Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-11

work.
The Politicians Trade.
But If we mean by politics the trade Of
living on the taxpayers and getting rich at
their cost, II is useless to consider how
this occupation can be purified for ii
cannot be purified at all; one might as well
discuss how to purify policy playing or
the green goods business, bunco steer
ing, or the fiim-fiam' game. Politics thus
understood can never be pure except as
being pure and unadulterated rascality.
Between the good and bad men in poll
tics there Is and should be warfare with
cut truce or quarter; for whoever would
now do good in any form to his fellow
men finds the degradation of our political
life hindrance in his task. If he would
protect the public health, wisely relieve
want, train youth, shelter the unfortunate,
suppress vice or punish crime, he must
deal with the boss and ring and to do
this work well must, sooner or later. sweep
them from his path He cannot, however
much he would, let them alone. for they
will not. indeed they cannot. let him alone
Gould he and those like-minded with
him attain full success their power and
prosperity were doomed for they would
then have no victims wherein to prey, no
dupes to do their work; by the very law of
their being, they are the natural enemies
of every one who would lead others to 4
higher, purer and healthier life. Men like
them have made their trade so dangerous,
so odious, noisome that against it every
force in our midst that makes for right
eousness must be directed tomorrow, as II
should be today.
: Good Popular Government.
'"To have good popular government we
must first of all. and before all else, have
good citizens. Burke's well-known words
have been often quoted; they have been
even quoted more than once by me; but we
cannot too steadily remember that as he
said. There never was long a corrupt gov
eminent of a virtuous people When we
find any set of the governing community
affected with misgovernment, we can safe
ly and fairly believe that II does not de-
serve a better fate. 1t may indeed, wish
to be well governed. just many drunk
ard in his seasons of repentance and head
ache, wishes he were temperate; just as
many a defaulter. as yet undetected, in
saner moments wishes he could repay what
he has taken. and feel himself once more
an honest man.
But. such men do not wish hard
enough to keep away, the first from the
bar, the second, from the faro table or Wall
street, so such nation, state or city does
not wish hard enough for good government
to make bad government impossible.
Because we cannot expect perfect gov
eminent. whether of this country or of any
other, unless and until the people governed
are also perfect, which is not likely to hap
pen, here or elsewhere, in our time, the con-
clusion is not infrequently drawn that
meantime any Improvement is HOpeiSSSI
but this is a grave mistake.
No doubt, there never has been, so
there never will be, a perfect government
of men by men, but there have been, there
now much better governments than
those we live under in the United States
today, and l believe that there might he
better governments now and here than any
which the world has known in this country
or any other.
The True Lesson.
THE true lesson is that the question of
good government in America is essentially
moral and only Incidentally a political
one; this is indeed true of all governments,
popular government than of any other. l
mean by this that the friends of good gov
eminent in America land especially in
tn devise methods for the efficient and
economical administration of public affairs
than to clearly and frequently set forth
and constantly and forcibly impress on the
attention of their fellow citizens the true
and admitted ends and principles of gov
eminent and the daily manifest and griey-
Gus dereictions of duty on the part of pub
lie officers and of the voters.
Our aim is to spare Americans shame
at the government of their country: TO
rescue the nobest work of our policy from
its basest hands; to root out national vices
which threaten to make us political
Sodom among Christian peoples; he who
sees such a goal before him can well fight
on with calm confidence, that any tenn
porary reverse and individual apostacy,
any seeming injustice of public opinion are
but inevitable incidents of so momentous
a struggle but fitting preludes to so glori-
Gus a victory.