The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-10-27

ITO the victors belong the spoils." This
was an old war maxim of the Romans in
Julius Caesars day-and was akin to that
other one, vac victis." woe unto the
conquered. In 1881. when General jack
son was sweeping the field and removing
from Federal office every whig who had
been appointed, William l.. Marcy, who
wps in the United States Senate, defended
him in great speech and promulgated
that maxim, ITO the victors belong the
spoiis Marcy was very briiiant
statesman, but very bitter partisan. He
was Governor of New York three terms,
judge of the Supreme court. Secretary OF
War under Polk, Secretary of State under
Pierce, and he used this maxim just
as far as he was allowed to. He detested
the whig party and defined an old line
whig to be "a conceited gentleman who
took a drink when he pleased and never
voted the Democratic ticket" This re-
minds me of an old man met in Arkan-
sas, who said to me, "Mr. Arp, I'm
gwine onto so years old-me and my old
oman have lived together fifty nine
years and jined the same Baptist church
the year we was married and every year
since then l have voted the Democratic
ticket" His politics was a good part of
his religion. I remember when the alien
atioon between Wings and Democrats was
quite as bitter for many years as it has
been between Republicans and Democrats
at the South-social equality even in
small towns was strained by politics.
This alienation got into the, churches and
colleges. There was no outward breach
Of good manners, but it was manifested
in various ways that the Wings felt they
were better than the Democrats, for they
were generally wealthy and educated and
owned slaves. Out of 165 students in our
State university in 1916, 1870 of them
were sons OF Wings. | am still Demo-
crat, and my father was before me, but I
have always respected the grand old whig
party of the South and lamented it's dis
ruption. still remember with pride and
admiration the names of Toombs, Steph-
ems, Ben Hill, jenkins, DR.. Miller, Craw-
ford, Berrien, the Hulls and Hollis and
Underwoods and Doughterys, for l knew
them all personally and heard them on
the stump and in the forum. But the dis
ruption had to come both in church and
State The wings could not any longer
stand the company they were in-North-
lated with abolitionists in their political
platforms. They precipitated the Civil
War. and from that was born plumber
and corruption. l do not mean to say
that all Democrats are patriotic and hon
est-nor that all Republicans are unprin-
cipled and dishonest. When our unso-
phisticated preacher, Ed, Arson, said to
Judge Underwood that he could not be-
lieve Tweed was guilty of stealing all
that money in New York city, for Tweed
was a Democrat, the judge smiled and
said: my dear sir, you are too inno-
cent and unsuspecting to live in this
wicked world. / am twice as old as you
are and my observation has been that it
is within the range of possibility for a
Democrat to steal" But what | do say
is that the Democratic party has more
conscience and is less greedy than the
Republicans. Shortly after the war a
Dutchman in Chattanooga killed his fat
shote and hung it up in the back yard
to cool during the night, next morning
he was Mortified to find that one half of
the hog was gone. He ran around wild
and was very much excited and declared
that some mean old stinkin' Democrat
had carried off half of his beautiful
shote. What makes you think he was
Democrat?" neighbor asked. IVY, OF
course he vas dimocrat-of course he
vas-for Republican would hav stole de
whole hog
That's it exactly. They want it all
But now is the time. for great reforma
tion. Martin Luther brought one in the
church and believe that Roosevelt will
bring one to the management of our ma
tional affairs. He knows of the corrup-
ton and has determined to purge it. He
will appoint good men to offices regardless
OF their political principles. He will moi
be governed by that maxim of Marcy
reform. General Grant had the law pass
ed in 1872 to stop the public plumber, but
he couldn't enforce it and it became a
dead letter. In 1876 and 1880 both parties
pretended to favor it's revival and they
pur it as plank in their platforms In
1883 Congress passed the present vigorous
law on the subject, but party pressure
evades it as much as possible and thai
unchristian, uncivilized maxim of ito the
victors belong the spoils" still prevails
The civil service reform does not apply
to all the little offices, but is pretended
Thirty thousand railway postal clerks are
subject to ii and the law is more rigidly
enforced in the postal department thar
any other Now we hope and have righ