The question was asked softly, sometimes very softly, in regard to a
bill: "Is there any money in it?" And the lobbies of the Legislatures
and the National Capitol were crowded with railroad men and
manufacturers and contractors. The iniquity became so great that
sometimes reformers and philanthropists have been laughed out of
Harrisburg, and Albany, and Trenton, and Washington, because they came
empty-handed. "You vote for this bill, and I'll vote for that bill."
"You favour that monopoly of a moneyed institution, and I'll favour the
other monopoly of another institution." And here is a bill that is going
to be very hard to get through the Legislature, and some friends met
together at a midnight banquet, and while intoxicated promised to vote
the same way. Here are $5,000 for prudent distribution in this
direction, and here are $1,000 for prudent distribution in that
direction. Now, we are within four votes of having enough. $5,000 to
that intelligent member from Westchester, and $2,000 to that stupid
member from Ulster, and now we are within two votes of having it. Give
$500 to this member, who will be sick and stay at home, and $300 to this
member, who will go to see his great-aunt languishing in her last
sickness. The day has come for the passing of the bill. The Speaker's
gavel strikes. "Senators, are you ready for the question? All in favour
of voting away these thousands of millions of dollars will say, 'Ay.'"
"Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay!" "The Ays have it." It was a merciful thing that all
this corruption went on under a republican form of government. Any other
style of government would have been consumed by it long ago. There were
enough national swindles enacted in this country after the war--yes,
thirty years afterwards--to swamp three monarchies.

The Democratic party filled its cup of iniquity as it went out of power,
before the war. Then the Republican party came along and it filled its
cup of iniquity a little sooner; and there they lie, the Democratic