cause that has a glass of liquor for a
visible heart. They wait--they are on hand--; and in being on hand lies
the crown and the glory of American politics. The wise man is he who,
keeping a liquor-saloon and judiciously dispensing drinks, knows how to
retain within arm's reach a block of men who will vote for or against
anything under the canopy of Heaven. Not every saloon-keeper can do
this. It demands careful study of city politics, tact, the power of
conciliation, and infinite resources of anecdote to amuse and keep the
crowd together night after night, till the saloon becomes a salon. Above
all, the liquor side of the scheme must not be worked for immediate
profit. The boys who drink so freely will ultimately pay their host a
thousandfold. An Irishman, and an Irishman pre-eminently, knows how to
work such a saloon parliament. Observe for a moment the plan of
operations. The rank and file are treated to drink and a little
money--and they vote. He who controls ten votes receives a proportionate
reward; the dispenser of a thousand votes is worthy of reverence, and so
the chain runs on till we reach the most successful worker of public
saloons--the man most skilful in keeping his items together and using
them when required. Such a man governs the city as absolutely as a king.
And you would know where the gain comes in? The whole of the public
offices of a city (with the exception of a very few where special
technical skill is required) are short-term offices distributed
according to "political" leanings. What would you have? A big city
requires many officials. Each office carries a salary and influence
worth twice the pay. The offices are for the representatives of the men
who keep together and are on hand to vote. The Commissioner of Sewage,
let us say, is a gentleman who has been elected to his office by a
Republican vote. He knows little and cares less about sewage, but he
has sense enough to man the pumping-works and the
street-sweeping-machines with the gentlemen who elected him. The
Commissioner of Police has been helped to his post very largely by the
influence of the boys at such and such a saloon. He may be the guardian
of city morals, but he is not going to allow his subordinates to enforce
early closing or abstention from gambling in that saloon. Most offices
are limited to four years, consequently he is a fool who does not make
his office pay him while he is in it.

The only people who suffer by this happy