The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-18

tuat Aor6u&m LIucOIn was = OlIecS
descendant OF the Lincolns Of Hing
spectacle ancestry q spirit Of adveh-
ture. patriotism and shrewd Yankee
thrift These Massachusetts, Lincolns
were people Of consequence. most Of
them. "One." says Miss Tarbell. was
a member of the Boston tea party and
served as a captainpof artillery in the
war OF the Revolution. Others were
privates In that war. Three served on
the brig Hazard during. the Revofu
tion. Levi Lincoln, great great
grandson Of the Samuel Lincoln who
was one of three brothers to settle In
bingham between 1885 and 16i5. having
come from the west OF England, was
one OF .he minute men at Cambridge
Immediately after the battle Of Lexing-
ton. delegate to the convention In
Cambridge for framing a state consti-
tuition and in 1871 was elected to the
continental congress but declined to
serve. He was q member of the house
Of representatives and Of the senate
Of Massachusetts and was appointed
attorney general of the United States
by jefferson: for a few months pre-
ceding the arrival Of Madison he was
secretary Of state, and In 1907 he was
elected acknowledgements Of Massa-
chusetts. In 1911 he was appointed as
sociate justice of the United States
supreme court by President Madison.
an Office which he declined. From the
close Of the Revolutionary war he was
considered the head Of the Massachu-
setts bar" Levi Lincoln and Abraham
Lincoln were directly related.
Another point established by Miss
Tarbell is that the immediate ancestors
of Abraham Lincoln. especially his ia
ther, Thomas Lincoln, were not shift
less people nor poor white trash" The
present biographer believes that for
purposes of contrast the poverty Of the
Lincolns had been too frequently over
drawn. There is no attempt made
here to deny the poverty of the Lincoln
household" says Miss Tarbell In her
Introduction. but It Is insisted that
this poverty was a temporary, condi-
ton incident to pioneer life and the
unfortunate death Of Thomas Lincoln's
father when Thomas was but a boy.
Thomas Lincoln's restless efforts to
better his condition by leaving Ken
tucky for Indiana In 1916, and after
wards. when he had discovered that his
farm In Spencer county was barren, by
trying his fortunes In Illinois. are suf-
ficient proof that he had none Of the
indolent acceptance OF fate which char
acterizes the poor whites.'"
Indeed. the handsome volume Is full
OF new points. Its text reads like q ro-
nance and its portraits and other illus
trations--there are 100 In all-would
make connected story even II there
were no words The enthusiastic re-
ception which this Life has command
ed Is a happy proof OF the vitality OF
the American public's continued inter-
est In the greatest human being who
has walked this earth since the founda-
tion of our government.
An interesting pamphlet rather OBJ
scurely entitled THE School Of Poll
tics" reaches us from Charles H. Kerr
& Co, 56 Fifth avenue. Chicago. 1t Is
written by f. Hofer. member of the
Eighteenth General Assembly, Salem.
Oregon" and Is a determined plea for
the better legal safeguarding Of the
American primary system. The propo-
sition laid down by Mr.. Hofer at the
start Is that "in the perfected nominat-
Ing primary every member of every
party should have a direct vote in the
choice Of every candidate whose name
appears on the ticket of his party"
Upon this text he says:
Bossism is today the dominant force in
our politics. Bossism is governm INT
through the worst agencies and at the
largest expense possible. II IL the result
Of two controlling forces In American
the ambition of prominent and wealthy
auisites Of oficiai, life without Co.
ing to the trouble to ask their
fellowmen to confer those honors. They
want places on commissions. boards. con-
sulships and foreign missions. They
sometimes attain to the position Of state
chairman, national committeeman, or del
egate to national and state conventions.
For all this they are expected to pay. The
the appetite of the ofilce-seeking class.
They want offices for what there Is in
them. The wealthy partisan for honor
and the enterprising for revenue strike
to carry their force into effect. 1t Is the
boss. Sometimes the boss is himself q
candidate for lucrative office, but sell
| dom for honor Most frequently the boss
tees too risky to be available for public
office, but he Is frequently appointed to
| positions of honor and emclument after
the party battle IL won. Such are most
Of the cOllectorships, police commission
erships. superintendent of public institu-
tions, and pOstmasters In larger cities.
But the great public offense OF bossism
Is the conversion OF the policeman from a
peace guardian into protector of gam
blers. prostitutes and ward politicians. the
ments Of justice into compounders Of
crimes, and the changing Of banks from
places for safe-keeping public moneys in
to organizations for wholesale defalca-
qualifications of bossosm extend to the
humber Inhabitants. the laborers, the
| draymen. the street sweepers, undermin-
ing public sentiment and public virtue
| In manner dangerous to the liberty and
conscience of the people. Once in while
nest of corruptionists Is unearthed by
| chance and dragged into the courts, and
unable to defeat the laws entirely. heavy
| fines are imposed. The bosses or their
| creatures make q raise" among capital
lists or bankers. and again go to work
| to restore their fortunes out Of the public
| service. AS many of the weak banks are
debtors to the public treasury In large
sums and the strong banks make a great
taxes and public warrants. they become
| the conservative bulwark Of bossism in q
political campaign. When 1t is remem-
bered that the same bosses, beginning in
the primaries, make the United States sen.
ators and through them make the federal
| courts, where these same bosses handle
the receiverships Of the wrecked banks
and corporations, 1t will be seen that
bossism is today the dominant force in
American public affairs. The business
| away from the primaries, or allows his
name to be put upon the slate OF delegates
as a guaranty of good faith and respecta-
/ bility to enable thugs and boodlers to han
\ die the county convention, can see Just
how he contributes to the upbuildng of
public morality and good government in
| the name of his party.
Self-government by the people is on
trial. The people want the BEST The
masses have no interest in anything but
| good government. When they vote at the
polls they do not knowingly vote for cor.
ruption and extravagance. They do not
knowingly and Intentionally put bad men
| in office. The theory Of a peoples gov
ernment does not embrace the idea Of the
enrichment of the few and the impover-
our government is tending to become
| more and more. During the past few
years of depression and hard times, the
salaries Of the official classes have not
been diminished; Congress after congress
has appropriated over q billion Of dollars,