304 CHARLES J. BONAPARTE 



any thing else can operate to purify our politics, we must first 

 define what we mean by purity and what we mean by politics. 

 Politics is simply a Greek word, naturalized into English, and 

 meaning originally city affairs. It is true that its significance 

 has widened with time and with changes in human society; 

 the ancient Greek knew no country, as we use the term, except 

 or beyond his city; and his name for its affairs means, for an 

 American of to-day those of his state or nation as well. Never- 

 theless, every man who interests himself actively in the good 

 government of his city, who tries to secure for it a sufficient 

 police force and fire department, well paved streets, judicious 

 regulations for the public health, public buildings in good 

 repair, pubhc schools in good working and, with all, low taxes 

 and a dwindling debt ; who does what he can to enforce the law, 

 punish crime and safeguard the order, good morals and pros- 

 perity of the community, so far as these are intrusted to public 

 officers — every such man is engaged in politics and is, in the 

 Greek sense of the word, a politician. It is true that when we 

 speak of a politician we do not usually mean such a man, and 

 when we speak of politics, we do not first think of such work. 

 But if we mean by politics the trade of living on the tax payers 

 and getting rich at their cost, it is useless to consider how this 

 occupation can be purified, for it can not be purified at all ; one 

 might as well discuss how to purify policy-playing or the green 

 goods business, bunco-steering or the flim-flam game. Poli- 

 tics thus understood can never be pure except as being pure 

 and unadulterated rascality. 



Between the good and bad men in politics there is and 

 should be a warfare without truce or quarter; for whoever 

 would now do good in any form to his fellow men finds the 

 degradation of our political life a hindrance in his task. If he 

 would protect the public health, wisely relieve want, train 

 youth, shelter the unfortunate, suppress vice or punish crime, 

 he must deal with the boss and the ring, and, to do his allotted 

 work well, must sooner or later sweep them from his path. 

 He can not, however much he would, let them alone, for they 

 will not, indeed, they can not, let him alone. Could he and 

 those like minded with him attain full success, their power 

 and prosperity were doomed, for they would then have no 



