Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-04-19
THE REPUBLICAN RINGS.


relis Of Things Hsppepcd and 70 Happen.
The Old Politician was basking in the
sun of Easter day and turning over in |
thoughtful contemplation . cOlOred Easter
egg which his favorite grandson had
brought him, when the INTELLIeENCER |
man stopped in to interview him ON the |
situation:
"No, sonny" said the O. P, as he laid
his left leg over his right knee and took |
inspiration from his tobacco boz, this is
not my fight. It will be big one, but
am not in it. l think my fighting
days are over, though might take . hand
once more to save or make an old friend,
if thought my interference was necessary
or would be effective. Grudges have
none to pay. Ny rule in politics has been
to stick to my friends. never sought the |
punishment of my enemies. That is an
un- Christian and Improbable business"
and he smiled benevOlently, as though the
gracious influences of the blessed Easter |
season had mellOwed the old political sin |
ner and tempered all mis- iniquities.
Besides, if went into the fight whcre |
would 60? There is no chance for q
man in this battle if he dodges between
the lines. In plain words no candidate
can be elected nnless he is on one slate or
the other of the opposing rings. Every
politician of any consequence is In one OF
the combinations, and no candidate for an
Office of importance will get on unless he
pays for it. / see some of my old friends
on either side and some of my enemies. 1t
is queer mix, to be sure. Amateurs
don't know where to land"
"YOu want to know how it came ab0l:H
For that you must go back to 1878. Up
to that time the refOrmers, Geist's party,
or whatever you might call them, were
generally beaten for lack of leadership
and want Of organization. That year
they got some practical politicians, and
between Ed. Martins pictures and Nc
Mellen's dash and the better application
and freer use Of money than the'OppOsitiOn
they won. Of course the cry OF victory
for reform was all balderdash. What kind
Of reform was it that put Picayune johnson
and McMellen on top, and made Christ COble
and Ike Bushong county commissioners
It was good enough reform until after
the election. Of course such cOmbina-
tion couldn't hold together. For all that,
it had the good effect of dividing the poll
ticians. Henceforth it was the battle of
the rings and not of tho people against
the ring. The Crawford county system has
developed too many politicians for
them to all be on one side. Last year
McMellen was playing such a desperate
game for Davis's election and Hiestand
had so much staked on Mylin that it was
easy to arrange their combination. Brown,
HiestaDd, Strine and that part of the old
Bull Ring sold out Eberly and Mentzer,
McMellen, Croft s. Co., sold out Reinoehl.
There was an entire new deal; and that's
what brings about the present peculiar
situation in which Geist is flanked by the
two men whom the New Era has most
persistently abused, Levi Sensenig and
made up for their loss by securing Mentzer,
McMellen and Croft"
What kind of politician is Sensenig
Tho best of them all. He's in politics like
he's in drOving. He is there for what is
in it. He deals in voters like he deals in
cattle. He is a contractor. He runs
man for price. He generally wants the
expenses of the campaign cash in hand
and a contingent note for his profits. He
ran Hen. Breneman for sheriff and
Ross for register that way and
got his collateral. Geist knows this
Of course and if his party wants to win
they've got to have such a man to do the
work. Besides Sensenig generally is
square. If he had his man elected, say,
for sheriff and was to make a couple of
thousand out of it, and the other side
would offer him double the pile to count
their man in he wouldn't do it,"
Fred Smith is a square politician. He
is strong because he has couple of hun
dred votes solid and puts them where he
says he will. He has been another target
for the abuse of the rcformers, and yet
there has been no man in the county whom
the Neao Era party has been making more
desperate efforts to net in the past few
months. His son is a candidate for prison
keeper and they thought he would do any
thing to make him. They baited their
trap and expected him to walk in. He
would have made the High. Skiles ticket
sure of success. What is lett of the Hog
Ring, with Sensenis, Eshleman, the Eber-
lys, Ben Wissler and Fred Smith could
have beaten any ticket set up. The tide
was running all one way. Even Sam Slo-
kom leaned to virtues side.' John NJ.
Stehman got half way over two years ago.
SlOkom had dreams of ample vindication
from past abuses, and while all the sinners
were being shriven at the New Era confes-
sional he tried to slip in. War
fel was at the door of the business
Office and bade him welcome. He paid his
entrance fec like little man, but when
he mounted to the editorial room he read
the placard, No bridge builders need ap-
ply and saw Geist with stuffed club on
guard. The subsequent proceedings in
terested him no more As his friend
Major Griest pathetically tells his readers,
Slokom had been misinformed as to the
exact qualifications of admission to the
Holy Rcformers lodge"
"What about Griest :? Oh, he's of no
account. He was the most promising man
in local politics fifteen years ago, and
might have been4n Congress and higher
before this but for infirmities of temper and
morals that have left him wrecked. 1t
only took term in the petty Office of
county treasurer to try him. Overhaul
your files, young man, and sec what the
auditors said about his misbehavi0ur
Fdcilis descensus Acerni.
"YOu've been giving Jack Hiestand |
credit in your Tuesday evening political |
market reports for rescuing his side from |
defeat. Take no stock in that. |
He is played out and next to Geo. Bru-
baker the most useless politician of the
lot. Jake Strine is one of the level headed
politicians on that side, and for solid
strength Squire Zeller has more of it than
any of them. Hay Browns too fussy.
Matt. Fridy's nicc fellow and its too bad
that he should be beaten this time it's
his last chance"
"Now, you're, asking conundrum
that everybody wants answered, why
Eshleman is opposed to Fridy when they
have so long sailed in the same boat. Run
back, in your mind, to the Cincinnati con-