PERILS. — IXTEMPERAXCE. 135 



was missing, and a few days later the senator received 

 his canceled mortgage through the post. He never for- 

 got the favor, nor did his vote do us any harm after- 

 wards." Sometimes a member found an elegant suit of 

 clothes hanging over a chair by his bedside in the morn- 

 ing ; and sometimes a relative would be presented with a 

 neat little house, xlnotlier popular method was for a 

 member to receive a package by express from Troy, or 

 some other town near by. ' ' This package always con- 

 tained a certain sum of money, and it was always so 

 arranged that one of the lobby should be with the gentle- 

 man when the package came to hand. No receipt was 

 ever taken from the sender in his real name, but the re- 

 ceiver gave the express company one in his real name. 

 So we had all the evidence we needed, and the receiver 

 dared not go back on the compact the transaction cov- 

 ered. From tiiat moment he was at the mercy of the 

 lobby." "If our tactics failed in the legislature, and 

 temperance laws were passed, we went home to defeat 

 their execution. The officers designated to execute these 

 laws were generally elected. If by ourselves, it was all 

 right. If by our opponents, we had to buy them up, 

 and but few were found who would not take a bribe. " 

 "Although the liquor lobby, during the last forty years, 

 has used millions of dollars in corrupt bargaining and 

 bribery, and never has made a secret of the fact, yet no 

 member was ever caught in the act, and, it is fair to pre- 

 sume, no one ever \xi\\ be. There is no way so dark 

 they cannot find their road through." Thus does the 

 Liquor Power corrupt public morals and defeat the 'pop- 

 ular will. 



And this power, which does not hesitate to buy votes 

 or intimidate voters, to defy the law or bribe its officers, 

 comes to its kingdom through political partisanship, 

 which enables it to make one of the two great parties its 

 slave, and the other its minister. Even in the cities the 

 citizens who desire clean government are in the major- 

 ity ; but, instead of uniting to Jmake and enforce good 

 laws, they permit politics to enter into the elections, 



