146 Machine Politics 



tween the Excise Commissioners and owners of low 

 haunts who wished licenses. The president of a 

 powerful semi-political association was by profes- 

 sion a burglar, the man who received the goods he 

 stole was an alderman. Another alderman was 

 elected while his hair was still short from a term in 

 State Prison. A school trustee had been convicted 

 of embezzlement, and was the associate of criminals. 

 A prominent official in the Police Department was 

 interested in disreputable houses and gambling sa- 

 loons, and was backed politically by their proprietors. 



BEATING THE MACHINE 



IN the better wards the difficulty comes in drilling 

 a little sense and energy into decent people : they 

 either do not care to combine or else refuse to learn 

 how. In one district we did at one time and for a 

 considerable period get control of affairs and elect 

 a set of almost ideal delegates and candidates to the 

 various nominating and legislative bodies, and in the 

 end took an absolutely commanding, although tempo- 

 rary, position in State and even in national politics. 



This was done by the efforts of some twenty or 

 thirty young fellows who devoted a large part of 

 their time to thoroughly organizing and getting out 

 the respectable vote. The moving spirits were all 

 active, energetic men, with common-sense, whose 

 motives were perfectly disinterested. Some went 

 in from principle; others, doubtless, from good-fel- 

 lowship or sheer love of the excitement always at- 

 tendant upon a political struggle. Our success was 



