Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-10
THE CRITICS REVIEW.
Two Works on Political Bosses,
Modern and Contemporary.
TIE PEOPLES PALACE IN LONDON.
The Flower of the Literary Undertakings
of Editor Stead.
PERIODICALS AND THEIR CONTENTS

Henry Charles Lea, of Philadelphia,
begins his paper in the January Atlantic, on
The Lesson of the Pennsylvania Election,
with this interesting analysis of the position
of the "boss" in American politics:
Among the various agencies of our political
Decentralization, not the least threatening is the
development of that perfection of organization
known as 1.-The machine " of which the exponent
is the boss" The boss is product of natural
selection-a man who by nature and training
rises above his fellows in all the baser arts Of
management: who unites shrewdness and au-
dacity with executive ability, and whose pro-
foundest conviction is the one SO cynically ex-
pressed by Senator Ingalls, that the Decalogue
and the Golden Rule have no place in politics
The power of the boss is based largely on the
prostitution of public patronage-the ability to
reward his followers and punish his rivals Dy
of once. with the single object of
maintaining his own ascendancy over
the henchmen who do his dirty work in
managing primary elections aud controlnng
nominating conventions In community
where the machine is highly developed, there
Is small chance for the expression OF healthy
public sentiment. The avenues to public life
are closed to all aspirants who will not pledge
obedience to the boss; honorable ambition is
stuffed; politics becomes game Of thimblerlg,
and the interest of the people at large is the
last thing to be considered
The compacting of the Pennsylvania ma
chine by Simon Cameron, and the bequeath-
ing Of it as a precious heirloom to his son,
the Senator, and the stealing of it out of the
Senatorial hands by Matthew Stanley Quay.
and finally the very vigorous way in which
the independent voters proceeded to smash
the machine into small pieces few months
ago, are all set down clearly, serenely (for
was not Mr.. Lea on the winning slde?) and
with the same careful fairness which de-
lights the reader of his history of the Inqui-
sition-Torquemada or Matthew Stanley
Quay-here are the facts. Thus the men
who had the power behaved themselves, and
thus end thus it Jared with them in the end.
One of the shrewdest bosses that ever
lived was Talleyrand, whose Memoirs are
being now made ready for publication. The
Century Company has obtained the right to
publish one article OF extracts from each of
the five volumes in advance of their publi-
cation in France. The January Century
contains the first of these articles. Talley-
rand himself wrote the story of his own lie,
knowing, perhaps, from a long experience
that nobody else would write it with any
kind of justice. He was accustomed to
abuse, and was as silent in the presence of it
as Matthew Stanley Quay. Napoleon once
denounced him as traitor and brIbe-taker.
went composedly down the staircase, he
said: "What a pity that so great man
should have been so badly brought up"
And nothing morel
But was be not a bribe taker and treach-
erous friend? Well, yes; there is probably
no denying these unpleasant accusations.
He did take bribes, unhlushinglv. 1t was
only 4 ter payment OF $3.50, coo, bluntly de-
manded, that he would listen to the Ameri-
can commissioners. And as for treachery,
what shall we say of this extraordinary
Vicar OF Bray, who. under the Directory,
plotted for the coup a. 'etdt of Napoleon, and
under Napoleon, plotted for the return OF
the Bourbons; and under Louis XVIII,
schemed for the accession of Louis Philippe?
And somehow was always on the winning
side.
Whitelaw Reid, who prefaces the extracts
from the Memoirs with an excellent clear
summary OF Talleyrand's life aud character,
maintains that, traitor as he was to master
after master, he was never false to France
He was from the beginning faithful to Tai
leyrAnd and to Francel And he did good
TO France, France has reason to be CRATE nj
20 him.
But We are to hear his own version of it
all. Written half century ago, sealed up
by the writer's command for 80 years-a gen.
eration-and kept still sealed by the prudence
o. his executors until now, these remarkable
journals, supposed to contain most interest
ing secrets, are at last to be read by all Il e
world. This months installment does not
contain anything startling. Talleyrand
tells the story of his neglected childhood, of
his unwilling entrance into holy orders, OF
his beginnings OF social success in the draw
Ing-rooms OF Paris, of his part in the French
Revolution, and o! his prudent retirement
from the shock of that great storm, first to
England and then TO America.
Talleyrand visited PHILADELPHIA. and
made 4 periiOus journey of explor-
atioR in the direction of these re-
gions which we happily Inhabit 81
WAS struck with astonishment," he saws.
LESS than 150 miles distance from the Cam
Ital, all trace Of mems presence disappeared:
Wild nature in all its pristine vigor con-
1ronted us; forests old as the world itself: de-
cayed plants and trees covering the yery
ground where they once grew in wiidness;
others shooting forth from under the debris
OF the former, and like them destined to de-
cay and rct; thick and intricate bushes that
o ten barred our progress; green and lux
uriant grass decking the banks of rivers;
some large natural meadows; some strange
and delicate flowers quite new to me; aud
here and there the traces of former tornadoes
that had carried everything before them;
enormous trees all moved down in the same
direction, extending for some considerable
distance, bear witness TO the wonderful
character of tLose terrible phenomena.
This was darkest" Pennsylvania a century
agoi
After darkest Que naturally writes
AFRICA" or England" We must not
forget, in thinking about darkest Eng
land /" that some other neonIa has;da c.
eral Booth are bringing light into
that black reighborhood. There are
churches vigorously at work there,
uplifting men and women. 1t was at
St Peters, London Docks, that Father
Logder did his brave, Christian service.
And others like him are following along
that path. In different way Toynbee Hall
and Oxlord House are lending helpine
hands. And haaliv, there is the PEOPLES
Palace, most significant phenomenon,
which nobody who wants to know the truth
about East London can afford to overlook.
In the January Cosmopolitan, Miss Eliza
BETH BislaHd has an admirable description
OF this endeayor to arouse people into
righteousness. London, she saws, in most
happy bird 's-eye view of that METROPOLIS. is |
divided into three parts. In the center Is
''the city," on one side is the East End, on |
the other the West End. AS if the city
were the great throne Of the Day of Judg- |
ment, and the people were set some on the |
right hand and some on the left; here are the |
rich, there are the poor. But the poor have |
a palace" Thanks TO Mr.. Walter Besapt |
and his CHEEKY, delightful, inspiring novel, |
"All Sorts and Conditions of Men" the |
poor have Palace of Delight.
Here tits, pictured out-great hall, library. |
reading room, and swimming room and |
L