Evening star., 1909-07-02
Apportionment and Spoils.

In commenting upon The Stars recent
expression of regret that the House did
not continue to resist the Senates amend
ment to the census bill requiring resi-
dence in the states of appointment, and
it's characterization of the apportionment
act as relic of the spoils system, the
New York Tribune says:
1--WE cannot agree that the apportion-
ment plan is a relic of the spoils system
1t has been long followed with excellent
results in appointments to the army and
the navy. In a nation composed Of states
1t is expedient to recruit the federal serv-
ice as equally as possible from all the
states. 1t would be highly undesirable to
shut the states more distant from the
capital out of the competition and to
have the District of Columbia and the
states nearer the capital overrepresented.
Would The Star call the present distri-
button of appointments to the military
and naval academies a relic of the spoils
system? Yet as strong an argument could
be made for allowing unrestricted compe-
tition for such appointments as for unre-
stricted competition for civil appoint
ments. Apportionment is an incident of
the federal scheme of government. 1t is
not illogical, therefore. but fully In har-
mony with the political system which We
have Inherited"
The Tribune's citation of an alleged
parallel is not convincing. There is no
real likeness between the civil service
appointments on the apportionment basis
and the appointments to the army and
navy. Cadets at the two military service
academies are appointed by the Presi-
dent, but 1t is upon the recommendation
of members of the House and Senate. SO
far as the great body of selections is con-
cerned. 1t is regarded generally that the
appointments virtually vest in the mem
bers of Congress, the representatives
having the privilege of naming each one
cadet from his own congressional district
and each senator one cadet at large.
If the President were solely responsible
for the selection of cadets without refer
ence to the preferences of members of
Congress this method of keeping the
army and navy supplied with officers
would be governed by the apportionment
principle. But the responsibility rests
upon the members of Congress. This diff
ferentiates the cadet appointment system
distinctly from the choice of civil clerks
and officials.
The Tribune begs the question when 1t
declares that "in nation composed Of
states 1t Is expedient to recruit the fed
eral service as equally as possible from
all the states" Just wherein the expe-
diency lies remains to be determined. 1t
may be politically expedient, for example.
Undoubtedly from the point of view of
the party organization in the old days
when patronage was the cry it was dis
tinctly expedient for the politicians Of
each state to get their share in order to
build up and strengthen their own ma
chimes. And no one who knows the
workings Of the civil service system will
deny that, excellent as the merit system
is in theory and in certain degree of
practice, the distribution of offices be-
tween the states on the basis of popula-
ton is still rated as a political expedient,
notwithstanding the fact that the ap-
pointees politics is not officially known.