The Washington critic., 1889-04-03
THE CHICAGO LESSON.

thlcagO, Wnlcn gave tepublican
majority of 10000 at the last municipal
election, has now gone Democratic by
1900 majority, and very properly so.
The most arrogant and offensive INA.
chine" in the United States has been
smashed there, Republicans and Demo-
crats joining in the good work. The
machine consisted of the "boss" George
II. Davis, city treasurer; George Swift,
another city official, and John A.
Roche, mayor Davis was the typical
boss, Swift a shrewd adviser, Roche
largely figure-head. The Tribune
newspaper was the only journal In the
city feared or regarded by the group,
Under the Roche administration there
has been no stealing by officials, gam.
bling has practically ceased and saloons
have been closed at a regular hour.
On the other hand, some big corpora
tons have secured valuable privileges
and official insolence has developed
amazingly. II has been "morap'
administration, with machine fea.
lures, and occasional disgraceful
and unmanly acts for policys
sake. Not long ago sensational
newspaper made a grave charge
against the two police officials
most prominent in the desperate Hay
market encounter with the Anarchists
in Chicago and in the subsequent arrest
and conviction of the Anarchist leaders.
There was no reason TO believe these
charges, and they have never yet been
substantiated, but to discharge the men
would, 1t was thought, capture the So
cialistic vote, and so the brave men
went. They have their revenge now.
The Republican Administration has, in
short been highly virtuous and re.
spectacle, arrogant, self-righteous and
selfsatisfied. A verdict has been passed
on that sort Of government.
The Chicago lesson is referred to here
because II is one which city politi-
clans everywhere may study to advan-
tage. II is hard for "boss" to handle
the Republican party anywhere AFRO.
gantly. That party is too intclligently
made up for blind submission to a
leader. II is hard for professedly
highly moral administration to exist
long. Americans despise the profess.
edly highly moral which closes poker
game and allows some monopoly to work
its will. II Is hard to maintain in place
men who may be reasonably able Off
cials, but who have none of the elements
Of personal popularity. All this may
De very sad, 1t may be discreditabe to
the population Of great cities, but 1t is
practical politics and is fact; il is some
thing 10 consider.
Republican votes have placed Chi
cago, Republican city, again in the
hands Of The Democrats. This Is on3
lesson. In ST. Louis, f. A. Noonan, a
lightweight in every way, a man fire.
quently drunk, but with brilliant and
ambitious wife who is power among
the Roman Catholics, has been elected
ly a small majority over Butler, a
respectable but only moderately popular
Republican, put in the field bhnder-
ingly instead of d. d. Slattery, the
most popular Republican in the city,
who barely missed the nomination,
which would certainly have been fol-
lowed by his election. In Leavenworth,
Kansas, d. r. Anthony, the veteran
Republican, was badly beaten, His
sister, Susan b. Anthony, worked for
him at the polls. In the story of all
these elections there is abundant food
for political thought, especially for
Republicans.