[Gutenberg 42333] • The Cleverdale Mystery; or, The Machine and Its Wheels: A Story of American Life

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1882 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXXV. EPILOGUE--THE MACHINE AND ITS WHEELS. THE political incidents of this story, taken from actual life, reflect the evils of our national system. The great political machine has many cranks, and the scheming of office-seekers, the manipulations of the caucus and convention, and the tactics resorted to on election day by wirepullers and leaders are not exaggerations. Every public man will recognize Senator Hamblin, ExAssemblyman Daley, Hon. Walter Mannis, Cyrus Hart Miller, Paddy Sullivan, Editor Rawlings, and "honest" farmer Johnson, as wheels belonging to the great machine. Senator Hamblin, ambitious, rich, bold, possessing natural gifts of oratory, is a wheel with almost absolute power. The rising generation, looking upon such men with admiration, strive to emulate their example. Cyrus Hart Miller, bold, unscrupulous, and aggressive, is another wheel--one that moves "the boys" at caucus and on election day. Paddy Sullivan presides over the "gin palace," and men gathering at the bar worship spirits in decanter and keg, while imbibing political opinions. In American politics the power of such wheels is very great, and no machine is complete without them. While it requires many wheels to work the machine, some are large, some small, but all are dangerous. Men becoming infatuated with politics, the desire to hold office leads them from paths of rectitude. They tose their hold on legitimate business, and grasping for the bubble fame, go headlong to destruction. One man may succeed in reaching the summit of his ambition, but it is by climbing over the ruins of the nine hundred and ninety-nine fallen on the highway. The fight for spoils develops bad passions, creates schisms in parties. Faction fights in both political...