Connecticut western news., 1910-07-28
BEHIND THE THRONE.

and the man with the "pull'' IS often re- garded with more favor than the man who stands for honesty and integrity and uprightness in a community.
 Why is this? Because far too many men in this age are elected to public office, not for any special fitness they are supposed to have which qualities them specially for that office, but too often because they are the tool or the oats paw of some power that wants to use them for political ends.
 So the tool serves the purpose of such, by being inductsd into public office at the behest of the power behind the throne" ; power that oftimes has not the best interest of cities or towns at heart, but whose sole aim is to so control 1 that this power may from invisibility adjust the wires and work the strings which cause this puppet and that to bow to the will of the dictator and so shape state, or municipal ends that schemes of jobbery may be carried out. In some parts of the country it is termed "graft. Which in plain En- glish means that some one gets "rake- off on schemes thus put through, as 8 piece of Judas money for betraying the state, town or city in which they may chance to live, and turn into the hands of the power behind the throne" in- terests favorable to its aims and desires.
 Time and again have such schemes been unearthed and exposed, only to rise again in some other form to be again exposed At such exposures the public wonder why this state of affairs is allowed to exist and how it's existence is possible. In all such games of chica- nery there is ''power behind the throne" and if the people seek deep enough they may uncover this hidden force, then there is made plain the req son for things which are puzzling to many and hard to understand. .
 The average voter is all honest man. He works hard day by day on the farm or in factory, shop or mill, or at some ObAOA hAhA OA OAARAOy l4Oh0, IOl the betterment of his condition and for those dependent upon him. He dele gates his power as a citizen, through representation, to one or more men, who are supposed to represent the views of 8 constituency though those views do not always coincide with the consti- tuency they are supposed to represnt.
 We see on all sides men selling them selves to the devil or to some equally damaging representative, and the hon. est will of the people is thwartsd and community interests are forgotten, for the sake of gain.
 It has in many instances become not question of ''How best can I represent the constituency that placed me in power ?" but "How can so manipulate the wires that shall again feel sure of reelection to the place I hold, and be able once again to share in whatever emoluments, financial or otherwise, that position brings?"
 It is puzzling in these days of uncer- tainty to find some man working in political office on salary of $500 or $1, 800 year. able to keep up an estab- lishmsnt that costs nearly that entire sum, and yet to find. as is often the case, such an one on nominal salary, able to buy building lots and fine resi- dences, and ln the course of few years of political life. on thisNmoderate salary, to lay by BIO, 900 to $20,000 ill bank and become known as one of the solid men of the city or state.
 Naturally the question arises, How is it done? By what power of mathemat- ics can man, earning such a salary, in five or six years manage to live and lay by $10, ,000 to $20, 900 as has been done in many instances? It is a puzzling prob lem until one strips the veil aside and re- cognizes the power behind the throne"
 Until the best citizens resolve that they will have a more careful superVi- sion of what is going on, and take more active interest ill politics. the problems will never be solved to the best interests of communities thus afflicted. Until that time comes, politicians will hold the reins1 of power in commissions, in the conducting of affairs, and the best inter ests of communities will suffer, because people who could have 1t otherwise are too indifferent or too lazy or too cow ardly to come to the front and stand for those principles they believe to be right and fair and just.
 So long as matters are left to dema- gogues or to those whose sole interest is towards selfish ends and personal prefer