indispensable organ of the government itself. The amount of its
revenue, the sources from which it is obtained, the purposes for which
it is expended, vitally concern the people and should be exposed to a
publicity as thorough and searching as that which extends to the
financial transactions of the government itself. The enforcement of
publicity in this direction would not be open to the objection that the
government was invading the field of legitimate private activity, though
it would bring to light the relations which now exist between the party
machine and private business, and in so doing would expose the true
source of much political corruption.

But this is not all that the people need to know concerning party
management. They can not be expected to make an intelligent choice of
public officials, unless they are supplied with all the facts which have
a direct bearing upon the fitness of the various candidates. Popular
elections will not be entirely successful until some plan is devised
under which no man can become a candidate for office without expecting
to have all the facts bearing upon his fitness, whether relating to his
private life or official conduct, made public. Publicity of this sort
would do much toward securing a better class of public officials.

Publicity concerning that which directly pertains to the management of
the government is not all that will be required. The old idea that all
business is private must give way to the new and sounder view that no
business is entirely private. It is true that the business world is not
yet ready for the application of this doctrine, since deception is a
feature of present-day business methods. It is employed with reference
to business rivals on the one hand and consumers on the other. This
policy of deception often degenerates into down-right fraud, as in the
case of secret rebates and other forms of discrimination through which
one competitor obtains an undue and perhaps crushing advantage over
others; or it may take the form of adulteration or other trade frauds by
which the business man may rob the general public.

"Deception," says Lester F. Ward, "may almost be called the foundation
of business. It is true that if all business men would altogether
discard it, matters would probably be far better even for them than they
are; but, taking the human character as it is, it is frankly avowed by
business men themselves that no business could succeed for a sing