They were a large faction within the Republican Party's political machine who strongly supported the patronage system in the US government during the post Civil War period. When President Garfield was assassinated in 1881 by a disgruntled office seeker, change was seen as essential. Not until the Pendelton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 did the Federal Government begin to have professionals in place to operate the day to day business of running its affairs.
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