The Press., 1886-11-04

TSsUGdETGry Thursday Evening.
THE LIQUOR SELLER IN POLITICS.

st
 Theodore Roosevelt contributes an ar ticle to the November Century on "Ma. chine Politics in New York City" from which we quote the following | "The strength of our political organi- zations arises from their development as social bodies many of the hardest work. CTS in their ranks are neither office holders nor yet paid henchmen, but merely mem bers who have gradually learned to iden- tify their fortunes with the party whose hall they have come to regard as the head quarters in which to spend the most agree able of their leisure moments. Under the American system it is impossible for a man to accomplish anything by himself he must associate himself with others, and they must throw their weight together. This is just what the social functions of the political clubs enable their members to do. The great and rich society clubs are composed of men who are not apt to take much interest in politics anyhow, and who never act as body. The immense effect produced by a social organization for po- litical purposes is shown by the career of the Union League Club and equally striking proof can be seen by every man who attends ward meeting There is thus, however much to be regretted it may be, constant tendency towards the con. centration of political power in the hands of those men who by taste and education are fitted to enjoy the social side of the va. rious political organizations.
 ''It is this that gives the hquor-sellers their enormous influence in polotics. Pre- paratory to the general election of 1884 there was held In tbe various districts of 1 New York ten hundred and seven primaries and political conventions of all parties, and of these no less than six hundred and thir. ty-three took place in liquor-saloons- showing that leaves small ground for won- der at the low average grade of the nomi. nees. The reason for such a condition of things is perfectly evident it is because the iquor-saloons are places of social re. sort for the same men who turn the local political organizations into social clubs. Bartenders form perhaps the nearest ap. proach to a leisure class that we have at present on this side of the water. They naturally are on semi-intimate terms with all who frequent their houses. There is no place where more gossip is talked than in bar-rooms, and much of the gossip is about politics, that is, the politics of the ward, not of the nation. The tariff and the silver question may be alluded to, but the real interest comes in discussing the doings oi the men with whom they are personally acquainted why Billy so-and-so, the al. derman, has quarreled with his former chief supporter whether old man K has really managed to fix the delegates to 6 given convention the reason why one fac tion bolted at the last primary and if it ii true that great. downtown boss who has an intimate friend of opposite politica faith running in an uptown district hai forced the managers of his own party tc put up man of straw against him. The bar-keeper. is a man of much local power and is, of course hail-fellow-weIl-m met witl his visitors, as he and they can be of mu tual assistance to one another. Even if oI different politics, their feelings towards each other are influenced by personal con alterations purely and, indeed, this Ii true of most of the. smaller bosses as re gards thelr dealings among themselves for, as one of them once remarked to ma with enigmatic truthlufness, there are nc politics in politics of the lower sort-which being interpreted, means that a profes sional politician is much less apt to bt swayed by the fact of a mans being ( democrat or a republican than he is by his being 8 personal friend or foe. The liquor saloons thus become the social head quarters of the little knots or cliques o men who take most interest in local polit ical affairs and by an easy transition they become the political headquartert when the time for preparing for the cleo tions arrives and, of course, the good will of the owners of the places is thereby propitiated, ,-an important point with meI striving to control every vote possible"