able success of the opposite party. She replied that it would
not make any difference to the country as both candidates were perfectly
competent to fill the office.

"Do you never make disparaging statements about the opposing candidate?"
was my inquiry.

"How could we?" she asked in surprise, "when there are none to make."

"You might assume a few for the time being; just to make her lose
votes."

"That would be a crime worthy of barbarians."

"Do you never have any party issues?"

"No. There is never anything to make an issue of. We all work for the
good of the people, and the whole people. There is no greed of glory or
gain; no personal ambition to gratify. Were I to use any artifice to
secure office or popularity, I should be instantly deprived of public
esteem and notice. I do my duty conscientiously; _that_ is the aim of
public life. I work for the public good and my popularity comes as it is
earned and deserved. I have no fear of being slighted or underrated.
Every politician feels and acts the same way."

"Have politicians ever bought votes with money, or offered bribes by
promising positions that it would be in their official power to grant
when elected?"

"Never! There is not a citizen of Mizora who would not scorn an office
obtained in such a way. The profession of politics, while not to be
compared in importance with the sciences, is yet not devoid of dignity.
It is not necessary to make new laws. They were perfected long ago, and
what has been proven good we have no desire to change. We manage the
government according to a conscientious interpretation of the law. We
have repealed laws that were in force when our Republic was young, and
dropped them from the statute books. They were laws unworthy of our
civilization. We have laws for the protection of property and to
regulate public morals, and while our civilization is in a state of
advancement that does not require them, yet we think it wisdom to let
them remain. The people know that we have such laws and live up to them
without surveillance. They would abide by the principles of justice set
forth in them just as scrupulously if we should repeal them.

"You spoke of bribes. In remote ages, when our country was emerging from
a state of semi-barbarism, such things were in common practice.
Political chicanery was a name given to various underhand and dishonest
maneuvers to gain office and public power. It was frequently the case
that the most respo