Year: 1871

I'VE you enter the White House to visit


he Chief Magistrate of this grand repub-


ic. Of course you expect to find him


urrounded by his council of state, and,


,eing new 10 the duties of his great Office,
diligently and earnestly studying those
yreat problems which it will be his mis-
aon 10 solve But how do you find him
n the MIDST Of the same anxious faces,
he same eager eyes, the same nervous
which have already attrac-
ed your attention before, and man after
man pressing upon him, pouring hurried |
tales into his ear, or pressing papers upon
him with the vehemence of extreme ur-
gency. What do they ask for? They all
want office and want it quickly. You
see the President bewildere d, confused
and after little while you come 20 the
unweIcome conclusion that the great
chief of the American republic, in his pre-
sent situation at least, is an object of pity.
From him you go to visit the ministers of
state, the heads of departments, and what
do you find there2 You expect, of course,
to see them at least, if the President is
otherwise occupied, engaged in an arduous
study of their great duties, for to them
also these duties are new. But you find
the same spectacle there a. pressing
multitude asking for Office. You visit
Senators and Representatives, and how
do you find them2 Engaged in the con-
sideration of the great political questions,
whose solution the situation of things de-
mand of them2 No; you find them sur
rounded by the same crowd, dogged from
place to place, marching along the avenue
at hurried step, followed by long train
of anxious pursuers, running to the Presi-
dent, running to the departments-nay,
you may follow them even to another
place in some of these splendid public
buildings of ours-a side office, where
they pay their respects to young gen.
tleman who at first must appear to you
one of the high dignitaries and you are
somewhat astonished when you hear that
he is the appointed clerk, who very gra-
ciously receives the Representatives of
the people, with their hats in their hands,
and condescendingly dispenses his favors
upon them, or with polite regret assures
them that he cannot accommodate them
all. Sir, it is by no means with feeling
of pride that make the confession, but I
must say that, carried away by the sys-
TEN which prevails. 1 have been there
myself and I have witnessed the scene
And now, sir, what are all these men en-
gagged in? What does this spectacle Of
frantic hurry and pressure mean? 1t
; means nothing more or less than that the
President, the members of the cabinet,
Senators, and Representatives, and the
whole multitude which fills the capital
busy in taking to pieces the whole ma
chinery of the government Immediately
after the accession to power of the new
administration, then to recompose it again
out of new materials From the Collec-
tor of Customs in New York down to the
meanest postmaster in the country, from
the minister plenipotentiary down to the
tide-waiter, all must be removed to make
room for new men. Nobody is to be
spared but some old experts here and
there in government offices, without
whose experienced aid the machinery
would come to an absolute standstill
Such, you are told, has become the es
tablished custom in this great republic o
ours and the same spectacle repeats it.
self every four years. You ask yourself
is this necessary, is it desirable? And i
it were necessary or desirable would thii
be an opportune moment for doing it


Why, sir, the President and heads of tn,
departments, just having been put il
their places, are new to the duties the
have to perform, new to the requirement
of the service which they have to carry
on, anacquainted with the personnel they
have to deal with. 1t would seem ex
tremely difficult for them even to form
an intelligent judgment at first Of the
propriety Of any change to be made, how


ever limited. Nothing, therefore, would
be more urgently required than calm re-
Election, a quiet survey of the whole field
so as to ascertain what there is calling fol
transformation, and what the means are
and where and how proper material car
be found, to execute it. And yet JUS
at that moment, when; to use a populal
phrase, hardly anybody is knowing wha


he is about-just at that very moment
the tremendous operation is to be per-
formed of taking to pieces the whole ma
chinery of the government and recompos


ing it again out of new material. Now
sir, what is to guide the appointing pow


er in this fearful and perplexing task


Is it personal knowledge? Impossible
They do not know the men who are ap
plying for Office; in nine hundred ant
ninety-nine of q thousand cases they


never saw them-never heard of them


What is it then? They are required Il
act on recommendations, and thos


recommendations are put on paper. Yol
are curious to see such paper, and on



of the aspirants, perhaps, considering yol
an Important man, will be very glad Il


hand it to you; may be to obtain you
signature, too, in his favor And wha


do you read?' The applicant for Office il


represented to be the model man of the
age in point of character, of intelligence
of capacity, and of political merit; he il
Just the man for such a place, and i


would infiict serious damage on the coun


try not to appoint him. You ask hi
neighbor, who perhaps is his competitor
and he will inform you that the sam,
man who in the paper is described as tn,
model man of the republic is very shah


by character, and that no more improp


er person could be selected; but that h,
himself (the competitOr) is Just the mai
whose services the public needs. Now
sir. how are these recommendations made
and how are they obtained2 Look at tn,
Congressman who is to distribute the of
fees In his district. Laboring undel
/ IL r