Evening star., 1937-04-25
Antiquity of the Spoils
System
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.


candidate, are named in their places,
there Is a revival of discussion Of the
political spoils system. There has been
an unusual amount Of such discussion
In the Roosevelt administration, possibly
because the New Deal agencies have been
80 largely stated by persons not having
civil service status. 1t was Secretary Of
State Bryan who, In connection with
patronage, coined the phrase deserving
Democrats" but Postmaster General
Farley has been credited with being even
more active in finding places for Demo-
Gratis, especially Roosevelt supporters.
1t was Senator Marcy of New York
who declared 'to the victor belong the
spoilS," but contemporary statesman,
Andrew jackson, not only often is cred-
tied with the aphorism, but also with
authorship OF the spoils system. Repub-
licans also have employed it.
Historical research reveals that tho
case Is quite otherwise. 1t is the oldest
political system in the world The
Egyptians practiced it and the Romans,
as well as other peoples Of antiquity.
Probably the most fagrant and fantastic
example Is found In the actions of the
Emperor Hellgobalus. He was one of
the more self-indulgent Roman rulers
and was especially fond of his table. If
chef created new sauce that tickled
his palate he would appoint him pro-
consul OF some rich province or to some
other high and lucrative post To be
sure, this favoritism was balanced by the
TACT that If the emperor disliked the
new sauce the chef would be executed
or imprisoned.
All down through the ages succeeding
rulers named their favorites to high posts.
often not merely discharging those who
nad occupied the positions but disposing
OF tnem IN more permanent fashion. 1t
might be said that such procedure might
De expected in monarchies but not in
uemocracleS. That Is shown to be an
erroneous conclusion. Great Britain
counted herself democracy with but a
constitutional king, but the spoils sys.
tenn was long in vogue there. Indeed,
u was from the British nation that the
United States inherited the system.
Carl Joachlm Friedrich, a professor Of
government at Harvard University and
recognized authority on the history OF
american politics, recently has made a
oeep research into the spoils system, as
IL relates to the United States, and has
turned up some forgotten facts. He
SHOWS now the system was everywhere
In use IN the American Colonies before
tne Revolution. Indeed, such grants as
Ihose 10 Lord Baltimore, the Duke of
YORK, LORD Fairfax, the Earl of Shaftes-
ourys company, William Penn and Gen.
Oglethorpe were broad evidences of spoils
on colossal scale.
during the century-and-a-h half rer,od
In which royal governors or governors
named by the great proprietors held svav.
spous were the order of the day. Often
BRUSH politicians received high appoint.
ments In the Colonies and never even
came mere, but carried on their admin.
lstratlon through deputies whom thev
appointed In accordance with the same
system, ana these deputies followed the
example OF their masters. Even church
nVlngs, the fat glebe lands, were in.
cIuoed, and churchmen were named bv
laVorltlsm IN return for political support
ana countenance. Labarees work on
Royal Government in America" asserts
tnat one OF the causes leading up to the
heVoIutlon was the withdrawal of much
ol tne patronage which had been vested
III the colonial governors and the vest.
ing OF 1t IN the British Board of Trade
winch was merely shift in the eniov-
ment of patronage rights.
III might be argued that Great Britain
was only a theoretical democracy and
tne use OF patronage to insure the SUD-
port and political friendship of court
laVorltes was but survival of far
older despotic practices.
benjamin FRANKLIN Is among the most
leVered OF the American patriots Ha
was slgner OF the Declaration of In.
dependence and performed innumerable
services later. He had been a patronage
oenehclary under the crown, having been
postmaster General in Colonial days.
AS a matter OF course he assumed manv
patronage prerogatives. He gave him.
sell tne ranking privilege. He appointed
ms son William postmaster at Phila-
oelphla and his brother John postmaster
at Boston, as well as giving local post
mastershlps to other relatives and to
personal friends.
In 1776 Franklin was named Post
master General for the Revolutionary
colonies, this time being appointed not
oy the crown, but by the American
rulers, the Continental Congress. He
was given authority to name every
employe in the service. 1t seems that it
Is part Of the tradition that the Post
master General shall be the chief pa
tronage dispenser in America.
George Washington as first President,
appears to have shown an inclination
to dispense with the spoils system, but
the politicians by whom he was sur
rounded proved too much for him. AS
soldier and an engineer he was nat.
urally inclined to look for technical eff.
cheney, as apart from political partisan.
ship In the building of the new state,
He was, however. impatient of men who
disagreed with him and the essence Of
partisanship is disagreement.
~
Growth OF the party system. the en-
during basis Of a Spoils system, had
begun even in Washingtons time, and
such men as Alexander Hamilton and
John Adams had begun to use patronage
In the building up of their political fol-
loWlngs. Thomas Jefferson regarded
elections as legalized revolutions. He re.
garded the use of patronage as a natural
method OF either fomenting or resisting
such revolutions.
The popular idea that the spoils svs.
tenn began with Andrew Jackson has a
partial basis In that it was he who caused
the first great overturn and redistrib,,-
ton OF spoils. 1t must be remembe. ed
that, up until his time, the presidency
had been held by aristocrats of the same
general class and certainly entertaining
the same economic ideas -Four of his
predecessors had been Virginians and
Two New Englanders, all of them aristo-