In January, 1832, William Learned Marcy rose in the United
States Senate to defend Secretary of State Martin Van Buren from
criticism by Henry Clay. Clay's attack on Van Buren is not
remembered, but the words of Senator Marcy's defense are still
quoted: "The politicians of New York . . . see nothing wrong
in the rule, that to the victor belong the spoils of the
enemy."
In 1913, California Governor Hiram Johnson signed into law a
state civil service law to address in response to the
"spoils" system of government in which politicians
rewarded their supporters with government jobs. Civil service
reforms were later embedded in the California Constitution. Today,
Article VII, Section 1 provides:
