, 1880-08-29
THE CHICAGO DEmocRAr1C BOSS.

| great force Of character, which aecoull& 1of ~
low tailed Democracy Of ono Of the respectable
| wards denolnced him and hts methods Int
nexd evening his followers to the number 0f aot
| tons e1tolfng his many virtues. and declaring
| him to be the purest and tho best. All the
thieves aud thugs Of bis ward wcro M there. and y
| tougher mob never got together. Tho meeting
! WIS held in the Palmer House club room, a;1c
when the crowd piled In Potter Palmer sum.
s| Gieago Z: .ter ter IN neteiias9 iad;a'apos % Journal
| Some weeks ago we called public attention
| to the fact that this city was at that time lit
orally swarming with gamblers and their fol,
lowers, rs it was also with thieves and burg
lars, both fraternitles being attracted hitte1
by the encouragement offered them by the
Mayor Of Chicago. The reader will find in
! The extract we have given from the letter to
the indianapolis paper 4 statement Of fact
whose only fault is that it undertakes the I'M
portance Of the person named, and under
rates the unanimity with which the whole
body Of Democratic managers of this city re-
sented the insult offered to the man whose
value to the party far exceeds that of a dozen
| uarrisons. !
| We do not propose to repeat tile .sug-
gestions then made OH the leniency shown by
tie City Government to, these classes of peo-
pie; all such suggestions are thrown away
when addressed to the Mayor; and until he
consents to act in police matters the police
| are as poWerIess as infants, both i'll the way
| Of arresting criminals and in the suppression
Of gaming.
What we desire particularly to call the
| attention of the public to is the degeneracy
| and degradation to which politics have been
| brought i'll this city by the Democratic party
when this man Mcdonald is it's recognized
| leader. and in many respects dictator. What
is said Of the extent of bis business is not ex-
ageeratcd, and his potentiality In politics is
universally established aud recognized.
No Democrat who has aspirations for
| Office ventures to make any effort in thnt
direction without, directly or indirectly,
| seeking the favorable support Of Mcdonald.
lie governs or controls all Democratic nom
nations for Offices in this city and county.
No man can be nominated for Mayor,
Sheriff, Judge of any Court, Coroner,
either branch Of the Legislature, or for
Congress, whose nomination is not previous
" made satisfactory to Mcdonald. lie con-
trolls all nominating conventions of the DEM
0NAtAA% ttAAA3 AVA lAopNA
might be induced to elect any ticket of dele
gates in any ward for any convention Of any
other party. Wo be to the Democratic cam
didate who may in any way obtain nonina-
tion without McDonald's consent, or who
persists III being Il candidate after being made
aware that Mcdonald supports some other
person for the Office.
Considering the great indifference shown
by the mass OF citizens Of all parties to the
selection Of delegates to nominating conven-
tions, the existence Of such person MS Mike
Mcdonald, who kindly takes uDon himself
the management Of the whole business, as
well for his own as for any other party, may
be public convenience. The presence Of a
Boss who wants no Office for himself, and
who is governed in his selections by no con-
sideration of personal friendship or ties Of
kindred or race, but who always does busi-
hess on the strictly commercial principle Of
buying in the cheapest and selling i'll the
dearest market, may be in some particulars a
public benefit. Thus in convention of one
hundred and fifty delegates, having forty
candidates seeking the ten nominations to be
made, it is an immense saving of labor and
of money to n candidate to be able to go to a
single responsible person and with him ar
range for the nomination, instead of at
tempting to deal with the one hundred and
fifty irresponsible delegates. Under the
rule of Boss Of this kind, the nominating
conventions are generally harmonious. and
the enthusiasm. is unlimited. They show
the power Of organization and discipline.
Boss Mcdonald has no prejudices. Tie
has no objection to a silk stocking because it
is silk stocking; nor has lie any vulgar
prejudice against education and per-
sonal refinement. lie would as soon
nominate the ab1est lawyer, the pro-
foundest scholar, and most cultivated
gentleman for Judge of the Supreme
Court as he would another person wanting
In all these particulars, provided, always,
that other things be equal. Other things
being made equal, it is possible the loss
would give the preference to the man better
qualified to fill the office.
On the occasion referred to in the letter Of
the Indianapolis Journal, the persons sent
to the meeting were not selected because Of
any lack of respectablity in the sources OF.
their income, but simply that, in case physic-
nj strength should be needed. the yindlcation
should not fail for want of muscle.
The fact that Mcdonald is now the all
powerful chief and dictator in Democratic
politics in this city is not questioned His
personal history, his business, mis- resources
and general surroundings are too well
known to be matter Of controversy. What
the office Of Democratic "Boss" is worth
financially we have no means of knowing;
but to man who enjoys the exercise
of power, who revels i'll having those
who affect to despise him, who denounce
him for moral shortcomings and speak of
him with contempt, bow down to him and
crave his patronage, and pay substantial
tribute to his authority, the enjoyment is
exquisit. When the silk stockings, the dig
nitaries, the merchant princes, aud the
learned and eminent of the Democratic party 1
Of Chicago pay personal court to and rec,
ognize hin, as the party autocrat, then Mike
Mcdonald Is compensated for all the abuse
and Insult offered him, and in his heart llo
des2iscs the respe;e!au!es Who fawn at bis