86 State Legislation 



they lump together without distinguishing between 

 individuals. They know whether the aldermen, as 

 a body, are to be admired or despised; but they 

 probably do not even know the name, far less the 

 worth, of the particular alderman who represents 

 their district; so it happens that their votes for al- 

 dermen or Assemblymen are generally given with 

 very little intelligence indeed, while, on the con- 

 trary, they are fully competent to pass and execute 

 judgment upon as prominent an official as a Mayor 

 or even a Congressman. Hence it follows that the 

 latter have to give a good deal of attention to the 

 wishes and prejudices of the public at large, while 

 a city Assemblyman, though he always talks a great 

 deal about the people, rarely, except in certain ex- 

 traordinary cases, has to pay much heed to their 

 wants. His political future depends far more upon 

 the skill and success with which he cultivates the 

 good- will of certain ' 'bosses," or of certain cliques 

 of politicians, or even of certain bodies and knots 

 of men (such as compose a trade-union, or a col- 

 lection of merchants in some special business, or 

 the managers of a railroad) whose interests, being 

 vitally affected by Albany legislation, oblige them 

 closely to watch, and to try to punish or reward, 

 the Albany legislators. These politicians or sets of 

 interested individuals generally care very little for 

 a man's honesty so long as he can be depended upon 

 to do as they wish on certain occasions; and hence 

 it often happens that a dishonest man who has sense 

 enough not to excite attention by any flagrant out- 



