in a corruption of the will.  Business men who have tried to set up a control in politics through the machine have more and more deceived themselves, have allowed themselves to think that the whole matter was a necessary means of self-defence, have said that it was a necessary outcome of our political system.  Having reassured themselves in this way, they have drifted from one thing to another until the questions of morals involved have become hopelessly obscured and submerged.  How far away from the ideals of their youth have many of our men of business drifted, enmeshed in the vicious system,—­how far away from the days when their fine young manhood was wrapped in “that chastity of honor which felt a stain like a wound!”

It is one of the happy circumstances of our time that the most intelligent of our business men have seen the mistake as well as the immorality of the whole bad business.  The alliance between business and politics has been a burden to them,—­an advantage, no doubt, upon occasion, but a very questionable and burdensome advantage.  It has given them great power, but it has also subjected them to a sort of slavery and a bitter sort of subserviency to politicians.  They are as anxious to be freed from bondage as the country is to be rid of the influences and methods which it represents.  Leading business men are now becoming great factors in the emancipation of the country from a system which was leading from bad to worse.  There are those, of course, who are wedded to the old ways and who will stand out for them to the last, but they will sink into a minority and be overcome.  The rest have found that their old excuse (namely, that it was necessary to defend themselves against unfair legislation) is no longer a good excuse; that there is a better way of defending themselves than through the private use of money.  That better way is to take the public into their confidence, to make absolutely open all their dealings with legislative bodies and legislative officers, and let the public judge as between them and those with whom they are dealing.

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This discovery on their part of what ought to have been obvious all along points out the way of reform; for undoubtedly publicity comes very near being the cure-all for political and economic maladies of this sort.  But publicity will continue to be very difficult so long as our methods of legislation are so obscure and devious and private.  I think it will become more and more obvious that the way to purify our politics is to simplify them, and that the way to simplify them is to establish responsible leadership.  We now have no leadership at all inside our legislative bodies,—­at any rate, no leadership which is definite enough to attract the attention and watchfulness of the country.  Our only leadership being that of irresponsible persons outside the legislatures who constitute the political machines, it is extremely difficult for even the most