AUTHOR'S PREFACE. THE papers here published were entirely occasional in their character. The first chapter was originally printed in the form of two articles in Harper's Weekly in the fall of 1884; the second and third chapters were part of a speech delivered at the February, 1887, dinner of the Commonwealth Club of New York. When asked to estimate the cost of an election in New York City, I found it necessary, in order to make the matter clear, to discuss not only our existing election law, but the relation of our party machinery to that law; and inasmuch as a knowledge of the constitution of the "Machine" is absolutely essential to an intelligent understand AUTHOR'S PREFACE. THE papers here published were entirely occasional in their character. The first chapter was originally printed in the form of two articles in Harper's Weekly in the fall of 1884; the second and third chapters were part of a speech delivered at the February, 1887, dinner of the Commonwealth Club of New York. When asked to estimate the cost of an election in New York City, I found it necessary, in order to make the matter clear, to discuss not only our existing election law, but the relation of our party machinery to that law; and inasmuch as a knowledge of the constitution of the "Machine" is absolutely essential to an intelligent understand ing of the motives and methods of the use of money in our elections, I have now thought it advisable to introduce the entire subject by the description of the "Machine" contained in the first chapter. The fourth and fifth chapters were called out by the general interest shown by the press and the public after the publication of the speech at the Commonwealth Club. They were contributed to the New York Evening Post, with the view of somewhat elaborating the points already touched upon, as well as of suggesting a remedy for the evils which I had already tried to describe. It has been suggested that in reprinting these papers I should also present a draft of a bill embody. ing the general suggestions contained in the English law, and adapting them to our own system of election machinery. After mature consideration, I have thought it better to leave such a draft-bill as I had prepared unpublished for the present. Furthermore, this |