duct their business in a straight, honorable way. At a convention
of the liquor dealers a few years ago, a big city official welcomed them
on behalf of the city and said: "Go on elevatin' your standard higher
and higher. Go on with your good work. Heaven will bless YOU!" That was
puttin' it just a little strong, but the sentiment was all right and I
guess the speaker went a bit further than he intended in his enthusiasm
over meetin' such a fine set of men and, perhaps, dinin' with them.

Chapter 22. A Parting Word on the Future of the Democratic Party in
America

THE Democratic party of the nation ain't dead, though it's been givin'
a lifelike imitation of a corpse for several years. It can't die while
it's got Tammany for its backbone. The trouble is that the party's been
chasm' after theories and stayin' up nights readin' books instead of
studyin' human nature and actin' accordin', as I've advised in tellin'
how to hold your district. In two Presidential campaigns, the leaders
talked themselves red in the face about silver bein' the best money and
gold hem' no good, and they tried to prove it out of books. Do you think
the people cared for all that guff? No. They heartily indorsed what
Richard Croker said at die Hoffman House one day in 1900. "What's the
use of discussin' what's the best kind of money?" said Croker. "I'm
in favor of all kinds of money--the more the better." See how a real
Tammany statesman can settle in twenty-five words a problem that
monopolized two campaigns!

Then imperialism. The Democratic party spent all its breath on that in
the last national campaign. Its position was all right, sure, but you
can't get people excited about the Philippines. They've got too much at
home to interest them; they're too busy makin' a livin' to bother
about the niggers in the Pacific. The party's got to drop all them
put-you-to-sleep issues and come out in 1908 for somethin' that will
wake the people up; somethin' that will make it worth while to work for
the party.

There's just one issue that would set this country on fire. The
Democratic party should say in the first plank of its platform: "We
hereby declare, in national convention assembled, that the paramount
issue now, always and forever, is the abolition of the iniquitous and
villainous civil service laws which are destroyin' all patriotism, ruin
in' the country and takin' away good jobs from them that earn them. We
pledge ourselves, if our ticket is