ment is the spoils
system, in accordance with the maxim, "To the victor belongs the
spoils." The new President has the right of dismissing a large number
of the holders of Federal Offices, and to appoint in their places his
friends, or men of his party who have rendered it services, or who have
otherwise been instrumental in getting him elected. I am told that
thousands of officials are turned out in this way every four years.
President Jackson introduced the practice, and almost every succeeding
President has continued it. This spoils system has been adopted by
almost every state and municipality; it forms indeed the corner-stone
of practical politics in the United States. In every country, all over
the world, there are cases where positions and places of emolument have
been obtained through influential friends, but to dismiss public
servants who are doing useful work, for no better reason than simply to
make room for others, is very bad for the civil service, and for the
country it serves. Attempts to remedy these evils have been made
within recent years by the introduction of what is called "Civil
Service Reform", by which a candidate is appointed to a post after an
examination, and the term of his service is fixed. If this is to be
strictly adhered to in all cases, the President will be, to a great
extent, deprived of the means of rewarding his political friends. In
that case I doubt if the professional politicians and wire pullers will
be so active and arduous as they have hitherto been, as the chief aim
in securing the election of the nominee will have been taken away.
Great credit is due to President Taft for his courage and impartiality,
in that after assuming the duties of the high office to which he was
elected, he gave appointments to men according to their ability,
irrespective of party claims, and even went so far as to invite one or
two gentlemen of known ability, who belonged to the opposite party, to
become members of his Cabinet.

In America men are not anxious for official offices. Men possessing
talent and ability, with business acumen, are in great demand, and can
distinguish themselves in their several professions in various ways;
they can easily attain a position of wealth and influence, and so such
men keep out of politics. It must not, however, be inferred from this
that the government officials in America are incompetent. On the
contrary I gladly testify from my personal experience that