carriers，stenographers，womentypewriters，clerks，becauseofthepoliticsofthemselvesortheirfriends，withoutregardtotheirownservice，is，fromthestandpointofthepeopleatlarge，asfoolishanddegradingasitiswicked。
Suchbeingthecase，itwouldseematfirstsightextraordinarythatitshouldbesodifficulttouprootthesystem。Unfortunately，itwaspermittedtobecomehabitualandtraditionalinAmericanlife，sothattheconceptionofpublicofficeassomethingtobeusedprimarilyforthegoodofthedominantpoliticalpartybecameingrainedinthemindoftheaverageAmerican，andhegrewsoaccustomedtothewholeprocessthatitseemedpartoftheorderofnature。Notmerelythepoliticiansbutthebulkofthepeopleacceptedthisinamatter-of-
coursewayastheonlyproperattitude。Therewereplentyofcommunitieswherethecitizensthemselvesdidnotthinkitnatural，orindeedproper，thatthePost-Officeshouldbeheldbyamanbelongingtothedefeatedparty。Moreover，unlessbothsideswereforbiddentousetheofficesforpurposesofpoliticalreward，thesidethatdidusethempossessedsuchanadvantageovertheotherthatinthelongrunitwasoutofthequestionfortheothernottofollowthebadexamplethathadbeenset。Eachpartyprofitedbytheofficeswheninpower，andwheninoppositioneachpartyinsincerelydenounceditsopponentsfordoingexactlywhatititselfhaddoneandintendedagaintodo。
Itwasnecessary，inordertoremedytheevil，bothgraduallytochangetheaveragecitizen’smentalattitudetowardthequestion，andalsotosecureproperlawsandproperadministrationofthelaws。Theworkisfarfromfinishedevenyet。Therearestillmassesofoffice-
holderswhocanbeusedbyanunscrupulousAdministrationtodebauchpoliticalconventionsandfraudulentlyovercomepublicsentiment，especiallyinthe“rottenborough“districts——thosewherethepartyisnotstrong，andwheretheoffice-holdersinconsequencehaveadisproportionateinfluence。ThiswasdonebytheRepublicanAdministrationin1912，totheruinoftheRepublicanparty。Moreover，therearenumbersofStatesandmunicipalitieswhereverylittlehasasyetbeendonetodoawaywiththespoilssystem。ButintheNationalGovernmentscoresofthousandsofofficeshavebeenputunderthemeritsystem，chieflythroughtheactionoftheNationalCivilServiceCommission。