But when
his point is gained and he has wooed and deceived all, attained his
object, and his bag is filled, he then shows plain enough what he was
after all the time. He returns as straight as a chalk line, or as we
say, as the crow flies to his home, and neither looks to the right or
to the left, or knows or cares for any of them who contributed to his
success. His object is to enrich himself and make a family name. A
politician therefore is the last man in the world to write a
biography. Having a kind of sneakin' regard for a winding, wavy way
himself, he sees more beauty in the in and out line of a Varginny
fence, than the stiff straight formal post and rail one of New
England. As long as a partizan critter is a thorn in the flesh of the
adverse party, he don't care whether he is Jew or Gentile. He
overlooks little peccadilloes, as he calls the worst stories, and
thinks everybody else will be just as indulgent as himself. He uses
romanists, dissenters, republicans, and evangelicals at his own great
log-rolling1 frollicks, and rolls for them in return.
1 Log-rolling.--In the lumber regions of Maine, it is customary for
men of different logging camps to appoint days for helping each other
in rolling the logs to the river after they are felled and trimmed,
this rolling being about the hardest work incident to the business.
Thus the men of three or four different camps will unite, say on
Monday, to roll for camp No.
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