Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-12-08
NO. 4
BOSSES.

It's Idte IeIlldThS upOu DOsSeS are u
significant as they are truthful
Bosses and through organization, F" il
says, "are Incompatible" This truth,
which is constantly forgotten in both
parties, the Eagle elucidates very
clearly. The success of organization
depends upon reason The success oil
the boss Is due TO underhand arts. y
And the Eagle says what every young
man should remember--for nothing is
more constantly proved-that "no
Young man can hope for the favor of a
)ss who does not begin by cultivat.
iay the temper of lickspittle." This
is said of the Democratic boss in New
York by Il Democratic paper, but it is
as true of Republican bosses every.
where. The rule of bosses reduces
political success to the favor of one
man, who owes his power, not to abil-
ty and natural superiority, but to a
system which he did not originate, but
of which he takes advantage The
power of John Kelly is not derived
from natural mastery, like the leader
ship of Henry Clay or Mr.. Gladstone.
1t rests wholly upon patronage. 1t is
at every point veuai aud merccnary. A
boss is politician whose sole business
is politics in the lowest sense, of buy
ing men with place, or promise or hope
OF place, to serve his personal ends If
they knew that he could pay no price
for their devotion, they would not be
devoted. But by patronage the boss
controls caucuscs and conventions; he
dictates aud carries nominations; and
once in possession of the regular" or
ganization, his will becomes the voice
Of the party. To oppose it is to pro-
mote the success of the party and un-
less the roter thinks his party boss a
greater evil than party defeat, he swal-
lows his chagrin, and supports the
party.
The Mayoralty vote in New York,
however, showed that multitude of
Democrats preferred the defeat of the
regular" party candidate for Mayor
Even their party loyalty would not in
duce them to recognize Mr. Kelly as
an irresponsible dictator. The rebuke
of the result, we trust, will be needed
by all bosses. The moral is that mere
Regularity" is not enough, because
reg ularity" may involve hostility to
fundamental principles and institutions.
We heard an exceedingly foolish Re-
publican say, at the close of the cam
paign, in public speech, 81 am Re-
publican, right or wrong" A man
who puts such silly declaration into
practice is a contemplate public ene-
my. A man may sacrifice preferences,
but not principles. He may sacrifice
lesser interests to greater in a political
campaign. Aut when he does what
be feels to be wrong, at the command
of his party, every good patriot justly
deaises him. A man belongs to a
party in order to secure what he be-
ieves to be right and best for the
country. When be supports it in do
ing what he thinks to be wrong and
hurtful to the common welfara, he is
scuttling the ship.
1t is upon this kind OF mean servllIty
that bosses depend tor their ascenden-
cy The man who is q Republican
right or wrong is the lickspittle of
whom the Eagle speaks in its own
party, and he is heartily despised by
the master who uses him. The Dem
ocrats in New York who refused to
vote the regular Democratic ticket for
Mayor, like the Republicans who last
year scratched part of their State tick
ct, are standing warning to bosses.
Such party men are the proof that a
mere label of regularity is not enough.
They are, of course the subject of much
machine" opprobrium. But they
have comfortable power. They and
they alone, for instance. have made
Mr.. Garfield President Had the Re-
publican voters who, for reasons salts
factory to themselves, rejected "regu-
larity" in part of the State ticket last
year, rejected it in the general ticker
this year. General Hancock would
have been elected Deputy Demo-
crat,n undoubtedly, from one point of
view; but from another, independent
Republicans. The moral, again, for
bosses to consider is that the small
and independent number who make
the majority wear no collar. They be-
long to the party for the sake of the
country, aud not of a boss. 1t is not
those who are Republicans right or
wrong, but those who are Republicans
r ght, who give the party its hold upon
the country, and to whom the party is
indebted for its late victory. So John
Kelly has learned that the important
point for him to ponder is not whether
he can carry the 100 Tammany heel
ers who wear his collar, but whether
he can carry Democrats like Mr.. Wick
ham and his friends for anything TO
which he attached his label. Organi-
cation is Indispensable to party sue
cess. But intelligence and discussion
are essential to organization. Bosses
are fatal, because their rule is that of
stupid severity-Harper's Weekly.
USES OF WASTE PAPER.-A writer