Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 4.djvu/221

 POLITICS IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS 20$

EASTERN STATES.

A general view, based on long personal observation and experience, and on wide correspondence, is presented in this statement :

The general conclusions concerning New England are, I think, that there is very little serious attempt to make these positions the award of party service, largely because the New England states are and have been for so long a time under the control of one party ; and of course also, and perhaps chiefly, because the local public sentiment, generally speaking, will not suffer removals to get men in for party reasons. On the other hand, I think it pretty apparent that when appointments are to be made, they are almost uni- versally made from the party which happens for the time being to be in control; and if good men are appointed, as they generally are, such a result does not offend the public sentiment. Certainly nowhere in New England do we find wholesale removals on any change of party administration, but where vacancies occur after a change of party control, those vacancies are filled from the controlling party ; though in Massachusetts, while the above is practically the rule, in recent years we have had plenty of cases where not only members of the minority party have been reappointed, but new men belonging to that party have been put in to fill vacancies which have occurred. The public sentiment in this state will not permit the use of these offices for partisan purposes.

CONNECTICUT.

More particular illustration may be found in a discriminating let- ter from Connecticut:

The requirement of non-political appointments to the board of direction of the state prison and to the boys' school has not been interpreted to mean appointment on merit alone, for it has, I think, been the invariable custom to give the party for the time being in the majority, /'. e., the party of the appointing power (the governor), the majority of the board.

The present warden of the state prison is a Democrat, though the board is Republican ; and his being left in is the more striking because he took the place of a Republican ousted under a Democratic administration. The idea of other than political fitness in appointment seems here to have scored a success; and, indeed, it is my impression that the general drift is that way ; though such a thing as examination, or even formally requiring previous experience in the sort of work required, has not yet begun to dawn

Speaking of a certain board, this competent informant adds : Appointments have been made to it in some instances for which the only obvious explanation was that the governor wanted to compliment somebody

Professor Frank A. Fetter, and others, we are permitted to use the materials here arranged. Some correspondents request that their names be withheld.