, ▁ 1 8 8 8 , ▁ 1 8 9 2 , ▁ 1 8 9 6 ), ▁the ▁result ▁was ▁that ▁most ▁federal ▁jobs ▁were ▁under ▁civil ▁service . ▁One ▁result ▁was ▁more ▁expert ise ▁and ▁less ▁politics . ▁An ▁un int ended ▁result ▁was ▁the ▁shift ▁of ▁the ▁parties ▁to ▁reli ance ▁on ▁fund ing ▁from ▁business , ▁since ▁they ▁could ▁no ▁longer ▁depend ▁on ▁patron age ▁hope ful s . ▁Mark ▁H anna ▁found ▁a ▁substitute ▁re venue ▁stream ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 6 , ▁by ▁assess ing ▁corpor ations . ▁ ▁M ug w umps ▁ ▁Political ▁patron age , ▁also ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁" sp o ils ▁system ", ▁was ▁the ▁issue ▁that ▁anger ed ▁many ▁reform - mind ed ▁Republic ans , ▁leading ▁them ▁to ▁reject ▁Bla ine ' s ▁candid acy . ▁In ▁the ▁spo ils ▁system , ▁the ▁winning ▁candidate ▁would ▁do le ▁out ▁government ▁positions ▁to ▁those ▁who ▁had ▁supported ▁his ▁political ▁party ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁election . ▁Although ▁the ▁P end leton ▁Act ▁of ▁ 1 8 8 3 ▁made ▁compet ency ▁and ▁mer it ▁the ▁base ▁qual ifications ▁for ▁government ▁positions , ▁its ▁effective ▁implementation ▁was ▁slow . ▁Political ▁affili ation ▁continued ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁basis ▁for ▁appointment ▁to ▁many ▁positions . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 8 8 0 s , ▁the ▁issue ▁of ▁political ▁patron age ▁split ▁the ▁Republican ▁Party ▁down ▁the ▁middle ▁for ▁several ▁consecutive ▁sessions ▁of ▁Congress . ▁The ▁party ▁was ▁divided ▁into ▁two ▁war