The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1908-02-07
An American in Politics
DRIFTING INTO THE GAME
BY ERNEST MGAFFEY.
DRIFTING INTO THE GAME
BY ERNEST MGAFFEY.


What is known as the party ma
chine is simply the drilled strength
of a party, in rank, file and leae =
ship, and all piftle in regard to ma
chine politics" is as absurd as pos
sible. If a reform movement starts,
it. too, must have its machine, -
that is to say, its rank and file and
leadership. The very government II
self is a machine. The only trouble
in the whole matter is that the aver
age man is too busy and too selfish
in chasing the almighty dollar to care
who runs the machine. 1t is not the
fact that hurts, but the conditions
which face the fact
Now. the Democratic machine in
those days, and not far distant, either
had a fairly we'll ordered agreement
with the Republican machine by
which the county Offices were given
to the republicans and the city offices
were handed to the Democrats. This
agreement was not recorded on the
books of the county recorder, but II
was tolerably secure 'cinch," never
theless. But at times the reformers,
maddened by being kept from the
public crib, or really aCtuated by high
motives-or both-and the independ-
ents, firing of both parties, would
hook up and upset things. So 1T
became and was necessary" as they
say in a personal injury suit, to take
due and careful preCauton." That
meant, to hustle in all Campaigns, and
work between campaigns to strength
en- the party by argument, combina-
ton and patronage; especially patron
age. Talk is cheap, but the man be.
hind the influence is the man behind
the job.
Now, man with the ambition to go
into POLITICS with a good end in view,
namely, furthering the political for
tunes, even in a slight way, Of
leader in whom he had the highest
confidence, was actuated by a good
motive. 1t may seem rather elabo-
rate to make this statement so plain,
but it must be remembered that no
one is supposed to enter politics with
an honest motive | had an enthus-
iasm for the tenets of my party, but
| had much greater enthusiasm for
the man whose cause | espOused, for
l knew thai if any particular maxim
of the party did not make for
square deal" for the people of his
native city, he would apply some 9TH
er maxim that would.
To go into ward politics with a
bunch of seasoned adopts at the
science was to invite comparison, en-
nifty, suspicion and treachery. l
knew all this perfectly well, and
whether or not was trusted by the
members Of the party in my partlcu'
lar district, ! can at least say, with
out the slightest bitterness, and In
perfect truth, that l trusted none OF
them. For the exigencies of number
less occasions | assumed friendly re-
lations with dozens of men; they were
simply pawns in the game. If could
use them to the advantage OF the man
| was trying to help, well and good.
II not, l could at best make the ef-
fort.
l had the advantage Of knowing
exactly what they were in politics for
they were in it for what were the ma
terial advantages, for the little ap-
pointments, the influence that was to
be gained in the distribution OF ward
patronage" and the aim, sometimes
near, sometimes remote, Of being can
didates for any Office within the gift
Of the party.
Selfish motives? OF course. And 80
were my motives selfish. I wanted
to see a man l liked win; wanted the
Democratic party to win. The man
/ I worked for always won when he
was nominated; the party that pre-
| sented him as its standard bearer
| never lost. When they went stray
| ing after strange gods-but that Is
another story. was handicapped by
being a professional man, a lawyer,
in a ward composed quite strongly OF
the laboring classes. A man who does
not work with his hands is some
times suspected of grating" his
living by the more passionate OF
a certain class Of reformers, but there
is room for argument as to that.
My first active work was going out
and making speeches for the candi-
dates. | went at this Systematically
and thoroughly. l tried to think up
arguments, and even where | made
several speeches in a night, l would
not repeat myself. | studied upon
the questions of the day, and found
that few people knew less about
them than | did There was an ap-
pareltly fathomless unrest on the
part of a good many citizens, and
there was a strong and apparently
numerically superior opposition force
in the world, and so there was at
least the delight of a hard fight to be
had in each campaign.
This, then, was the first plunge. To
be out at all hours Of the night, max
ing speeches and meeting people. Co
ins down to headquarters and getting
arsinnmants to the various halls. Get.