The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-26
THE PATRONAGE NUISANCE.

1t is settled truism in politics that pa
tronage is a source Of weakness to the par
ty In power. From distance. and before
an election, politicians are apt to think
that the dispensing of patronage Will prove
a source Of strength to the party which
succeeds in getting control of it. Regard
ing the matter in the abstract, they per-
suade themselves that the distribution of
a great number of prizes in the form of
desirable offices must prove very stimulating
to the party and very effective in the way
OF bracing up its organization. Experience
proves that this is not so. 1t has become a
matter of commonplace remark that for
every person appointed to office a score are
disappointed. While one man is comforted
a much greater number are disguised. The
one man who is chosen is very happy and
does his best to try and make others see
the bright side of things. but. while he has
no difficulty in convincing himself that his
appointment was the very best that could
have been made for the good of the party,
he does not often succeed in making the
! unsuccessful applicants sect in that light.
Thus it happens that patronage proves a
source of weakness to a party in about
the proportion that the disappointed ap-
plicants outnumber the successful ones.
For the average man is so constituted that
when he does not get what he wants for
himself or his friends he is apt to sulk and
kick. This is not beautiful trait, but as
a general rule 1t is part of the human
make up. Most men are built that way.
Not ALL for there noble few who take
disappointments in a cheerful and philo-
sophie way, but they are a minority. May
| their tribe increase.
The patronage evil has Increased with
| the growth Of the government. The prin-
ciple has always been the same. but I'm the
early days of the government, when the
| offices were comparatively few, their distrf-
button did not cause so much connection
| Besides there were not so many appli-
| cants for Office in those days, the tenure of
| Office was more secure. and fewer changes
| were made. But nowadays, when the
| offices are numbered by thousands and ap-
| plicants by hundreds of thousands. official
| patronage is source of infinite annoyance
| and real danger to every administration.
Our ex-Presdents could give world OF
| information this subject Mr.. Cleveland
has been through the mill once and is going
| through it again. He could tale unfold
| about how many friends he has lost and
| how many enemies he has made by dis
| pensing offices that would make any self
respecting man glad that his countrymen
have not elected him President. General
| Harrison could throw some light on the
| same subject. He could tell how, after his
election, thousands and thousands of good
Indiana Republicans. men who were hon.
est, capable and faithful, became appli-
| cants for office, and how sorry he was be-
cause he could only provide for about one
In twenty of the applicants. He could re-
late how hard he tried to do his duty and
please everybody. and how. in many cases.
he did not seem TO please anybody. He
could tell how much more numerous the
| kickers seemed 10 be than the satisfied
ones. and how much more noise they made.
lie could cite instances OF men whom he
had already befriended In very substan-
tial way. and who really had no claim what
ever upon him. becoming sore because he
did not give them good offices. He could
cite other Instances of men who had al