The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-01-20
DEFEAT OF sPo11sMEN.

The assault of the spoiIsmen in and
out of congress on the civil service
law has probably ended for the pres
ent session, thanks to Speaker Reed
The public had become heartily tired of
it as well as disguised with those who
were leading the fight.
It is not easy to understand the mo-
tives which led certain members Of con-
gress to engage in an attack on a sys-
tenn so firmly established and so thor
oughly in accord with the peoples
wishes.
The Chicago Tribune fires a parting
shot at the vanquished spoilsmen in
which it voices the sentiment of proba-
bly, 80 out of every hundred voters in
the country The Tribune points out
the advantages of the merit system in
the following language:
F'irst-It aims at finding the person
who is best qualified and adapted to
perform the duties of the office which
has to be filled, whether it calls for
intellectual or manual labor, or both.
SecOnd-It opens the door for men of
all parties, no matter which party con-
trolls the national or municipal govern
ment. The taxes for the support of the
general government and the city gov
ernments are paid by men belonging to
all parties in proportion to the amount
of property they own and their con-
sumption of taxed goods
Third-Since the duties which NUM-
cipal administrative officers have to
perform are not political in their ma
ture, competent men should be given
an opportunity to serve the public, eV-
en- if they do not belong to the party
or faction of that party-which is then
in control.
Fourth-Honesty, fitness, temperance
and strict attention to duty should be
the sole recommendations of an ap-
pointee. That he is the pet of a boss,
whether that boss be a senator or an
alderman, should count for nothing.
Then by way of comparison the evils
of the spoils system are described as
follows:
The "spoils'' system, on the other hand,
does not inquire into the honesty, So
briefly, or capacity of the ofhceSeeker.
Those things count for nothing. The
first question put to him is whether he
belongs to the party in power" If he
does not he can clear out, no matter
what his qualifications may be.
The next question is whether he be
longs to that faction of the party which
runs the machine" For the "spOilS"
system does not extend to all men who
belong to the party-Republican, Dem
OcTatic, or hich happens to
be in control of the municipality. The
only men who have any show under the
"spOils' system are those who are the
supporters of the dominant machine
bosses"
Continuing the Tribune says:
This factiOnal method of filling offices
is the favOrite system among many
Democratic and Republican senators
and repre- SentatiVeS. Fitness and quail
ifications count for nothing unless the
candidates belong to them-are their
henchmen and ServitOrS and do dirty,
dishonest WOrk-are shoppers of pri-
maries and packers of conventions.
These are the rotten politicians who,
without distinction of party, get up in
congress and howl for the "spOils' sys-
tenn. They sneer at the demand for
honesty and fitness on the part of ap-
plicants for office. How much better
are such politicians than robbers and
swindlers of the peOple2
AS all the costs of government comes
ey of the whole people, and as all the
money expended by the national and
municipal governments should be ex-
pended so as to do the most good to
the whole people, why should not the
administration employees and minor Off
ciaIs-belOW the grades OF elective Off
cials and heads of bureauS-be selected
on the grounds of merit, qualifica tons,
and fitness instead of being selected by
machine faction bosses to pay men for
doing their dirty. cheating primary and
convention wOrk2
All decent. reputable, patriotic citi-
zens, irrespective of party principles,
dogmas, or pFejudices, should uphold
and insist upon selection by the merit
system. This is surely self-evident
Let those classes of offices be open
equally to all citizens. And all decent
citizens should stand together for this
principle OF selection.