The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-04
"SPOILS" AND ELOQUENCE
By SAW 0YARD

chairmen. I'll tell you what became of
 him after while.
 The Senate committee of appropriations was created in 1871. I don't remember
 who was its first clerk, but in 1873 Thom-
 as P. Cleaves of Vermont, a republican, became clerk, and he held the position till his death in 1910 and though as stren-
 uous a democrat as F. M. Cockrell of Missouri became chairman of the commit tee in 1S93
 When Mir Cleaves died Eugene Hale
 ef Maine was chairman. There were 100,
 nay 1000 men ia Maine who would have jumped at the offer of this clerkship. But, however much We may disagree with Hale, he is patriot and a statesman,
 and he sent over to the House committee for it's assistant clerk, MT. Req, an In
 diana democrat, and made him clerk of
 the Senate committee At this time both
 committees have assistants who are
 trained to their duies, and if. there are tany "indispensables" at this capital they are the clerks of these two committees and their assistants.
 And repeat that it is pity and ca lamity that a mans politics should weigh in appointments to any subordi- nate position in the civil service. 1t " ould be jus: as reasonable to scrutinize
  @ horse, or of whom you bought a pig,
 and in my poor humble judgment we will not have entirely sane politics until we shall completely divorce the subordinate civil service from politics, as they have
 succeeded in doing in England, where the "spoils" for centuries gave so much worry to the victors. If I had my way every postmaster except in cities of 100,- 900 inhabitants and upwards should be elected by the people of the bailiwick and he should hold office for life on good behavior unless he chose to resign. It Is an outrage to appoint a republican postmaster in Mississippi, or democratic postmaster in Vermont.
 MT. Clark of Florida and MT. Murdock
 of Kansas have sought to reform the Congressional Record MT. Clark would have that publication to contain no speech not delivered in open session, and MT. Murdoc< would have the warning. Not delivered in the House." put at the head of every speech inserted in the Rec ord under operation of 'leave to print" These gentlemen failed in their endeavor, for the practice is well settled that the only way to abolish 1t is to abolish the Record itself
 There has never been leave to print in the Senate, but most of the set speeches in that body are read by the authors, a practice unknown the first 60 years of the Senate's history, with a single exception The last speech of MT. Calhoun was writ ten, but he was not physically capable of reading it, and MT. Mason of Virginia, perhaps it was, read it, MT. Calhoun be- ing present. John B. Thompson of Ken lucky delivered that rolliclSing speech on Cuba in the Senate sitting, and most of Oliver P. Morton's speeches were de- livered without his rising from his chair. t1xsat ATx AHr,{a
 was our most consummate parliamentary orator, but all his speeches in the Sem atte were subjected to the most rigid re- vision before they were printed. Had they appeared as they fell from his lips Webster's fame would not have been half what it is
 About 20 years ago General Spinola, a member of Congress from New York I died. and when the House came to "eulogize" him. Tom Campbell read a short and beautiful tribute to the memory of the dead Tammany brave, and a MT. Miller from Wisconsin, I believe, followed the Hon. Tim. The Record next morn l ing disclosed that the two speeches were identical in general and in detail. They had bought it from the same man, who | happened to be too lazy. or too drunk, to write two speeches.
 Dom Piatt, who had a mighty poor opinion Of John A. Iogans eloquence, told how Logan employed literary
 felier' to write him a speech. The "Grubstreeter' made the quotations: Thick as leaves in vallambrosia." | But Logan delivered it with an interpo- | lation thus:
 '"rhick as leaves In the vale of vallam- | brosia."
 | Which was a horrible and revolting
 tautology. The literary chap threatened | to sue Logan for damages, for, 1t be- 1 ing well known on "the Row that he wrote the speech, Logan's delivery of 1t was reflection on his literary accom- plishments.
 There have been 10000 volumes writ | ten about the big war between the states. Iogan's is the stupdest, and that is say | ing heap.
 ! Washington, April q.