The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-01-14
Noted Magazine Writer in Wash
ington to Look Into Affairs
OF Government.
WILL GRAFT BE FOUND?
Plain Questions Will BE Asked
and the Answers VIII BE Given
Through Tines-Dispatch
By Lincoln steffens.

(spccial Correspondence of The Times
Dispntch.)
+ WASHINGTON. ID. G., January 81
have come to Washington in the plain
character of u private citizen to find out
all can about my government. IT is
mine. or it should be yours. too, OF course.
But say mine with a definite thought
In mind.
"our" government should represent us,
oil Of us: not only the good citizens, but
the bad also, and not only the bad, but
the good the bad and the Indifferent.
For we are all sorts, and our government
has to deal with us all. But M thought
Is that representative government
should stand especially for thoae OF It's
citizens who don't want to get anything
out OF it but fair play and fairly efficient
service.
Now. you may be asking some favor
for yourself or your friend or your friends
friend, or for your business or your party
or your State OF your river. IL may be
all right for our, government to grant,
you what you want. but l have noticed
that men who get what they want out OF
Our government are disposed to judge
leniently OF the administration OF IT as
a whole. on tho other hand, wnen men
fail TO get what they seek. they are In
ciined 10 condemn tho whole thing, and
rather harshly. So 1 cannot be sure OF
you as am OF myself For know that
/ have nothing to ask that everybody
should not have. neither an Office nor
contract. neither a wrong giant nor
good BILL" nor yet--the news.
Only a Personal Interest.
The point Of my purpose lies in the
fact that, though i am reporter. my
interest is personal. not professional; 1t
Ia simply that OF simple citizen who
seeks TO understand simply II. and how.
his government Is attending TO his bus
mess.
And really want TO know this. have
spent all the years OF my mature life
inquiring into the condition and character,
OF our State and municipal governments.
and know something about them. They
are corrupt. Some are worse than Others.
but none arc very good. In a few cities
and In fewer States there are movements
afoot to achieve better things. Indeed.
there are signs OF an awakening all over
the country. In cities and States. Yet
the typical American government Is bad
In our cities and In our States.
How about the national government?
Is that any better? The average Amer
lean citizen seems TO think IT is. In cities
and in States where the good citizen has
given up In despair. he win brighten UP
when you mention the Federal establish
ment Our American optimism takes ref
uge in the declaration made again and
again TO me that anyhow. as a nation,
We are all right"
Is It Sound?
1.-THE national government is sound"
we say
Is IT? The observation which trans
formed me from an easy-going reporter
into n concerned citizen was that the
so-called political corruption OF st. Louis
was like that OF New York, and that
what went on in those cities went on
also IN Minneapolis and Pittsburg and
Philadelphia and Chicago The causes
were much the same. and the prices and
the forms and the effects. And the same
causes were at work corrupting the
States wherein Ohio and In Rhode Is
land. In New Jersey and Illinois and New
York and Wisconsin-these same forces
working in the same way were produc-
ing the one very same resulta revou-
tionary change in the essential nature OF
our government Then noticed that the
corruption OF the citiss spread up into
their States. and that the corruption Of
the States reached down into the cities.
Municipal reporn was checked by State
! corruption, and State reform was checked
By municipal corruption, because, for
sooth, State corruption and municipal