Ipromptlycanceledmyticket，waited，andmethim。Heprovedtobeapersonofhappilytreacherousmemory，sothatthesimpleexpedientofarranginghisstatementsinpairswassufficienttoreducehimtoconfusion。Forinstance，hehadbeentrappedintomakingtheunwaryremark，“IdonotwanttorepealtheCivilServiceLaw，andIneversaidso。”Iproducedthefollowingextractfromoneofhisspeeches：
“Iwillvotenotonlytostrikeoutthisprovision，butIwillvotetorepealthewholelaw。”Tothishemerelyrepliedthattherewas“noinconsistencybetweenthosetwostatements。”Heassertedthat“RufusP。Putnam，fraudulentlycreditedtoWashingtonCounty，Ohio，neverlivedinWashingtonCounty，Ohio，orinmyCongressionaldistrict，orinOhioasfarasIknow。”Weproducedaletterwhich，thankstoabeneficentProvidence，hehadhimselfwrittenaboutMr。RufusP。
Putnam，inwhichhesaid：“Mr。RufusP。Putnamisalegalresidentofmydistrictandhasrelativeslivingtherenow。”Heexplained，first，thathehadnotwrittentheletter；second，thathehadforgottenhehadwrittentheletter；and，third，thathewasgrosslydeceivedwhenhewroteit。Hesaid：“Ihavenotbeeninformedofoneapplicantwhohasfoundaplaceintheclassifiedservicefrommydistrict。”Weconfrontedhimwiththenamesofeight。Helookedthemoverandsaid，“Yes，theeightmenarelivinginmydistrictasnowconstituted。”butaddedthathisdistricthadbeengerrymanderedsothathecouldnolongertellwhodidandwhodidn’tliveinit。WhenIstartedfurthertoquestionhim，heaccusedmeofalackofhumorinnotappreciatingthathisstatementsweremade“inajestingway。”andthenannouncedthat“aCongressmanmakingaspeechontheflooroftheHouseofRepresentativeswasperhapsinalittledifferentpositionfromawitnessonthewitnessstand“——afrankadmissionthathedidnotconsiderexactitudeofstatementnecessarywhenhewasspeakingasaCongressman。Finallyherosewithgreatdignityandsaidthatitwashis“constitutionalright“nottobequestionedelsewhereastowhathesaidontheflooroftheHouseofRepresentatives；andaccordinglyheleftthedelightedcommitteetopursueitsinvestigationswithoutfurtheraidfromhim。
AmoreimportantopponentwasthethenDemocraticleaderoftheSenate，Mr。Gorman。InaspeechattackingtheCommissionMr。Gormandescribedwithmovingpathoshowafriendofhis，“abrightyoungmanfromBaltimore。”aSunday-schoolscholar，wellrecommendedbyhispastor，wishedtobealetter-carrier；andhowhewentbeforeustobeexamined。Thefirstquestionweaskedhim，saidMr。Gorman，wastheshortestroutefromBaltimoretoChina，towhichthe“brightyoungman“respondedthathedidn’twanttogotoChina，andhadneverstudiedupthatroute。Thereupon，saidMr。Gorman，weaskedhimallaboutthesteamshiplinesfromtheUnitedStatestoEurope，thenbranchedhimoffintogeology，triedhiminchemistry，andfinallyturnedhimdown。
ApparentlyMr。Gormandidnotknowthatwekeptfullrecordsofourexaminations。IatoncewrotetohimstatingthatIhadcarefullylookedthroughallourexaminationpapersandhadnotbeenabletofindonequestionevenremotelyresemblinganyofthesequestionswhichheallegedhadbeenasked，andthatIwouldbegreatlyobligedifhewouldgivemethenameofthe“brightyoungman“whohaddeceivedhim。
However，that“brightyoungman“remainedpermanentlywithoutaname。
IalsoaskedMr。Gorman，ifhedidnotwishtogiveusthenameofhisinformant，togiveusthedateoftheexaminationinwhichhewassupposedtohavetakenpart；andIoffered，ifhewouldsenddownarepresentativetolookthroughourfiles，togivehimalltheaidwecouldinhisefforttodiscoveranysuchquestions。ButMr。Gorman，nothithertoknownasasensitivesoul，expressedhimselfassoshockedatthethoughtthattheveracityofthe“brightyoungman“
shouldbedoubtedthathecouldnotbringhimselftoanswermyletter。
SoImadeapublicstatementtotheeffectthatnosuchquestionshadeverbeenasked。Mr。Gormanbroodedoverthis；andduringthenextsessionofCongressheroseandcomplainedthathehadreceivedavery“impudent“letterfromme(myletterwasarespectfulnotecallingattentiontothefactthat，ifhewished，hecouldbypersonalexaminationsatisfyhimselfthathisstatementshadnofoundationinfact)。Hefurtherstatedthathehadbeen“cruelly“calledtoaccountbymebecausehehadbeenendeavoringtorighta“greatwrong“thattheCivilServiceCommissionhadcommitted；buthenever，thenorafterwards，furnishedanycluetotheidentityofthatchildofhisfondestfancy，thebrightyoungmanwithoutaname。[*]
[*]ThisisacondensationofaspeechIatthetimemadetotheSt。
LouisCivilServiceReformAssociation。SenatorGormanwasthentheSenateleaderofthepartythathadjustbeenvictoriousintheCongressionalelections。
Theincidentisofnotechieflyassheddinglightonthementalmake-
upofthemanwhoatthetimewasoneofthetwoorthreemostinfluentialleadersoftheDemocraticparty。Mr。GormanhadbeenMr。
Cleveland’spartymanagerinthePresidentialcampaign，andwastheDemocraticleaderinCongress。Itseemedextraordinarythatheshouldbesorecklessastomakestatementswithnofoundationinfact，whichhemighthaveknownthatIwouldnotpermittopassunchallenged。
Then，asnow，theordinarynewspaper，inNewYorkandelsewhere，wasquiteasrecklessinitsmisstatementsoffactaboutpublicmenandmeasures；butforamaninMr。Gorman’spositionofresponsibleleadershipsuchactionseemedhardlyworthwhile。However，itisatleasttobesaidforMr。Gormanthathewasnottryingbyfalsehoodtotakeawayanyman’scharacter。ItwouldbewellforwritersandspeakerstobearinmindtheremarkofPudd’nheadWilsontotheeffectthatwhilethereareninehundredandninety-ninekindsoffalsehood，theonlykindspecificallycondemnedinScripture，justasmurder，theft，andadulteryarecondemned，isbearingfalsewitnessagainstone’sneighbor。
Oneoftheworstfeaturesoftheoldspoilssystemwastheruthlesscrueltyandbrutalityitsooftenbredinthetreatmentoffaithfulpublicservantswithoutpoliticalinfluence。Lifeishardenoughandcruelenoughatbest，andthisisastrueofpublicserviceasofprivateservice。Undernosystemwillitbepossibletodoawaywithallfavoritismandbrutalityandmeannessandmalice。Butatleastwecantrytominimizetheexhibitionofthesequalities。IoncecameacrossacaseinWashingtonwhichverykeenlyexcitedmysympathy。
UnderanAdministrationpriortotheonewithwhichIwasconnectedaladyhadbeenoustedfromaGovernmentposition。Shecametometoseeifshecouldbereinstated。(Thiswasnotpossible，butbyactiveworkIdidgetherputbackinasomewhatlowerposition，andthisonlybyanappealtothesympathyofacertainofficial。)ShewassopallidandsocarewornthatsheexcitedmysympathyandImadeinquiriesabouther。Shewasapoorwomanwithtwochildren，awidow。Sheandhertwochildrenwereinactualwant。Shecouldbarelykeepthetwochildrendecentlyclad，andshecouldnotgivethemthefoodgrowingchildrenneed。ThreeyearsbeforeshehadbeenemployedinabureauinadepartmentofWashington，doingherworkfaithfully，atasalaryofabout$800。Itwasenoughtokeepherandhertwochildreninclothing，food，andshelter。Onedaythechiefofthebureaucalledherupandtoldherhewasverysorrythathehadtodismissher。Ingreatdistresssheaskedhimwhy；shethoughtthatshehadbeendoingherworksatisfactorily。Heansweredherthatshehadbeendoingwell，andthathewishedverymuchthathecouldkeepher，thathewoulddosoifhepossiblycould，butthathecouldnot；foracertainSenator，givinghisname，averyinfluentialmemberoftheSenate，haddemandedherplaceforafriendofhiswhohadinfluence。Thewomantoldthebureauchiefthatitmeantturningherouttostarve。Shehadbeenthirteenorfourteenyearsinthepublicservice；shehadlostalltouchwithherfriendsinhernativeState；dismissalmeantabsolutewantforherandherchildren。Onthisthechief，whowasakindman，saidhewouldnothaveherturnedout，andsentherbacktoherwork。
Butthreeweeksafterwardshecalledherupagainandtoldherhecouldnotsayhowsorryhewas，butthethinghadtobedone。TheSenatorhadbeenaroundinpersontoknowwhythechangehadnotbeenmade，andhadtoldthechiefthathewouldbehimselfremovediftheplacewerenotgivenhim。TheSenatorwasanextremelyinfluentialman。Hiswantshadtobeattendedto，andthewomanhadtogo。Andgoshedid，andturnedoutshewas，tosufferwithherchildrenandtostarveoutright，ortoliveinsemi-starvation，justasmightbefall。
Idonotblamethebureauchief，whohatedtodowhathedid，althoughhelackedthecouragetorefuse；IdonotevenverymuchblametheSenator，whodidnotknowthehardshipthathewascausing，andwhohadbeencallousedbylongtraininginthespoilssystem；butthissystem，asystemwhichpermitsandencouragessuchdeeds，isasystemofbrutaliniquity。
AnymanaccustomedtodealingwithpracticalpoliticscanwithdifficultykeepastraightfacewhenhereadsorlistenstosomeoftheargumentsadvancedagainstCivilServiceReform。Oneofthesearguments，afavoritewithmachinepoliticians，takestheformofanappealto“partyloyalty“infillingminoroffices。Why，againandagaintheseverysamemachinepoliticianstakejustasgoodcareofhenchmenoftheoppositepartyasofthoseoftheirownparty。Intheunderworldofpoliticstheclosesttiesaresometimesthosewhichknittogethertheactiveprofessionalworkersofoppositepoliticalparties。AfriendofmineintheNewYorkLegislature——theheroofthealphaandomegaincident——onceremarkedtome：“Whenyouhavebeeninpubliclifealittlelonger，Mr。Roosevelt，youwillunderstandthattherearenopoliticsinpolitics。”Inthepoliticstowhichhewasreferringthisremarkcouldbetakenliterally。
Anotherillustrationofthistruthwasincidentallygivenme，ataboutthesametime，byanacquaintance，aTammanymannamedCostigan，agoodfellowaccordingtohislights。IhadbeenspeakingtohimofafightinoneoftheNewYorkdowntowndistricts，aDemocraticdistrictinwhichtheRepublicanpartywasinahopelessminority，and，moreover，wassplitintotheHalf-BreedandStalwartfactions。Ithadbeenaninterestingfightinmorethanoneway。Forinstance，theRepublicanparty，atthegeneralelection，polledsomethinglikefivehundredandfiftyvotes，andyetattheprimarythetwofactionspolledsevenhundredandtwenty-fivealltold。Thesumofthepartswasthusconsiderablygreaterthanthewhole。Therehadbeenotherlittledetailsthatmadethecontestworthyofnote。ThehallinwhichtheprimarywasheldhadbeenhiredbytheStalwartsfromaconscientiousgentleman。TohimtheHalf-Breedsappliedtoknowwhethertheycouldnothirethehallawayfromtheiropponents，andofferedhimasubstantialmoneyadvance。Theconscientiousgentlemanrepliedthathiswordwasasgoodashisbond，thathehadhiredthehalltotheStalwarts，andthatitmustbetheirs。ButheaddedthathewaswillingtohirethedoorwaytotheHalf-Breedsiftheypaidhimtheadditionalsumofmoneytheyhadmentioned。Thebargainwasstruck，andthemeetingofthehostilehostswasspirited，whenthemenwhohadrentedthedoorwaysoughttobarthepathofthemenwhohadrentedthehall。IwasaskingmyfriendCostiganaboutthedetailsofthestruggle，asheseemedthoroughlyacquaintedwiththem，andhesmiledgood-naturedlyovermysurpriseattherehavingbeenmorevotescastthanthereweremembersofthepartyinthewholedistrict。SaidI，“Mr。Costigan，youseemtohaveagreatdealofknowledgeaboutthis；howdidithappen？”Towhichhereplied，“Comenow，Mr。
Roosevelt，youknowit’sthesamegangthatvotesinalltheprimaries。”
Somuchformostoftheoppositiontothereform。Therewas，however，somehonestandatleastpartiallyjustifiableoppositionbothtocertainofthemethodsadvocatedbyCivilServiceReformersandtocertainoftheCivilServiceReformersthemselves。Thepetshibbolethsoftheopponentsofthereformwerethatthesystemweproposedtointroducewouldgiverisetomerered-tapebureaucracy，andthatthereformerswerepharisees。Neitherstatementwastrue。Eachstatementcontainedsometruth。
Ifmenarenottobeappointedbyfavoritism，wiseorunwise，honestordishonest，theymustbeappointedinsomeautomaticway，whichgenerallymeansbycompetitiveexamination。Theeasiestkindofcompetitiveexaminationisanexaminationinwriting。Thisisentirelyappropriateforcertainclassesofwork，forlawyers，stenographers，typewriters，clerks，mathematicians，andassistantsinanastronomicalobservatory，forinstance。Itisutterlyinappropriateforcarpenters，detectives，andmountedcattleinspectorsalongtheRioGrande——toinstancethreetypesofemploymentastowhichIhadtodobattletopreventwell-meaningbureaucratsfrominsistingonwrittencompetitiveentranceexaminations。Itwouldbequitepossibletoholdaverygoodcompetitiveexaminationformountedcattleinspectorsbymeansofpracticaltestsinbrandreadingandshootingwithrifleandrevolver，inriding“mean“horsesandinropingandthrowingsteers。Ididmybesttohaveexaminationsofthiskindinstituted，butmyproposalwasofpreciselythetypewhichmostshockstheroutineofficialmind，andIwasneverabletogetitputintopracticaleffect。
