The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-07


il called Boss. When be does this the good
citizens are always greatly shocked. They call
him either tyrant, usurper, or cut-throat, or
else a tibet, swinder, and ruffian, aud sdjure
the people TO rise up against him. He keeps
on. however, never minding what they say,
until he has got himself firmly into his
seat. and made sure of the Treasury. Then
he goes to work TO silence the malconIents.
He takes the capital city and begins to beau
tify it. II he really does his work well, life
TO the great body of people OF the middle
Glass becomes more comfortable. Ehey like
the look of things. They are pleased with the
ipproyement They are, in short, getting
something for their money. So, after brief
period of silence, they begin to say the Cesar
OF the Bsss is not SO bad as he was painted;
then they begin to admire him, aud finally
they declare that il is lucky thing he turned
no when he did to take hold of the reins of
government, and SO reign over them.
We have already had two striking examples
in history Of this sort of transformation of a
republican government, one in ancient Rome
and the other in Paris. We know how that
OF ancient Rome ended A year ago that of
Paris seemed to promise very we'll. We nov
know how il has ended. and what ruin and
desolation 1t has left behind it. We are wit
Messing ii in New York also; but as New
York Is not capital and is part of a power
ful State in which government is thoroughly
such catsstrophes brought the Roman
and French empires to the ground. But
there was one result of the Transformation
in their case wbich we shall certainly wit
ness il New York When Caesar or Boss
liz substituted FOR republican form of gov
eminent, the first of the line is certain to be
an able man; but he is compelled by a law of
his being to call around him great rascals
The honest men will not serve him or work
with him. He has TO reward the rascals too
whether they are called senator's, or projects,
| or boys, by allowing them to plumber aud
otherwise misbehave. He has, too in order
to protect them in their plunder, to corrupt
the courts, so that attempts to bring them to
| Justice shall be fruitless. The result is that
| the art of administration and interest in
| public affairs dies out among the best portion
| of the community. Rascsls succeed rasoals
| in working the machine. and the clever ras-
calls, who first helped to put the oss in
power, having died off, the second set are
feeble and inefficient, and some iue day their
| Sedan comes, and sweeps them all away.
| There IL at this moment in this city a strong
| disposition growing up among the owners OF
| property to hand the whole Government over
| TO a Boss aud boys and leave them to manage
! things as they like, and pocket large civil
| list, in the shape of awards for property
| taken for street opening on condition that
| they give ms, as far as outward appearance
|
that is claimed for Boss Tweed, the question
still remains. Who is to succeed him? Tweed
has attained his present positiOn-it is useless
| 10 deny it-through audacty and ability
| But Tweed and Sweeny will both die before
many years over. They probably
think they viii not, but they will. The
inevitable hour will come when even ''pala-
| tial mansions aud gorgeous stables will
fade from their vision, and the Sunday punch
will no longer tickle their palate, and the
Jobnsonian pane egyrics of the World will fall
| UNDECIDED on their ears. What next? Doubt
less a second Boss will he designated for the
succession, and will receive the black broad
cloth ana the diamond pin of his predecessor,
amid the acclamation of the boys aud the
mob; but then what kind of man will he be?
We must remember that Tiberius, and Nero,
and Caligula, aud Domitian were among the
successors of Augustus The second Boss
will find the machinery created by Tweed
ready to his hand. The money will flow
in on him in the same way; he will have
the same power of rewardng his ad-
berents and filing his pockets and will be
liable to just as little interfe yence from the
general public. But suppose him to have all
the first Boss dishonesty and uns,rupulous-
ness, without any of his talent or ambition;
suppose him to care nothing about parks or
streets, sewers docks, or about ANYTHING
but champagne and women That he will be
| hucn person lDere IL every reason To De-
| heve. A line of able Bosses is thing un-
known, and Is never likely to be seen, be-
cause the school which Boss creates does
not either breed or train talent On the con-
trsry, it crushes and banishes it, The arts
it encourages are the arts of intrigue and
trickery and cheating. Now, what shall we
have TO do if the Second Boss should steal
our money without opening new streets, or
taking care" of our parks, or protecting our
lives or property? Why, exactly what we
ought to do now, but what many of our citi-
zens shrink from doing, and are basely trying
to find excuses for not doing-overthrow the
whole Boss system, and find in the education
of the voters, and the improvement of their
material condition through the active exer-
tions of the wealthy and educated class, the
means of building up an administrative sys-
TEN which will give us what the Bosses pro
mise TO give us, and which will last, as the
Bosses cannot.