The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-11-22


expressed some interesting opinions on
the difference between political bosses
and pOlitical leaders, incidentally using
some pretty strong language III resaru
I'VE have overthrown one enemy, said
DR. Parkhurst: now there ls another
enemy lust about as dangerous and just
about as foreign TO tne genius or Amerl-
plat renresent an order Of persons that
are commonly known In the community
bv the name Of bosses 1t Is not very
elegant term, but ! DO not know OF any
think AT this juncture, the one truth that
needs to be Impressed upon the young
American mind is that there is a very
bfoad line OF distinction between what IL
called a political leader ana pohtlcai
such men as Mr.. Plat say that they
have as much right TO their opinions as
ANYBODY else and that they have as
mIich right 10 ventilate their opinions as
ANYBODY else. Now, nobody is going TO
question that right. But there are two
Ways in this country of accomplishing,
for instance, legislative results.
"One wav Is TO instruct the general
mind and conscience, and the other is to
manipuIatc legislatures. The political
leader aims 10 reproduce himself-his own
judgments his own view or things-ln
the minds OF those that may St , be nan IN any
Thus. the effect of the leader is TO make
individual citizens more signihcant ana
not less So The boss, on the other hand,
aims not TO quicken the lnteiIlsehce OF
those whom he bosses. TO enlarge their
views or TO stimulate their conscience.
I'm fact the less conscience they nave
and the narrower their views the more
amenable such persons become 10 tne
sbosees'' treatment. 1t Is TO the interest
Of the boss that those whom he is 60
ing to deal with should have minimum
of conscience and minimum OF lntelll-
"The boss proposes TO be the intelli-
gence I'm their stead. lie proposes to work
the wires and says the puppets shall do
the jumping: and the fact that they are
puppets makes them all the more re-
sponsive to the pull Of the wires.
THAT is Platt This is Croker. That Is
what they stand for. They are not aim
ing to make the community wiser Iney
are aiming 10 secure the largest possible
number of possible tools for the accom-
piishment Of their own purposes and the
carrying out OF their own schemes. Ihus,
while the leader is calculated to promote
and develop the American ida, the
boss according TO the measure OF his
influence. f. calculated to repress ana
suppress the American idea and TO dwarf
citizenship in precisely the same degree
that the boss is elevated to the position OF
control.
"Mr. Platt crticises what he IS pleased
TO term the interference Of ambitious
husybOdies' OF the Committee or seventy.
The trouble with American politics. Is
that there is not a 1.-THE of the interfer-
ence that there ought 20 be, and TAM
many secured its power In the city OF
New York not simply because II was alert,
but because the average citizen mas re,
Trained from interfering and has allowed
things to 70 bv default.
Now precisely the way In which
Croker and his minions secured their
power Is the way In which Mr. Platt
would like 20 secure his power lie seems
TO think am not going TO raise any
question about it-but he seems to think
that he can control the Senate lnyesti-
eating Committee. He knows that ne
cannot control the Committee OF Seventy.
And, therefore, as / argue, he proposes
10 fence off and 10 fence out the com
mittee of Seventy and its influence IN
order that he and the Senate lnvestgdt-
ing Committees especially he-may nave
a monopoly of influence 1t Is not be
cause he objects to the interference or
ambitious busybOdes. II IS because he
wants TO perpetrate all the vicious inter-
ference himself That IS Platt
u am stTenuously opposed 10 the b-
partisan idea OF a Police Commission. IL
furnishes a nest for all rNose 1ickers and
dealing in which men Ike Mr. Platt
are such experts. Now, ] have had three
years eXperienc. with the Police Depart
ment, and | know something about II, and
] can say that ne OF the constant diiii-
cIltieS which ". have haf 20 eNnerionce
mas been that H nas been impossible 10
pare accounts 'piHlE ana TeSponSlDlllly
al any one point. What we want, there
fore, is a police department which shall
be represented In the person Of one man,
10 whom credit may be- allowed and for
whom criticism viii be pertinent.
There IS no theory about that. know
il from years OF dealing with the Police
Department. If you crtiCise the commits
SiOners they throw the responsibility on
the superintendent. II you crticise the
superintendent he throws IL on the in
spectors. If you crticise the inspectors
they throw it on the captains, and among
them all you cannot place the response
blity anywhere. The effect Of multiple
city at the point Of r1spOnsibilty Will be
TO confuse the matter and 10 render 1t
impossible for us to apply criticism at
the vital point"