"The men counted party leaders are manipulators, as a matter of fact. They subordinate everything to party success. We've got to have another great political revolution to--to de-centralize and de-machinize the whole of our political method. Our system will break of its own weight; it can't go on. It is supposed to be popular, when in fact, it is getting farther and farther away from the people every year. Just see the departments. Do you know anything about them?" "No, I don't," Bradley admitted. "You're like all the rest. Every year the army of useless clerks increases; every year the numbers of useless buildings increases. The whole thing is appalling, and yet the people are getting apparently more helpless to reform it. Laws pile upon laws, when the real reform is to abolish laws. Wipe out grants and special privileges. We ought to be legislating toward equality of opportunity in the world, and here we go with McKinley bills, and the devil knows what else. By the way, to change the subject, what has become of Milton Jennings? He started out to be a great Republican politician." "Well, he lives there yet; he's still in politics, but doesn't seem to get higher than a county office." "He was a brilliant fellow, but he started in on the wrong side; there is no hope for him on that side in the West." "He's married, lives just opposite the Seminary, seems to be reasonably contented." Radbourn turned suddenly. "You are not married?" Bradley colored. "No, I'm not." Radbourn mused a little. "Seems to me, I remember some talk about your marrying that little--Russell girl?" "Well, I didn't." Bradley had just a moment's temptation to tell Radbourn his whole secret, but he gave it up as preposterous. * * * * * Legislation was incredibly slow. "Beats the devil how little we fellows amount to here," Clancy said one night after they had been sitting all day in their seats, while Brown of Georgia, Dixon of Maine, and others of their like had wasted hour after hour in all sorts of tedious discussions upon mere technicalities. "We can't even vote, by thunder! I'm going to make a great break one of these days and make a motion to adjourn." Bradley laughed dutifully, for this was the ancient joke. "It's an outrage," Clancy fumed. The speaker had refused to recognize him and he was furious. "The speaker's got everything in his hands. Say, do you know that it's all made up the day before who's goin' to be recognized?" "Yes, I found that out some time ago," said Bradley quietly. "Well, I feel like making a great big kick." "It wouldn't do any good." "Yes, it would, it would relieve my feelings. It's a pretty how de do, to send a man here to represent his constituents and then put the whole power of the house into the hands of the speaker and the committee on rules."