The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-17
IS 4OUR' GOVERNMENT OURSp
The Question Be Put u Representatives at Washington and the Various Answers and Impressions Our Federal Goven ment to Be Set Forth in Series of Amazing
 Articles by Lincoln Steffens.

square deal" And if our representa- tive does not represent us. who or what ooes he represent? Pertinent, pene- trating. this is a public question.
 This seems to me to be the public question of the day in these United states of America. Not the regulation or railroad rates; not tariff revision; not graft. So far as my present pur- pose is concerned, I don't care wheth- CT the railroads or the State fixes the rate on freight. But I do care a great deal who rules the United States. The railroads rule some of the States of the United States, and the spirit in which my Congress discusses rate leg isIation, and the votes of my represen- tatives on such a measure, is, to me, only chance to see for myself wheth- CT the railroads are better represented than I am in my national government. I'd like to know if the railroads rule the United States.
 So with tariff revision. To the ex- tent that this is q purely economic question. 1t does not concern me now. My interest is political and moral If 1t is good for business to be protected from foreign competition, let business be protected. But have seen and talked with business men who. because their business was protected by the national government, have refused to take part in municipal reform. Though the condition of their city was horrid, they have hung back from fighting the boss whom they despised, lest his overthrow might jeopardize their bless ed tariff. The character of a people Is more important than the business of a nation. and if the protection that is good for business is bad for busi- ness men; if it makes towards of good citizens; if they regard it as a graft. and if. because they have theirs" they are willing to let grafters rule and rob their cities why then I think protection Is bad. And I want to see this winter if they and our represen- tatives do regard the tariff as graft and just how far protected interests
 make return for the special concessions we grant them by running our govern ment in the interests of all special in- terests. All talk of tariff revision. therefore. will be simply chance to learn for myself whether the special interests are better represented at Washington than the common inter- ests of all of us. If special interests rule my country, I'd like to know 1t. And so with graft. This Is no graft hunt. Oh. I shall look at graft. If graft looks at me, but Where did he get it?" Is not a national question. We know where he got 1t. What I want to know is, what did he do to get 1t? For graft. you know-graft isn't merely graft If the grafters after robbing us would only run away like the thieves that they are, we should be all right. They cannot get away with the country. But they don't run; they run us. They stay by their graft and they rule us for the sake of more graft And since the graft of the polit- ical grafters is to sell out the common interests of all of us to the special interests of few of us, why the really terrible result of our so-called political corruption Is not that it Is bad in it. self, but that It transforms our gov ernments from democracies representa- tive of al lof us into sordid nasty aligarchies representative of the worst of us--those that come with bribes in their hands asking favors.
 There is no bribery at Washington" Many men have told me that and do not expect to find any; not cash brib- cry. But cash bribery Is crude and un- necessary; cash bribery Is the least dangerous form of political corruption. Offices, promotion, committees, stock tips, business. campaign contributions. social position, dinners,-these, and such as these. are the higher. subtier, more respectable and, therefore. the more really dangerous forms of our political corruption. These are the menace of the future to the future of American institutions. And this kind of corruption cannot always be traced and proven. So we shall have to judge in Washington very largely as business men judge, by results: by the speeches, the action, the votes of our representa- tives. For these letters are to be stu dies of government. not of constitu- tions. forms and laws, but the actual living. human organism which men call the United States. And I am asking. not whether it is good government or bad, but simply whether 1t represents me-you. too. if you please. but since, as I have said. I don't know exactly what you expect of your government. I shall demand to know only if and how, mine represents me. ..:s@ Lincoln Steffens.