The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-16
THE ADAMS MANSION, QUINCY, MASS.

held similar views. There was no party
division upon the subject. The indus
tries Of the new state, aside from ship
building and transportation, were al
most wholly agricultural or crudely me-
chanic, and the products Of the soil
paid for the manufactured goods which
were imported. With the war of 1872
new conditions arose. The various re-
strictive acts put in force led TO the
ruin of American commerce. Manufac-
lures were established to supply the
goods which could no longer be readily
imported from foreign countries. The
duties upon imports were doubled, and
under the stimulus thus afforded manu-
features sprang up with great raplolty.
The close of the war and the removal
of restrictions upon trade threatened
the new enterprises with serious loss or
ruin, and the tariff act of 1916, proVld-
ing for an increase Of duties, Was, IN
a measure, a concession to their needs,
though it was more particularly de-
signed to provide for the heavy eX-
penSes of the war. After the financial
crisis of 1919 a definite movement arose
in favor of federal aid to nanufac-
lures, which would promote desirable
diversifcation of industries, the re-
vival of business throughout the states
and a rise in the price of land and its
products. Under the pressure of pOpu-
lar clamor congress passed the tariff
bill of 1924, which marks the adoption
of a positive protective policy. The du-
ties upon textile fabrics were raised, as
desired by New England manufacture
ers, and upon iron, lead, wool and other
articles produced chiefly in the middle
and western states. The leading states
men, irrespective of party affiliations,
- ,rr%x~ GRO
drawn, as parties began 10 rise out or
the chaos of the period, without rel
erence to tariff questions.
Favorable results seemed to follow
almost Immediately upon the legislation
of 1924 Trade revived, and a period
of prosperity appeared TO set in. II
protection had thus been proved good,
would not more protection be better?
Manufacturers Of wooden goods had
not received their fair share of the in
crease of duty in 1924, and they de-
manded higher rates. 1t began to ap-
pear that sectional interests were deep
ly involved in the details of tariff
legislation. Strong opposition TO pro-
lection grew up in the south and sell
fish greed everywhere besieged congress
for action favorable to it's own business
and it's own locality. Great pressure
was brought to bear upon public men,
and as the presidential campaign or
1923 drew on it became apparent that
the tariff was to enter prominently into
party politics.
Origin of the Spells System.
That political theory which main
tainS the right of a successful party
or faction to use its power of appoint
ment to and removal from office to fur
Their selfish individual or party interests
while the public welfare and the quail
fcations of candidates became subor-
dinate, has come to be tersely named
the spoils system"
A president naturally gathers round
him as cOunselOrs and aids in carrying
out his official policy those who sympa-
thize with that policy. He selects MS
cabinet members and appoints the min
/ listers who will represent his admins
tration before foreign powers from
| those holding political views similar 10
! his own. But there are many thou-
sands of inferior officers in the civil
service who have to do with the details
of the executive work Of the great busl-
| ness of the national government. They
carry out, under instructions from their
| superiors, the measures determined
upon by the responsible persons In the
| government but are not in the Sngnt-
/ est degree concerned with the admins
! trative policy itself 1t is OF no cOnSe-
quence whatever what may be the po-
| litical opinions of the thousands OF Gus
| tom-houSe officers, ighthouse-keepers,
! postmaeters, etc, with their lnnumer-
k able subOrdinateS, so long as they are
! competent to perform the duties of
! their positions. They represent no one,
and have no political responsibility Tor
/ their acts. There is no valid reason
! for removing a Democratic postmaster
/ or clerk in the treasury, for instance,
/ to make room for a Republican post
master or clerk when a Republican
president is sworn in. on the contrary,
/ it is extremely probable that the eX-
/ perienced official is better qualified 1or
his place than is any raw hand me
! rewarding of political party services
/ by appointment to lucrative office and
4 the holding out the hope of such re-
ward as an inducement TO partisan Ell
/ fort have brought into American poll
I tics such a train of evils as 10 threaten
the survival of our free institutions
For forty years no president was
guilty of basely prostituting his APP
pointive power to party purposes. Jei-
ferson was accused of having mace
partisan removals, but the charge ls
not sustained. But throughout JACK
sons two terms of Office the civil ser
| vice was openly made a party engine
under his avowed principle: ITO the
victors. belong the spoils."
The way had been prepared by the
passage. in 1920, OF a bill drawn oy
Crawford, then secretary Of the treas
ury and candidate for the presidency.
limiting the term Of a large number OF
inferior officials to four years. Before
this the term had not been fixed. and
the object OF the new law clearly was