The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-15
THE END OF BOSS KELLY.

LIE END OE 6Uco hEGL1.
Those questions which most conventions
meet to answer have answered themselves
for the democratic state convention of 1881.
But the question whether the voters of a
party should be represented or denied re-
presentation in the councils of the party is
q question vital to the existence of the
party--is a question indeed vital to repre-
sentative government. And this question,
we are glad to say, has already been vir-
tually decided at Albany. There never
was more emphatic and unanimous re-
buke given to the pretensions of boss
than that which Mr. Kelly received from
the State Committee. The vote was prac-
tical, although not formally, unanimous.
The only dissenting voices were those OF
the five persons, including Mr.. Kelly him.
self, who were added last year to the State
Committee out of courtesy and in the hope
that they would work for the election of
Hancock. That hope, we need not say
was sorely disappointed. The decision OF
the convention to-day will without doubt
follow thu decision of the committee, and
the denial of separate representation in q
democratic convention to political club
will be so unmistakable as to prevent any
political club from applying for separate
representation for many years to come,
This is a real and valuable victory, not
merely for democratic voters but for all
voters. 1t requires some political courage
to defy the threats of Mr.. Bliss friend, the
Boss of Tammany," who can, no doubt,
throw few thousands of votes against
the democratic ticket. Perhaps the demo
Gratis of the state would not have ventured
upon that step but for the general belief
that Tammany is almost if not quite as
likely to sell out and trade off the demo
cratic ticket when il is propitiated as when
it was defied. At any rate the working
members of the Tammany organization
may now be expected to abandon BOSS
who has led them to nothing but defeat
and disgrace, and who has by various un-
wise performances left himself with scarce
ly single friend in the state convention
of the party, Mr.. Kelly began his down
ward course by spitefully opposing Judge
Hackett the most popular recorder New
York had ever had, in 1875. From that
time he has scarcely done one sensible
thing in politics. His quarrels with his
own Mayor, Mr.. Wickham, soon after the
latter had left office after appointing him
Comptroller; with Mr.. Ely, also his
own Mayor, while the latter was
still in Office; his disgraceful deal
with the republican boss to prevent
the appointment of democrats to of
flee by Mayor Cooper; his insane canvass
for Governor in 1879; the trade of Tam
many votes for state candidates whom he
pretended to oppose for republican votes
for Tammany local candidates; his quarrel
with Mayor Grace, whom he pretended to
have elected-au these things have left
him without any following and his ma
chine without any power. But for the
presence of one of his t'henchmen' in the
~. ~. IL.
cratic Mayors have tried in vain to turn
the henchmen ont for ample cause, and
but for the power which the presence of
this henchman gives him to make trades
with the republican commissioners, Mr.,
Kelly would now be no more factor in
ocal policies than John Foley or any other
impossible statesman. His day, it is safe
to say, is over.
But the democratic voters of this city
ought not rashly to conclude that because
they have overthrown one Boss and smash
ed one machine they have therefore made
an end of Bossism. They have now,
thanks to the public spirited labors of
the Committee of One Hundred and
their own cooperation in those
labors, really popular organ
ization of the Democratic party. 1t is
not likely that any attempt viii soon
be made to overthrow that organization.
1t is certain that attempts will be made to
capture it and gradually to convert it into
another close corporation like Tammany
Hail. Against this danger the only real
is the continued interest in their
of the masses of the Demo
cratic party. The hackneyed and some
what discouraging saying that eternal
vigilance is the price of liberty" is pro-
foundry true, discouraging as it may be.
No political organization that can be de
vised win run itself If the Democrats of
this city attend the primaries of their
party is such numbers as to make the fix
ing of those primaries impossible. the
work which has now been crowned by the
admission of their representatives at Al
bany will not need to be done over again.
If they imagine that their responsibilities
cease when their organization is effected
they may be rudy awakened from that
pleasing dream. and they may find that
their dispossession of the next Boss will be
much more difficult than they have found
it to dispossess Boss Kelly, aided, as they
have been, by the many and gross blum
ders which Boss Kelly has committed. N
r World