was apparent: for the
first time since the days of Jackson a change of the party in power had
not been followed by a clean sweep among the holders of offices. But, as
the subsequent record painfully shows, office-holders' pressure proved
too strong for Mr. Cleveland's resolution.

There were then about 120,000 government employees. Of these, not far
from 14,000 were covered by the Pendleton law. All the other minor
places were held at the pleasure of superior officers. These latter
officers numbered about 58,000. In August, 1887, from 45,000 to 48,000
of them had been changed, implying change in the offices dependent upon
them. There were some 55,000 postmasters, 2,400 of whom were appointed
by the President for a term of four years, the rest by the
postmaster-general at pleasure. At the date named, from 37,000 to 47,000
changes had been made in this department. These changes, of course, were
not all removals, as many vacancies occur by expiration of terms, death
of incumbents, and other causes.

[1886]

An important statute regarding the presidential succession, introduced
by Senator Hoar, passed Congress in January, 1886. By previous statutes,
in case of the removal, death, resignation, or disability of the
President and Vice-President, the presidency passed in order to the
temporary President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. The
latter two might be of the opposite party from the President's, so that
by the succession of either the will of the people as expressed in the
presidential election would manifestly be defeated. Moreover, in case of
a President's death and the accession of the Vice-President, the latter,
too, might die, and thus both the presidency and the vice-presidency
become vacant in the interim between two Congresses, when there is
neither President of the Senate nor Speaker of the House. Thus President
Garfield died September 19, 1881, and the XLVlllth Congress did not
convene to choose a Speaker until the next December. The Senate had
adjourned without electing a presiding officer. Had President Arthur
died at any moment during the intervening period--and it is said that he
was for a time in imminent danger of death--the distracting contingency
just spoken of would have been upon the country.

According to the new law, in case of a vacancy in both presidency and
vice-presidency, the presidency devolves upon the members of the
cabinet in the historical order of the establishment of thei