PERILS. — WEALTH. 169 



Christ and raffled for his garments, it has crucified 

 every form of virtue between thieves. And, while Mam- 

 monism corrupts morals, it blocks reforms. Men who 

 have favors to ask of the public are slow to follow their 

 convictions into any unpopular reform movement. 

 They can render only a surreptitious service. Their 

 discipleship must needs be secret, '' for fear of the" cus- 

 tomers or clients or patients. It is Mammonism which 

 makes most m^n invertebrates. When important Mor- 

 mon legislation was pending, certain New York mer- 

 chants telegraphed to members of Congress: " New York 

 'sold $13,000,000 worth of goods to Utah last year. Hands 

 off!" The tt'ibe of Demetrius, the Ephesian silver- 

 smith, is everywhere : men quick to perceive when this 

 their craft by which thej^ have their wealth is in danger 

 of being set at naught. ' ' Nothing is more timorous than 

 a million dollars — except two millions. *' 



Mammonism is also corrupting the ballot-box. The 

 last four presidential elections have shown that the two 

 great political parties are nearly equal in strength. The 

 vast majority of voters on both sides are party men, 

 who vote the same way year after year. The result of 

 the election is determined by the floating vote. Of this, 

 a comparativelj" small portion is thoroughly intelligent 

 and conscientious; the remainder is, for the most part, 

 without convictions, without principle and thoroughly 

 venal ; hence the great temptation to bribery, to which 

 both parties yield. i Moreover, the influence of great 



1 In the first edition, written in 1885, appeared the following^ sentence. 

 " And if the two parties take distinct issue on economic questions— which 

 seems hkely— each believing that the success of the other would involve 

 great financial disaster, corruption money will become an increasingly im- 

 portant political factor." Three years later the two parties did take issue on 

 economic questions, as anticipated ; and never before was bribery so extensive, 

 so systematic and so unblushing. Said Hie New York Times, October 21, 1889, 

 " This crime of bribery and corruption at the polls has been on the increa.se 

 in recent years imtil it has become a portentous evil, menacing the very 

 foundations of free institutions." 



Hon. William M. Ivins, in an address before the Congregational Club of 

 New York, November 19, 1888, said he was confident that over 85,000 men in 



