Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-06-09
Psychology of Politics.

fSyCnolOYy OF FohN'SS'
To the individual who happens to
fall into the way of giving the subject
his attention either as professional or
an amateur there are few things that
are more interesting or exciting than
the game of politics, and usually 1t Is
the individual who don't pay no at
tention to such things" who is tie
other fellows plaything.
The truth of the matter is that the
fellow who honestly boasts as to now
he never cafes about elections, and
don't even take the trouble to VOTE
often figures as largely in the calcu-
lations of the politician who under
stands the game as the fellow who is
known to know all about what he Is
doing and what he is doing it for.
The ideal political condition, OF
course, is one in which really import
ant issues are at stake-say an elec-
ton on the question of voting bonds
for schools or for roads, or increasing
the school levy, or even some moral
question-something that gets close to
the pocketbook, intelligence, or desires
of the individual, where every voter
has a definite idea of what he or she
wants.
When it comes to a political race be-
tween individuals for a public Office,
where the candidates are moved only
by the desire for the salary and honors
of the office, and where the choice OF
the people is to be influenced mainly
10y the character and reputation of the
candidates, personal friendship and tie
like, the result of the race is often in
f1uenced by scheming, wire pulling and
manipulation, in connection with which
the seasoned politician is in his glory.
Newspaper publishers have system
under which certain marks are placed
at the bottom of all short transient ad-
vertisements to show when they began,
frequency of insertion, number of in
sertions, whether paid or charged, etc.
These marks are more or less of mys-
terry to the average layman who knows
nothing of their meaning. During one
campaign in this county, a suspicious
politician worked out what seemed to
him a satisfactory key to some of these
marks and he was not long in deciding
that certain of these candidates to
whose cards were attached mark in
dicating that they had been paid for at
the time Of insertion and were not to
be charged, were the candidates OF
secret CLIQUE or faction that was pre-
pairing to take charge Of the county
government in it's own interest and
nothing that could he said to inquirers
could ahay the suspicion.
Nothing in politics, perhaps, is more
common than the practice of putting
up straw men to be knocked down by
fake cleverness and courage, unless it
be promises to right whatever real or
imaginary wrong the voter might have
in mind, whether it be in the power OF
the promisor TO affect the situation or
not. Iout OF COURSE W dlleiiipl an ShN
meration of all the tricks of the poll
tician would be absurd, for that would
have TO be based on the assumption
that the range of human ingenuity has
reached it's limit and become a matter
of record.
But it must not be assumed that all
politicians follow trickery to accom-
plish their ends, for that is not true.
The most successful politicians are
those who go straight at the ends they
seek with the most scrupulous fairness
and honesty. These, of course, always
encounter suspicion until they succeed
in establishing their reputation, and
after that they are fortified against the
of the kind who would
them by means of chican-
cry.
But as we have said, it, is an inter-
esting game, this game of politics,
and a game that is well worth the best
efforts of the best of them, especially
that class of people who do not take
enough interest to vote.