The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-18

Pooling Them Some Of the Time.
Tho nodArn politician has absorbed
enough philosophy to convince him that
you cannot fool all Of the people all OF
thu time. But II has made him rather
more diligcnt In pursuit Of his theory that
you can fool some OF them ali Of the
time. Injections being separated from each
other ~ . considerable period. II you
can appeal TO the interests and sympa-
thies Of certain portions Of the commu-
nifty at weiI-reguiated intervals. 20 ~ to
cover substantially all OF them within the
space between ons polling and another.
you may accomplish practically the de-
sired result Of fooiIng all the people by
ssesments. instead Of failing In the attempt
to fool them ~ in bulk. II reduces itself
to the old mathematical axiom that the
whole Is equal to the sum Of all its parts.
This - the explanation Of thu other
wise inexpllcable interest which 'prac-
taear' politicians exhibit In the friends
Of decency. law and order Immediately
after m election has been held. During
the stress Of campaign. all the re-
straints are Invariably relaxed. The busi-
ness man 10 expected to vote his party
ticket. The church member IL q man
who studies his public duty. and Is pretty
sure. ~ IL natural and proper. to put
the conservation Of large interests above
the immediate and local problem. The
slaments upon which chiefly the restraints
Of law are exercised are apt to be- In
subordinate. Large liberty. or license. as
tina case may be, IL extended 10 them In
exchange for their support. Thus the
largest aggregate vote II rounded up. and
than the play begins AL over again.
This weil-denned plan Is now apparen:
in various parts OF the country. ana tho
fooling process IL well under way. The
present. a. the time most remote from an
election, and therefore that In which the
greatest show OF activity may be made
with the least actual change In policies or
tendencies. is selected for assuasins the
disgust and anger OF the steady. conser :,
vstive. order-ioving people. Many sops are
to be thrown TO them They are to be
assured that laws viii be enforced. the
vicious restrained and laws respected IN
letter and In spirit When they have been
fooled suficientIy, the attention OF the
political manipulation viii be turned 10
others In due order
The most impudent incident OF this is
found In the instruction OF Boss Croker
10 some OF his Tammany iisutenaa.s with
virtuens surprise he told them tina, he had
been Informed Of the existence OF vice
IA some quarters OF New York City. and
certain isxiy In the enforcement Of
the law. This. ne continued. should not
BE-: ana he would look TO them to have
the necessary improvements Effected. AMI
shis In view Of the fact that eminent
ciersrnsn have had 10 form an assocla-
ten to protect Innocence from assault
that sraEen vlcs accosts and arrontS dA.
ceney daily on the best streets On New
York AZ It never dis before and that
eysrr form Of crime has rsvelcA under
peliee protsetion for months past. New.
last rsvelatiea should at last stir in The
hearts Of an outraged people. the authogl.
ties Win proceed to sOOthe ana persuade
them that the stripes o, the tiger are
more eAanseaAle than The spots Of the
leopard.
What Is true IN Greater New York Is
srae In similar measure nearer horne. II
Is The open season for political innocents.
and they sre 90 be saKesa on sight TAs
people who believe in law ana order.
whose rsmonstranoes ana requests have
been pigeonholsd. whose pride In their
city ana whose respee, for secency have
been snsnltsd to the point OF revolt are
advised that all their demands are 10 be
sAsanliAa ~liA- The stable. intelnssnt AMI