In the early years of the republic,

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In the early years of the republic, the federal government was much smaller than it is today, meaning that the number of elected members of Congress indeed outnumbered the civil servants (or federal employees) in Washington, D.C. The bureaucracy was in its infancy, the spoils system (the practice of a successful political party giving public office to its supporters) was in use, and the president had a very small staff compared to the extensive executive support seen in modern times.

In the Early Years of the Republic