Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1893-04-20
BOTTLES IN DEMAND.
What Religious Newspaper Thinks Of
the Great Scramble for Office.
Associate Reformed Presbyterian

w udI IlCllS iouo A'CUoHoPCA AHanho Va
the Great Scramble for Office.
Associate Reformed Presbyterian
The daily papers represent Presi-
dent Cleveland and the members of
his cabinet as overrun with office
seekers and their friends. What a
spectacle is this-a great host of free,
Independent American citizens wear
ing themselves out and wasting the
Presidents precious time begging for
Office.
We pay the head of the nation
$4,000 q year to spend the largest
part of his time for the first few
months listening to the supplications
of office-beggars.
The President is turned into the
national god. Morning, noon and
night he is besought imploringly by
crowds. 1t is said that as early as
10 o'clock in the morning the wait
ing rooms about the White House
are filled with persons biding their
turn to see the President and impress
upon him their fitness and claims. [
have seen it somewhere stated that
there was an average of fifteen to
twenty applicants for every office
within the gift of the President.
What means this office-seeking
mania? Is it some inexplicable craze
or "fad?" Is it a desire for honor
and eminence? Is it manifestation
of patriotism, or a desire to honor
AMI serve the country? Or is it the
crow spirit in the corn field, the hog
spirit in the potato patch, the COW
spirit in the clover yard, the army
spirit in the rich province OF the con-
quered, ssto the v;ctors belong the
spoils ~
How is this FOR political proverb,
"to the victors belong the spoils?' p
Isn't this an elevated view of politi-
cal prefermcnt? Office and its emol-
uments are "spoils," valuable posses
sions wrung from the enemy, posses
sions to be pounced upon and vora-
ciously appropriated to personal use
and enrichment. Is this the idea
animatins that great army now inyad-
ing the Presidents mansion, the
ssspoils?'' Or does this array of
ohice-seekcrs mean that large por-
ton of our population regard the
National Government as nourlshlng
mother, as an institution which owes
them a living, soft place and good
wages
Just picture to yourself this grand
old United States Government as
nursing mother with two sets OF chill
dren-the Republican and the Demo-
cratic.
Every teat has about II rubber
tubes, and there are many teats. The
mother allows contest. The Repub-
lican side of the house gets the upper
hand and whips out the other side.
There is such scramble for teats
and tubes. There are not enough
to 90 arou.ld. SO some on that side
get mad and 90 Join the Democratic
children.
The time for another contest comes
round. The side reinforced rushes
pell-mell on those enjoying posses
sion. The Republicans are fat, slick
and strong and make a desperate
struggle, but are overcome and run
off. Then the scramble for those
teats and tubes is worse than ever
before. Now isn't this a sublime
conception and representation OF our
government? Doesn't it make us all
love her more?
Certainly she is good, accommo-
dating and patient. The wonder
with me is how she stands the strain.
\ nursing mother. Admit that
she is. | scarcely think she cares to
nurse the whole family nor the half
of it all the same time. The mother
regards one baby enough at one time:
The older ones must be weaned. Ii
by fortune she gets two, she brings
in the bottle.
Ii the government is going to be
turned wholly into nursing mother,
and her family increases at the pres
ent rate, and the political babies con-
tinue to multiply by twins and trip
lets, bottles or other expedients Will
have to be provided.