The Government Patronage

The Republicana, during tlieir eighteen years of occupation and domination, have shrewdly sought to niake their position impregnable by the creation of an immense ariny of office-holders and dependents upon the bounty of the Administration. During the campaign of 1876 it was seen how effectively these beneticiaries can be used in the corrupt work of the party in power. The administration is now counting its forces and perfecting plans for organizing and drilling them for the campaign of 1880. The New York Express Almanac for 1879, among its other valuablt' features, gives a detailed statement of the actual number of Federal office-holders and employés, which shows that ander Hayes the machine has been carefully attended to and its efficiency increased. Although there is a law requiring the publication of the number of persons employee! by the United States and their pay in the Official Register, it appears that tke full strength has not beea exhibited. The Express Almanac has gone down to the root of the matter and proves that the patronage of the National Administration is as follows; Number oí employvs recorded on register 74,431 Navy Depart'nent employés cot on register 10,000 Post-ofnce Dep't employés not on register.. 5,000 Treasury Dep't employés not on register... 2,000 Deputy Marshals and clerks not on register 2,500 Supervisors of Elections not on register (1,000 Internal Improvement employés not on le'r 5,000 Total 104,931 The Express Almanac, with refer ence to those formidable figures, says : "In tliis Government especially has the public a reason to watch the administration of the national patronage with the greatest jealousy. In the hands of unscrupulous and cunning men, it is a lever whicli is susceptible of being used so as to largely subvert the main principie in the foundation of our constitutional forms - that which provides that the free will of the people shall be the lavv of the nation. It is in this sense that our large Government patronage is a perpetual menace to a perfect realization of republiean liberty. lf it is wielded for the purpose ot keeping a party or clique in power, then it is susceptible of almost making tliis Government a Government of succession." That, indeed, is what the llepublicans propose to make this Government, if possible. Tlieir plea in 1870 that the Kepublican party alone had any right to govern this country was met bravely by the people, who defeated the Republican candidatos at the polls and in the electoral votes in the most emphatic way. The popular will, so plainly expressed, was dei'eated, by f orce, fraud and bribery, and one of the leading agencies employed by the crimináis was the prompt utilization of the Federal patronage toreward the scores of men who had performed the