And, although the partizan color of the
President changed with Harrison's death, after a few weeks in
office,--Tyler was merely a Whig of convenience--there was no
change in the President's attitude towards the spoils system.
Presidential inaugurations became orgies of office-seekers, and
the first weeks of every new term were given over to distributing
the jobs, ordinary business having to wait. President Polk, who
removed the usual quota, is complimented by Webster for making
"rather good selections from his own friends." The practice, now
firmly established, was continued by Taylor, Pierce, and
Buchanan.
Lincoln found himself surrounded by circumstances that made
caution necessary in every appointment. His party was new and
composed of many diverse elements. He had to transform their
jealousies into enthusiasm, for the approach of civil war
demanded supreme loyalty and unity of action. To this greater
cause of saving the Union he bent every effort and used every
instrumentality at his command. No one before him had made so
complete a change in the official personnel of the capital as the
change which he was constrained to make. No one before him or
since used the appointing power with such consummate skill or
displayed such rare tact and knowledge of human nature in seeking
the advice of those who deemed their advice valuable. The war
greatly increased the number of appointments, and it also imposed
obligations that made merit sometimes a secondary consideration.
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