IRRIGATION, POLITICS, AND SECTIONALISM 81 



river sufficiently for the bare salvation of the 

 young orchards. But, behold ! the small and 

 inefficient dam was broken, and there were 

 none who would forego the delights of electing, 

 or failing to elect, a few unimportant men to 

 unimportant offices petty in every sense, but 

 that of the ' boodle ' that went with them. 

 As for the native, the idea of inducing either 

 him or her to work so long as free whisky 

 was the order of every day was childish, 

 unless he or she happened to be a regularly 

 hired hand. 



4 If it was the election of the United States 

 President, now,' I cried in my wrath to one 

 who, like Gamaliel, cared for none of these 

 things, ' or if there were the faintest show of 

 any desire to serve the country, I could under- 

 stand this idiotic condition of affairs ; but 

 when it's all about nothing 



' It's just a money-grab, that's all it is/ 

 replied my acquaintance. ' These men don't 

 want to serve their country ; they want the 

 so many hundreds or thousands per annum 

 these petty offices represent.' 



* And, while they quarrel and scuffle, our 

 Valley is to perish ?' 



6 



