Hard truths

Epigram
by Humber Wolfe

You cannot hope to bribe or twist,
thank God! the British journalist.
But, seeing what the man will do
unbribed, there's no occasion to.

That was from 1930. Of course, the modern version would be

Obervation

You cannot hope to bribe or twist,
thank God! the civic activist.
But, seeing what the man will do
unbribed, there's no occasion to.