10 he Of the good old Republican school,
successors in principle Of jefferson, Madi-
son and Monroe, though the truth was that
only Crawford, who had the endorsement OF
jefferson and Virginia, had any pretensions
70 true orthodoxy.
Relying upon the scattered Federal vote
10 give success to their plans, jackson, Clay
and Adams made combined assault on
Mr.. Crawford, under the banner OF the
american system" Among 0thersins inn
puted TO him was the invention for cleo
pioneering purposes Of the law approved
May Is, 1920 fixing the tenure of Office in the
Treasury Department AT 1--WE years. But
that there was no sinister purpose with Mr..
Crawford in having this law enacted, only
the genuine one, however mistaken, of en-
surfing greater regularity in the returns of
the disbursing officers who had grown care
less and indifferent, all the facts 20 10 show.
Mr.. Webster who was in Congress at the
time has declared that 1.-THE several
leading distinguished gentleman who
advocated it did not dream Of the extension
Of the political power which they were Civ
,.r no