196 Civil Service Reform 



with which they manipulate the patronage of their 

 districts. These men have a gift at office-monger- 

 ing, just as other men have a peculiar knack in pick- 

 ing pockets; and they are joined by all the honest 

 dull men, who vote wrong out of pure ignorance, and 

 by a very few sincere and intelligent, but wholly mis- 

 guided people. Many of the spoils leaders are both 

 efficient and fearless, and able to strike hard blows. 

 In consequence, the leaders on the side of decency 

 must themselves be men of ability and force, or the 

 cause will suffer. For our good fortune, we have 

 never yet lacked such leaders. 



The Appropriation committees, both in the House 

 and Senate, almost invariably show a friendly dis- 

 position toward the law. They are composed of 

 men of prominence, who have a sense of the respon- 

 sibilities of their positions and an earnest desire to 

 do well for the country and to make an honorable 

 record for their party in matters of legislation. 

 They are usually above resorting to the arts of low 

 cunning or of sheer demagogy to which the foes of 

 the reform system are inevitably driven, and in con- 

 sequence they can be relied upon to give, if not what 

 is needed, at least enough to prevent any retrogres- 

 sion. It is in the open House and in Committee 

 of the Whole that the fight is waged. The most 

 dangerous fight occurs in Committee of the Whole, 

 for there the members do not vote by aye and no, 

 and in consequence a mean politician who wishes ill 

 to the law, but is afraid of his constituents, votes 

 against it in committee, but does not dare to do so 



