New-York tribune., 1895-09-25
LED BY THE BLIND.

The Pharisees who worship at the feet OF
Cleveland have had a great deal to say about
bosses II never seems 10 occur TO them that
Mr. Cleveland himself Is one OF the most DOM
ineering. dctatorlal and irresponsible bosses
this country has ever produced. Their anxiety OF
mind and holy indignation all regarding the
Republican bosses. And the same is true or
other Democrats, having other party Idols.
There are leaders whose strength lies In their
thorough and sure understa nding Of the popular
will. Sometimes they have also rare faculties
Of manipulation and organization, and some
times they have not, but the true leaders are
rarely resisted n matters Of public policy
whether they have much or little power OF the
machine kind because the practical men Of their
party have learned that their instincts are sure.
and that defeat invariably follows departure
from the policy they Judge TO be demanded by
the people Such men are called leaders, but
are In a better sense followers and executives
of the public will That HILL for example, who
IS managing the Democratic Convention at Syra-
cuse Is not leader Of this sort his dismal ex-
perience sufficiently proves 1t is his distinction
that he has known so little Of public feeling and
opinion that he has contrived to be the worst
beaten Democrat in the history Of the State.
lature. had only about 100000 majority against
him.
F Yet IT Is presumably because the Democrats
think Hill understands public opinion that they
obey his leadership even after his phenomenal
defeat This Is quite characteristic. Your genu-
Inc Bourbon. who never learns anything, cannot
be shaken from his rOck-rbbed firmness by sucn
a trife as an adverse majority Of 10000 In
@ha
cratic managers in counties fancy that they do
know something Of public opinion, having care
fully gathered 1t in the saloons, or from working
lieutenants, who have explored the saloons III
order TO advise them accurately. 1t strikes the
average Democratic delegate that this tine, II
never before, Hill has hit the nail on the head
and marked out the one path that Is safe
1t is the sure sign of decay and coming de-
struction when party loses its touch with the
plain people who seek no Office, who attend 10
their industries constantly and TO the adjacent
saloons rarely, and who fear God and not any
political boss The bulk Of the voters In both the
great parties is composed Of such men, for while
the proportion s larger in one party than In the
other it is large enough in either to take contrcI
If II only knew how to handle the ropes. IN"
local bosses know how to run the primaries, H'l'
have the art Of calling up from nearby quart tls
enough voters to do their bidding and then
reckon upon the submissive support Of the great
mass of silent voters. But when they star' IN
the wrong direction and too fagrantly address
themselves to alliance with vices and crimes.
as Hill did. they get buried under an avalanche,
because many silent voters Of their own p'T'!
either do not vote, 0s vote against them. When
Hill set out 10 run the State OF $ew-foTk L.
fraud and crime. in lofty contempt for the opin-
ion Of honest and decent men. he was warned
that he was leading his party 10 destruction.
But he Is leading II again, and the same way.