AETHUR, CLEVELAND, AND ELAINE 1881-1884 195 



more strongly now, that, evil as the whole spoils system 

 was in its effects on the country, it was quite as vexatious 

 and fertile in miseries and disappointments to political 

 leaders. In the natural order of things, where therejs no 

 spoils system, and where the bestowal of offices is not in the 

 hands of senators, representatives, and the like, these sen- 

 ators and representatives, when once elected, have time to 

 discharge their duties, and with very little pains can main- 

 tain their hold upon their constituents as long as they 

 please. The average man, when he has cast his vote for a 

 candidate and sees that candidate elected, takes an interest 

 in him; the voter, feeling that he has, in a certain sense, 

 made an investment in the man thus elected, is naturally 

 inclined to regard him favorably and to continue him in 

 office. But with the spoils system, no sooner is a candidate 

 elected than, as has been well observed, for every office 

 which he bestows he makes "ninety-nine enemies and one 

 ingrate." The result is that the unsuccessful candidates 

 for appointment return home bent on taking revenge by 

 electing another person at the end of the present incum- 

 bent's term, and hence comes mainly the wretched system 

 of rapid rotation in office, which has been in so many 

 ways injurious to our country. 



This and other points I urged, but the evil was too 

 deeply seated. Time was required to remove all doubts 

 which were raised. I found with regret that my article 

 had especially incurred the bitter dislike of my old adviser, 

 Thurlow Weed, the great friend of Mr. Seward and former 

 autocrat of Whig and Republican parties in the State of 

 New York. Being entirely of the old school, he could not im- 

 agine the government carried on without the spoils system. 



On one of my visits to New York in the interest of this 

 reform, I met at dinner Mr. William M. Evarts, then at the 

 head of the American bar, who had been Secretary of 

 State under Mr. Hayes, and who was afterward senator 

 from the State of New York. I had met him frequently 

 before and heard much of his brilliant talk, and especially 

 his admirable stories of all sorts. 



