"There can be no question as to the importance of Dr. Taussig's temperate discussion of a question which has long engaged the attention of scholars on both sides of the Atlantic. Our author offers the conclusions which a brilliant and independent mind has reached after patient and impartial investigation of an exceedingly difficult question."--_Philadelphia Evening Bulletin._ "This important and searching contribution to economic theory will have a wide-reaching effect on the development of political economy in the future, and will be indispensable for all who teach or investigate general economic theory."--_Boston Transcript._ "Abounding in facts of value and fully instructive. The book is free of all demagogy and eminently fair to every question discussed."--_Chicago Inter-Ocean._ "A searching and valuable contribution to economic literature, which can not be ignored by future writers on the subject, and which will be found as interesting as it is important."--_Brooklyn Standard-Union._ "A most valuable contribution to the discussion of the economic problems of the day.... A notable contribution to economic literature."--_Boston Advertiser._ "Prof. Taussig's valuable contribution should be welcomed by the public."-_-New York Herald._ "The book will be found invaluable in economic study for its scholarly presentation of a complicated and exceedingly important question."--_Chicago Record._ "The subject is an important one, and Prof. Taussig handles it with strong intelligence."--_Minneapolis Journal._ "Prof. Taussig's book is so radical in import that it is sure to attract a great deal of attention from those interested in current domestic discussion."--_Boston Beacon._ * * * * * New York: D. APPLETON & CO., 72 Fifth Avenue. Transcriber's Notes Introduction Welcome to Project Gutenberg's edition of A Spoil of Office by Hamlin Garland. A scanned copy of this book is available on Hathitrust courtesy of Cornell University. For background on the themes of this novel, such as the Grange and the People's Party, please see The Agrarian Crusade by Solon Buck, a volume from the Chronicles of America series produced by Yale University in the public domain. We have made the following emendations to the text: Contents: The Chapter Title at the beginning of each chapter should match the chapter title in the table of contents. What likely happened was that the chapter titles were updated, but not the table of contents. In any event, this was the assumption that was made. Therefore, the following chapter titles were emended in the table of contents: