It was common to hear people admiringly mention men who had begun life on the lower levels and in time achieved great voting-power.  It was also common to hear youths planning a future of ever so many votes for themselves.  I heard shrewd mammas speak of certain young men as good “catches” because they possessed such-and-such a number of votes.  I knew of more than one case where an heiress was married to a youngster who had but one vote; the argument being that he was gifted with such excellent parts that in time he would acquire a good voting strength, and perhaps in the long run be able to outvote his wife, if he had luck.

Competitive examinations were the rule and in all official grades.  I remarked that the questions asked the candidates were wild, intricate, and often required a sort of knowledge not needed in the office sought.

“Can a fool or an ignoramus answer them?” asked the person I was talking with.

“Certainly not.”

“Well, you will not find any fools or ignoramuses among our officials.”

I felt rather cornered, but made shift to say: 

“But these questions cover a good deal more ground than is necessary.”

“No matter; if candidates can answer these it is tolerably fair evidence that they can answer nearly any other question you choose to ask them.”

There were some things in Gondour which one could not shut his eyes to.  One was, that ignorance and incompetence had no place in the government.  Brains and property managed the state.  A candidate for office must have marked ability, education, and high character, or he stood no sort of chance of election.  If a hod-carrier possessed these, he could succeed; but the mere fact that he was a hod-carrier could not elect him, as in previous times.

It was now a very great honour to be in the parliament or in office; under the old system such distinction had only brought suspicion upon a man and made him a helpless mark for newspaper contempt and scurrility.  Officials did not need to steal now, their salaries being vast in comparison with the pittances paid in the days when parliaments were created by hod-carriers, who viewed official salaries from a hod-carrying point of view and compelled that view to be respected by their obsequious servants.  Justice was wisely and rigidly administered; for a judge, after once reaching his place through the specified line of promotions, was a permanency during good behaviour.  He was not obliged to modify his judgments according to the effect they might have upon the temper of a reigning political party.

The country was mainly governed by a ministry which went out with the administration that created it.  This was also the case with the chiefs of the great departments.  Minor officials ascended to their several positions through well-earned promotions, and not by a jump from gin-mills or the needy families and friends of members of parliament.  Good behaviour measured their terms of office.