How you understand english sentences?

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I find this (in a definition of "executive"): "Men most desirous of places in the executive gift, will no expect to be gratified, except by their support of the executive. John Quincy"; I cant reach conceptual understanding of this. How you understand it? particularly in: "...executive gift,..." and "except by their support of the executive." There are idioms or word with special usage on this? add data: is a definition founded in a admin text, and was quoted from Daniel Webster (1826)