FIGHTING THE SPOILS HUNTERS AND RASCALS 45 



he filled the office, for, after President Harrison's term ended, Presi- 

 dent Cleveland, who recognized his ability, courage and sterling 

 integrity, continued him in it. 



It was a work he liked. With the conviction that the spoils- 

 monger and the bribe-giver were equally bad, he assailed them both 

 without favor or mercy, "ousting the rascals" and enforcing the law 

 as it had never been enforced before. He was a Republican from the 

 North. Two members of the commission were from the South, — 

 Democrats, who had served in the Confederate Army, — but in all the 

 dealings of the commission there was no instance in which the politics 

 of any person was considered in any case that came before them. 



When one day a paragraph got into the papers to the effect that 

 only Republicans need try to enter the government service during a 

 Republican administration, Roosevelt was quick in taking up the 

 challenge. 



"This," he said, "is an institution not for Republicans and not for 

 Democrats, but for the whole American people. It belongs to them 

 and will be administered, as long as I stay here, in their interest with- 

 out discrimination." 



And to prove his words he asked the representatives of the South- 

 ern papers in Washington to publish in their papers that the young 

 men of the South have not been seeking their proper share of positions 

 under the government, and that if they chose to come forward they 

 would be given an equal opportunity with everyone else, regardless of 

 their political opinions. 



They did come forward, plenty of them. The examinations on 

 the Southern route began to swarm with bright young fellows, and 

 the word of Roosevelt was quickly proved, that not party, but merit, 

 ruled in appointments to office. 



Commissioner Roosevelt opened himself to much criticism and 

 faced many opponents, — but he has ever since been doing the same 

 thing and with much the same effect. Criticism and opposition have 

 never deterred him from doing the thing which he deemed right. 

 Once the opponents of the merit system sought to tie the hands of the 

 Commission by refusing to give it an adequate sum of money for its 

 work, Roosevelt met them half-way. Sending for the list of exam- 



