Very simply. By changing the governmental machinery by which this
household of ninety millions of people conducts its affairs.
{Sakari}
I thought--I was taught so at Yale--that your governmental
machinery was excellent, most excellent.
{Knox}
It is antiquated. It is ready for the scrap-heap. Instead of
being our servant, it has mastered us. We are its slaves. All the
political brood of grafters and hypocrites have run away with it,
and with us as well. In short, from the municipalities up, we are
dominated by the grafters. It is a reign of theft.
{Hubbard}
But any government is representative of its people. No people
is worthy of a better government than it possesses. Were it
worthier, it would possess a better government.
(_Starkweather nods his head approvingly._)
{Knox}
That is a lie. And I say to you now that the average morality and
desire for right conduct of the people of the United States is
far higher than that of the government which misrepresents it.
The people are essentially worthy of a better government than
that which is at present in the hands of the politicians, for the
benefit of the politicians and of the interests the politicians
represent. I wonder, Mr. Sakari, if you have ever heard the story
of the four aces.
{Sakari}
I cannot say that I have.
{Knox}
Do you understand the game of poker?
{Sakari}
(_Considering._) Yes, a marvelous game. I have learned it--at Yale.
It was very expensive.
{Knox}
Well, that story reminds me of our grafting politicians.
They have no moral compunctions. They look upon theft as
right--eminently right. They see nothing wrong in the arrangement
that the man who deals the cards should give himself the best in
the deck. Never mind what he deals himself, they'll have the deal
next and make up for it.
{Dolores Ortega}
But the story, Mr. Knox. I, too, understand poker.
{Knox}
It occurred out in Nevada, in a mining camp. A tenderfoot was
watching a game of poker, He stood behind the dealer, and he saw
the dealer deal himself four aces from the bottom of the deck.
(_From now on, he tells the story in the slow, slightly drawling
Western fashion._) The tenderfoot went around to the player on the
opposite side of the table.
"Say," he says, "I just seen the dealer give himself four aces
off the bottom."
The player looked at him a moment, and said, "What of it?"
"Oh, nothing," said the tenderfoot, "only I thought you might
want to know. I tell you I seen the dealer give himself four aces
off the bottom."
"Look here, Mister," said the player, "you'd better get out of
this. You don't understand the game. It's HIS deal, ain't it?"
{Margaret}
(_Arising while they are laughing._) We've talked politics long
enough. Dolores, I want you to tell me about your new car.
{Knox}
(_As if suddenly recollecting himself._) And I must be going.
(_In a low voice to Margaret._) Do I have to shake hands with all
these people?
{Margaret}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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