enate
be necessary to an appointment, it would also be necessary for removal.
But afterwards the law was amended, so that now the president may suspend
an officer until the end of the next session of the senate, and make a
temporary appointment. If the senate does not at its next session confirm
the nomination to fill the vacancy, the old officer is re-instated. But if
the president is determined to carry his point, he may immediately suspend
the old officer again, and re-appoint the rejected candidate, and continue
so to do.

During the early administrations comparatively few removals were made,
except where it seemed necessary for the improvement of the public
service. But Andrew Jackson introduced into our politics the proposition,
"To the victors belong the spoils;" which means that the party electing
the president should have all the offices. This view of the case presents
to every public officer the temptation to secure himself in place, not by
meritorious service in the line of his duty, but by activity in the
service of his party; the tendency is, to displace love of country and
devotion to duty, and to substitute therefor subserviency to strong party
leaders. So crying has the evil become, that many of the wisest and most
patriotic men in the country are seeking to so far reform the public
service that an officer may feel reasonably secure in his position so long
as he performs his duties faithfully, and that vacancies shall be filled
by the promotion of worthy subordinates.

[3] This is to secure two objects: first, to relieve the president of the
burden of appointing thousands of such officers; and second, to place the
appointment in the hands of the officers responsible for the work of these
subordinates.

The principal officers thus appointed are:

1. Postmasters having salaries less than $1000 a year, appointed by the
postmaster general.

2. Clerks, messengers, janitors, etc., in the several departments,
appointed by the respective secretaries. The chiefs of bureaus and some of
the more important officers in each department are appointed by the
president with the consent of the senate.

3. The subordinates in each custom house, appointed by the collector
thereof.

4. Clerks of United States courts, appointed by the judges. The United
States district attorneys and marshals are appointed by the president,
with the consent of the senate.

The term of appointees is four years, unless sooner removed.