State Legislation 97 



have to make it a rule never to consider, in decid- 

 ing how to vote upon any question, how their vote 

 would affect their own political prospects. No man 

 can do good service in the Legislature as long as he 

 is worrying over the effect of his actions upon his 

 own future. After having learned this, most of 

 them got on very happily indeed. As a rule, and 

 where no matter of vital principle is involved, a 

 member is bound to represent the views of those 

 who have elected him ; but there are times when the 

 voice of the people is anything but the voice of God, 

 and then a conscientious man is equally bound to 

 disregard it. 



In the long run, and on the average, the public 

 will usually do justice to its representatives; but it 

 is a very rough, uneven, and long-delayed justice. 

 That is, judging from what I have myself seen of 

 the way in which members were treated by their 

 constituents, I should say that the chances of an 

 honest man being retained in public life were about 

 ten per cent better than if he were dishonest, other 

 things being equal. This is not a showing very 

 creditable to us as a people; and the explanation 

 is to be found in the shortcomings peculiar to the 

 different classes of our honest and respectable voters, 

 shortcomings which may be briefly outlined. 



SHORTCOMINGS OF THE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD 

 TAKE PART IN POLITICAL WORK 



THE people of means in all great cities have in 



times past shamefully neglected their political duties, 

 5 VOL. I. 



