The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-03

1t is reported from Washington that
Mr.. Mckinley is waiting in deadly ter
TOR for the avalanche of spoilsmen that
is bound to descend upon him as soon
as the tariff bill is out of the way. He
has stood off a large proportion of
the office hunters during these months
with the announcement that there
would be no general distribution OF
places until the tariff act had become
a law. This is the Grub that he has
been holding over the heads of SEN
ators and representatives, who might
otherwise have wished to delay action.
They have been threatened with abso-
lutte deprivation of their hoped-for
share of patronage unless they yielded
everything to the demand for extrava-
CANT tariff rates. Having been bull
9azed into submission, they will be all
the more ravenous when the condition
lad upon them has been fulfilled and
they are free to demand of the presi-
dent the performance of his promises.
Tt is said that there are already more
than 100000 applications for office upon
file, and these are all fortified by ac-
cOmpanying recommendations and the
earnest plea of one or more senators
or congressman. 1t is a fine prospect
that Mr.. Mckinley has ahead Of him
for the summer; and, were it not for
his faraticaI devotion to tariff for
tariffs sake. we might well believe
that he would like the special session
to last forever to keep this hornets
nest from buzzing about his ears.
Neither the president nor any men,
Der of the party, however, has any
cause to complain. They have been
inviting the deluge ever since the cleo
tion of last November. There has
been one continuous assault all along
the line on the principle Of civil serv-
ice reform. No sooner was Mr.. Nc
Kinley's election assured than there
began to be sent out from Washington
series of systematic charges against
the civil service law and it's admins
tration. They were not based OH fact.
Investigation has shown that during
the last administration the law was so
faithfully complied with that in MANY
cases there were more Republicans en-
ployed in certain departments than
Democrats, by virtue Of holding over
under the civil service rules. That
counted for nothing against the vora-
ciOus appetite Of the elements that
put Mr.. Mckinley into office Men and
newspapers that had hitherto been ar
dent advocates of the civil service re-
form idea fastened to tell the public
that the rules ought to be modified.
that a large share of the places pro-
tected by them ought to- be thrown
open to the scramble for office; and
generally to give the public to under
stand that the policy of this admins
tration would be to pass around as
much pie as possible. 1t is a lesson
which the Office hunter and the polit
ical heeler are quick to learn. No
sooner was this signal hoisted than all
the hungry and thirsty at once pro-
ESNNCN ~ pun III illCli DluS 1OI places
at the federal table.
Nothing could have been more fatal
to Mr.. McKinley's peace of mind or to
the success of his administration than
this virtual invitation to the spoiIs-
men to come forward and ask for what
they wanted. 1t is now about to re-
turn to plague those responsible for it.
Those who have been to Washington
say that not for many years has there
been anything like the pressure and
clamor for office that has existed since
the 4th of March. The armistice Will
be ended when the tariff bill goes
through. and then there will be no rest
for Mr.. Mckinley until he has fitted
100000 men into 300e6 vacant places.
This means, of course. as usual. that
he will make half a dozen enemies for
every friend whose support is based
upon a consideration. This business of
satisfying the clamor for office Is 60
ing to be the most serious handicap
of the administration, and one of the
rocks on which it will find sshlpwreck.