CONTENTS

I. APOLOGIES FOR POLITICAL CORRUPTION
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Introduction:—Corruption not defensible on the ground of the strength and prevalence of temptation 3
Four main lines of apology 4
That corruption makes business good 4
Protection of vice 5
Corrupt concessions to legitimate business 10
That corruption may be more than compensated for by the high efficiency otherwise of those who engage in it 14
That corruption saves us from mob rule 17
That corruption is part of an evolutionary process the ends of which are presumed to be so beneficent as to more than atone for the existing evils attributable to it 22
Conclusion: The probable future development of corruption in politics, the failure of the apologies for political corruption 37
II. THE NATURE OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION
Introduction, definition, etc. 41
Frequent use of the word corruption 41
Legal definitions contrasted with definitions from the point of view of ethics, political science, etc. 42
Verbal difficulties 42
Levity in the use of the word 42
Metaphor implied by the word 43
Distinction between bribery and corruption; between corruption and auto-corruption 45
Tentative definition of corruption 46
Analysis of the concept of corruption 46
Corruption not limited to politics. Exists in business, church, schools, etc. 46
Intentional character of corruption. Distinguished from inefficiency 48
Various degrees of clearness of political duties 51
Consequences of wide extension of political duties 52
Recognition of political duty 55
Legal and other standards 55
The radical view 57
Advantages sought by corrupt action 59
Various degrees and kinds of advantages 60
Rewards and threats 63
Degree of personal interest involved 65
Corruption for the benefit of party 71
Summary 74
III. CORRUPTION: A PERSISTENT PROBLEM OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE
Extreme consequences of corruption 81
Less extreme consequences of corruption: recovery from corrupt conditions 82
The continuing character of the problem of corruption 85
Disappearance of certain forms of corruption; changes of form of corruption 88
Subsidies from foreign monarchs 89
Influence of royal mistresses 90
Lord Bacon’s case 90
Pepys and the acceptance of presents 93
Corruption and the administrative service appointments 95
Recent changes in the forms of municipal corruption 98
Limitation of corruption to certain branches or spheres of government 100
In local government only, in central government only 100
Middle grade of Japanese officials 102
Limitation of corruption in amount 105
Contractual character of most corruption 106
Prudential considerations restraining corruptionists 107
Summary 109
IV. CORRUPTION IN THE PROFESSIONS, JOURNALISM, AND THE HIGHER EDUCATION
Forms of corruption not commonly recognised as such; their significance 113
General classification of recognised forms of corruption 116
Defilement of the sources of public instruction 117
Difficulty of defining and regulating corruption in this sphere 118
Professional codes of ethics 119
Corruption in journalism: an extreme view; limitations 121
Corruption in higher education 132
Growing influence of colleges and universities 133
Higher education and public opinion 134
Personal responsibility of the teacher 136
The struggle for endowments and resulting bad practices 137
The teaching of economic, political, and social doctrines in colleges and universities 139
Summary 156
V. CORRUPTION IN BUSINESS AND POLITICS
Corruption in business 161
Effect of consolidation in business 163
Effect of state regulation in transforming character of business corruption 165
Necessity of further reform efforts 167
Classification of forms of political corruption 169
Political corruption resulting from state regulation of business 171
New forms of state regulation; other means of strengthening the position of government 174
The state as seller; difficulties and safeguards 179
Work of the Bureau of Municipal Research 184
Vice and crime in their relation to corrupt politics 186
Methods of repression 188
Tax dodging as a form of political corruption; quasi-justification of the practice 192
Methods of overcoming tax dodging 195
Auto-corruption, and its effects upon party prestige 199
Corruption in relation to political control the basis of all other forms of political corruption 201
Summary 208
VI. CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND THE THEORY OF PARTY SUPPORT
Party functions in the United States 213
Neglect of the sources of party support 217
Campaign contributions as a part of the problem 220
Payment of campaign expenses by the state 221
Publicity of campaign contributions 229
State laws requiring publicity 229
Congressional publicity bill of 1908 230
Voluntary publicity in the presidential campaign of 1908; results 233
Publicity before or after election 236
Special information of candidates before election 239
Publicity as applied to political organisations other than campaign committees 241
Prohibition or limitation of campaign contributions from certain sources 244
Prohibition of corporate contributions 244
Partnerships, labour unions, clubs, etc. 247
Contributions by candidates 248
Contributions by civil service employees 256
Limiting the amount of individual contributions 258
Effect of smaller campaign funds on political affairs 259
Time limits of large contributions 262
Geographical limits upon the use of campaign funds 263
Effect of campaign fund reform on business interests in their relation to government 264
Limitation of campaign gifts of services 267
Extension of campaign contribution reforms to state and local elections 268
To primary and convention campaigns 270
Administration of the reform measures 271
Possibilities of campaign fund reform 273
VII. CORRUPTION AND NOTORIETY: THE MEASURE OF OUR OFFENDING
Our damaged political reputation; how acquired 277
The garrulity of politicians, its explanation 278
Sensationalism of the press 281
Reform movements, to what extent are they evidence of moral improvement 287
Special privilege in England and Germany 290
Significance of the American attitude toward special privilege 291
Special privilege not always corrupt, but may come to be considered such 292
American criticism of special privilege as corrupt not proof of our inferiority to Europe in political morality 294
Consequences of the wide diffusion of political power in the United States 296
Conclusion: Corruption decreasing in the more progressive countries of the world 299