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Show THE WORKERS AND THE PLUM TREE I Tho time draws near for tho quadrennial quad-rennial shaking of this famous foliage foli-age Also there aro Intermediate harvests, raised from lesser sprouts of tho samo root. Theoretically, I when tho campaigner oomes around and asks your voto for some friend or lender,' ho Is seeking to ndvanco tho Interests of stato nnd nation. Interest In public nflalrs is most necessary, and many of our Ills flow from lack of such Interest. So when n man solicits your voto It mny bo , merely spontaneous enthusiasm for a j righteous cause, nut too frequently i It Is a task tacitly bought and paid for. Tho plum tree Is rich nnd 'fruitful Thoio aro a great many men lacking capital and ambition enough for success, suc-cess, to whom a snug berth In n public pub-lic building Is tho Ideal llfo. They propnro themselves for this sorvlco, not by studying business administration, administra-tion, hut by making themselves solid with the politicians. Tho man who controls fifty votes Is quite an autocrat In his own little kingdom. While our chic reformors aro toasting tholi feet boforo tho open Are on cool nights, the political politic-al worker Is over active?. It Is moro recreation than work to Mm. Ho en-jojR en-jojR tho chances of tho gamo nnd tho snclnl llfo ot campaigns. In somo hangout or loafing place, or working through somo organization organiza-tion ho gathers a llttlo group around Mm. Ills undorllngs may not suspect sus-pect that they nre being led for ulterior ul-terior purposes. But In somo suhtllu wny, they control tho casting of ballots, bal-lots, and vastly Influence- prlmnrles ami elections, particularly tho former. form-er. Politicians tnko off their hats to this forco. No word of understanding under-standing may havo passed, yet when the appointments nre mado, tho claim of tho political worker Is not easily Ignored. |