PAGE 11
The Unnecessary Man
by
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The other men were on their feet already. They watched in silence as he walked out the door, then eased themselves back into their chairs.
“I still don’t understand,” Jon said softly. The bitterness and anger seemed to have left him, leaving only puzzlement in their wake. “If you take orders from him, Dad, then this isn’t a democracy any more. It’s become another Imperial dictatorship.”
“Son,” said his father, “the Empire never has been a democracy in the sense you’re thinking about. Ever since Jerris the First, it has been ruled solely by the Emperors. Always.
“The Imperial Family is a special breed, son. It’s a genetic strain in which the quality of wise leadership is dominant. It’s a quality that’s more than just intelligence; wisdom is the ability to make correct judgments, not only for one’s self, but for others.”
“But, Dad!” There was almost a wail in the boy’s voice. “That makes the whole democratic system in the Empire a farce! It’s totally unnecessary! You’re unnecessary! He could run everything by himself!”
Lord Senesin started to say something, but Colonel Sorban interrupted.
“No, you young fool, he is not unnecessary! He is, in a very real sense, the Emperor’s shield. Our Emperors have always given the people of the Empire the kind of government they need, not the kind of government they want. There are certain things that must be done, whether the people like those things or not.
“How long do you think the Empire would last without the Imperial Line to guide it? Not ten years! The thing is too big, too vast, for any ordinary man to handle the job. The voters are perfectly capable of electing a man to the Primacy on the strength of his likable personality alone–look at Lord Evondering. A hell of a pleasant guy, without a glimmering of real wisdom.
“When the people don’t like the things the Government does, they throw it out–even if the thing done was actually for the best. The people demand a new Government. We can’t allow them to throw the Emperor out, so we need a scapegoat. This time, it happened to be your father, here. He happened to be Prime at a crucial time, and he had to give orders that made him unpopular. So he’ll have to get out, and let the Loyal Opposition take over. But the Emperor will go right on running things.
“Your father is far from unnecessary, son. He’s a hero, dammit, and you’d better remember that! He’s taking the rap for another man because he knows that he is expendable and the other man isn’t.
“Oh, your father could probably ride this thing out and stay in the Primacy for a couple more years. But this mess with the Federation is going to get a lot stickier than it is now. The Emperor is going to have to do things that the people will hate even worse, and we might as well let that fool Evondering take the rap. He’ll look so bad by the time he leaves the Primacy that everyone will be screaming for your father back again, to clean up the mess.”
Jon Senesin still looked dazed. “But, if that’s the case, why allow the people to vote at all?”
“Because that’s the only way you can keep an Empire stable! As long as the average man feels he has a voice in his Government, he’s forced to admit that any failures are partly his own fault. Nobody rebels against a government he can vote against. As long as he has ballots, he won’t use bullets.”
Lord Senesin said: “I know it’s a shock, coming this way. But look at it right, son.”
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