The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-06
Politics n Business.

q. Lincoln Steffens in Ainslee's)
Politics is business. That's what's
the matter with it! That's what is the
matter with everything-art, literature,
religion, journalism, law, medicine
they're all business and alias you see
them. Make politics a sport, as they
do in England, or profession, as they
do in Germany, and well have-wel,
something else than we have now, If
we want it, which is another question.
But don't try to reform politics with
the banker, the lawyer and the dry
goods merchant, for these are business
men, and there are two great hind
RANGES to their achievement of reform:
one is that they are different from, but
not much better than, the politicians;
the other is that politics is not then
line. There are exceptions both ways.
Many politicians have gone into bust
ness and have done well New YORK
City has ex-Mayor Grant, John ID.
Crimmins, and others), and a few bust
ness men have gone into politics and
done we'll mark HANNAH. They haven't
reformed their adopted trades, how
ever, though they have sometimes re-
organized and developed them.
1.-The politician is a business man
with a speciality. When a bushes man
of some other line learns the business
of politics, he is a politician. There is
not much reform left in him. What
the common, ordinary business man
means, however, who never fails to
neglect politics is that some othe bust
mes man should give up the business,
take an office and conduct public bust
ness in the interest of the people-that
is, in the interest of the busy business
man-and disregard the business poll
tics. Now and then such man comes
along. He is elected by an awakened
public conscience he defies the poll
ticians and ignores the politics of his
office, trusting to the people to re-
elect or promote him. When his turn
expires the politicians are awakened,
they have been attending to his bust
ness and theirs; and the people-those
busy business men-satisfied with the
good business mans conduct in office.
are busy. They do not go to the pri-
maries, they stay away from the polls.
The good business man is defeated and
returns to the business he knows, re-
spected but retired. (Abram S. Hewitt,
for a fine example.)
THAT is all very well, but it isn't
politics; it doesn't succeed. Business
men bow to this test.) Neither is it
business; it doesn't pay. politicians
bow to this test.) There is no profit in
IL LOT the community OF the man nlIn-
self. He may say that he saved his
self-esteem and his good name, that he
is a merchant and his term in Office
was side show, but his words are
hollow hOasting. Confession of failure
hurts, and what is the use to COM
munity of a political side show? Re
form waves do no good except where
they improve and strengthen the
machines they were meant to demolish.
That they often do. Tammany has been
helped by reform movements in New
York City, never harmed. A whipping
at the polls teaches man like Croker
that. for example, New Workers really
care for clean streets: Colonel War
ing's administration taught the boss
and the people that clean streets were
possible and pleasant; so Mr.. Croker
wss able to say to Big Tom Brennan:
Here, Tom, You won't do as Com
missioner of Street Cleaning. You'll
have to be satisfied with a commission
ership of charities The big Toms re-
cognize this as good politics and
Croker is in a position, without hurt
ing himself with the boys, to give a
little better government and thus es-
tablish more soundly his machine; fer
the people say Well, Tammany gives
us clean streets, anyhow"