Requisites to a Reform of the Civil Service, 97 



To the first of these questions there can be but one answer. 

 The wisdom of the founders of the republic, the experience of 

 our past history, and the unbiased judgment of the present 

 time, all agree that, in a matter of so great moment, as in other 

 matters of moment, it is best to leave the hands of the people 

 untied, the popular will free to act in accord with the popular 

 judgment. 



The second question cannot be so easily disposed of, since 

 it is impossible to determine the extent to which the power of 

 patronage is ever used by the executive for the purpose of 

 securing a renomination and re-election. As a rule, to which 

 there have been but few exceptions in the history of tlie gov 

 ernment, the high character of the chief magistrate is a good 

 guaranty against the corrupt exercise of power for personal 

 advantage; and as it may be Jissumed that an exceptional pres- 

 ident will very certainly have favored his first supporters, by 

 way of reward for their services in securing his first election, 

 and hence, in large measure, have exhausted the resources of 

 his patronage, there is reason to believe that the danger from 

 this source is very much overrated. It is also to be borne in 

 mind that the unfortunate experience of such of the presi- 

 dents as have ventured to disregard the wishes of ther constit- 

 uents has already pretty well impressed it as a conviction upon 

 the public mind that no amount of corrupt use of patronage 

 will be sufficient to override the popular will, when it has once 

 declared itself with the voice of condemnation. "While, on 

 the other hand, it is worthy of mention that, of the presidents 

 who have been re-elected, not one has disappointed the public. 



The advocates of the one-term rule admit the force of the 

 reasons that sustain the constitutional provision as it stands, — ' 

 namely, the great value of experience on the part of the exe- 

 cutive, and of steadiness in the administration of the govern- 

 ment, — for, with one accord, they propose to couple an exten- 

 sion of the term with their limitation of the number of elections. 

 But they appear to overlook this important consideration, that, 



