CHAPTER V. 



THE FARMER AND THE POLITICIAN. 



BY "politician " I mean 9, person who habitually seeks to 

 obtain a livelihood from the emoluments of public oftice 

 or to influence the bestowal of otJice. He may and 

 probably will have some other ostensible or actual means of 

 support, and is quite certain to be an alert and capable person, 

 entirely competent to live independent of office, but he has 

 acquired the office-seeking habit, which is one of the hardest 

 habits to break. A politician may become a statesman, and as 

 such one of tlie most honored and useful members of society. 

 Most of them do not, but at the same time it must be rec- 

 ognized that the majority of the office-seeking class are intel- 

 ligent and honest, and faithfully discharge the duties of any 

 position to which they may be elected or appointed. At 

 any rate, they must have the appearance and reputation of 

 so doing or they could not, at least outside the large cities, 

 hope to succeed. In the aggregate there is doubtless a good 

 deal of official corruption in most countries, but in the main 

 I believe our officials personall}" discharge the duties of their 

 offices with zeal and fidelity. 



And yet it is true that when once an honorable man 

 becomes a candidate for an elective office, or a "worker" 

 who expects, in case of the success of his party, to be rewarded 

 by an appointive office, he becomes possessed of an absorbing 

 desire to win. This feeling is by no means wholly mercenary. 

 The joy of overcoming is of itself a sufficient inducement to 

 many, and, once engaged in a contest, all means esteemed 

 honest within the purview of the very loose code of political 

 morals are freely employed. 



There is no doubt that in the long run the means deemed 

 most certain to lead to success are what is commonly spoken 

 of as "humbug," and of all classes that deemed most suscep- 



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