“Then the bosses really can’t do what they want?”

“No.  Or at least not for long.  That is a newspaper fallacy.  A relic of the old idea that great things are done by one-man power.  If you will go over the men who are said to control—­the bosses, as they are called—­in this city, you will find that they all have worked their way into influence slowly, and have been many years kept in power, though they could be turned out in a single fight.  Yet this power is obtained only by the wish of a majority, for the day they lose the consent of a majority of the voters that day their power ends.  We are really more dependent than the representatives, for they are elected for a certain time, while our tenure can be ended at any moment.  Why am I a power in my ward?  Because I am supposed to represent a given number of votes, which are influenced by my opinions.  It would be perfectly immaterial to my importance how I influenced those votes, so long as I could control them.  But because I can influence them, the other leaders don’t dare to antagonize me, and so I can have my way up to a certain point.  And because I can control the ward I have made it a great power in city politics.”

“How did you do that?”

“By keeping down the factional feeling.  You see there are always more men struggling for power or office, than can have it, and so there cannot but be bad blood between the contestants.  For instance, when I first became interested in politics, Moriarty and Blunkers were quite as anxious to down each other as to down the Republicans.  Now they are sworn friends, made so in this case, by mere personal liking for me.  Some have been quieted in this way.  Others by being held in check.  Still others by different means.  Each man has to be studied and understood, and the particular course taken which seems best in his particular case.  But I succeeded even with some who were pretty bitter antagonists at first, and from being one of the most uncertain wards in the city, the sixth has been known at headquarters for the last five years as ’old reliability’ from the big majority it always polls.  So at headquarters I am looked up to and consulted.  Now do you understand why and what a boss is?”

“Yes, Peter.  Except why bosses are bad.”

“Don’t you see that it depends on what kind of men they are, and what kind of voters are back of them.  A good man, with honest votes back of him, is a good boss, and vice versa.”

“Then I know you are a good boss.  It’s a great pity that all the bosses can’t be good?”

“I have not found them so bad.  They are quite as honest, unselfish, and reasonable as the average of mankind.  Now and then there is a bad man, as there is likely to be anywhere.  But in my whole political career, I have never known a man who could control a thousand votes for five years, who was not a better man, all in all, than the voters whom he influenced.  More one cannot expect.  The people are not quick, but they find out a knave or a demagogue if you give them time.”