The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1882-12-28
National Americana
Deacon Smith on BOSSiSm,

DeaCOH SmlJH OH DOSSlSms
The much bruited bossism was the
same in the late elections that it was
in the great Republican victories. Be-
tween the necessity for political lead
ers, and the sentiment Of odiousness
Of a political boss, there is fine line.
The civil service is better ordered now
than before. The Congress Commit
tee calls on office holders for campaign
contributions was no different in this
canvass than in that which elected
Garfield. He countenanced them in
his letter to Hubbell.
But this was very off year. It was
year of Republican foolishness, lu-
macy, and suicide. All things were
picked up and swelled and gathered
into the reckless hue and cry to defame
and make popularly odious the body Of
Representatives of the Republican
party. Can party rise out Of all this
suicidal clamor Of fools? Will the
fool killer come around before the
next election? Shall the Democratic
Congress become the object of their
sympathetic barking, which one
metropolitan" journal takes up from
another, as cur answereth to cur in
howling at the moon? Will the in
telligent masses shove aside this in
fallible Stiffness Of the so-called metro
politan press, and act upon their own
common sense? Through these
chances the Republican party may re-
sumo its ascendancy at the next cleo
tion.
The above from two-column edit
orial in the Cincinnati Gazette indicates
a return of reason to the prodigal
"Ohio man." The good deacon Of the
Gazette, like most other good deacons
who go astray, will turn up all right
in time to assist the Stalwarts in elect
ing the next President. The Anti
Boss complaint in editors runs to the
brain, and the deacon had it bad. His
brother Halstead Of the Commercial
is so far gone with the complaint
that, in the late Ohio election, he sup
ported free rum and no Sunday in the
interest of reform. Whitelaw Reid is
also still in a critical condition. He
has lucid intervals. but an editor who
says that the $4,000 Pennsylvania Re
formers "unloaded" 100000 Cameron
Republicans at the last election, can
not be said to be out of danger. Like
the rag baby" Anti-Bossism, it will
be remembered. is an "Ohio idee." In
1876 the two Ohio editors mentioned
above. assisted by Joseph Medill. of
Chicago, also an editor and an Ohio
man, perceiving that 'bossism" was
about to ruin the country. held
meeting in Cincinnati and decided then
and there to put an end to it. They
knew that Blaine was the choice of
four-fifths of the Republicans of the
country, but they saw that the dear
people were so completely under the
control of the bosses that they were
not free to indicate their CHOICE for
President.
After an interchange of views these
three reform editors decided for mil
lion boss-ridden Republicans that it
was not Blaine they wanted, but Bris-
tow. And like true modern political
Reformers they set to work to defeat
Blaine and the bosses, by all the means
known to the most corrupt political
boss in the country They defeated
Blaine and nominated Hayes, the man
they meant, probably, to nominate in
the start. A man who was not the
choice Of a single ward Or township in
the United States outside of Ohio, be-
fore his nomination.
The same tactics were employed by
the same men to put down 'bossism"
in 1880. The peoples choice was
Grant, Blaine or Sherman Probably
two-thirds Of them, Notwithstanding
the silly cry Of third-termism, prefer
red Grant to any one else as the Re-
publican candidate, but in the interest
of Reform the people were again
swindled out of their choice. The
National Committee in organizing the
Chicago convention allowed every one
of the eleven Territories to vote both
in the committee and in the conven-
ton against Grant, though the terri
tories had no vote in the election.and
nearly all their delegates were Star
Reuters and contractors. The South
was almost unanimous for Grant, but
the Reformers, by using the enormous
patronage Of the Treasury Department
against Grant, and buying outright a
number of Grant Delegates from the
South, and from the conventions re-
fusal to respect State instructions on
the unit rule, again defeated the peo-
ple's choice. This the Reformers pro-
nounced a grand victory Of the peo-
pie over "bossism" and ''machine
politics"
Yes. deacon, the fool-killer will be
around before the election, and you
had better keep your certificate pasted
in your kat to have it always by you
and prevent mistakes. He will be in
/ Cincinnati soon. He is now hers
looking for the silk Stocking lawyers
who named the Estate Republican
! Ticket'' which is pronounced illegal