The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-12-05
RINGS, RUM AND RASCALS
Sam Jones Enters a Protast
Against Their Misrule.
Power OF Combines Among Professional
POhticians-A state at the Mercy of
3 Wholesale LIIsor Dealer
Down the 'ghsee R,s.

These 6O,O00,000 of people are made up
from grangers, manufacturers, dealers
in commerce, railroad men, miners,pro
fessional men, millionaires, tramps
and politicians. The varied industries
and callings engage the hearts and
hands and time of a large majority Of
the people of our country, and when
working hours are over they are too
tired to meddle with-other things, We
may say what we please of combines
and trusts, of millionaires and monopo-
lies. This country is suffering not so
much at their hands as it is suffering at
the hands of political rings and at
the hands of political ~"rascals." The
tendency of the parties and partisans
Is towards rings" and rings break for
rum, and rum turns out rascals. If 1
were asked which is the purest party
in America l would unhesitatingly say,
the youngest party is the best. The in
nocence of youth is a thousand fines
more preferable than the FUZZY de-
veloped depravity and meannes5N 1911
age in parties. Wv
Rings and clicks and combinations in
politics are made and run in the inter
ests of rascally combines. The saloons
furnish the money, the rascnls the
brains and the people the votes. "Any-
thing to beat Grant" Anything to beat.
the fellow that don't belong to the
ring. Lying is becoming n fine art. The
rings will lie on the angels, they will
lie about the dead. If it was profitab%
for them they would lie about the UNI
born generations. Their lies are always
in their own interests, and thoroughly
against the fellow that has the impu-
dence to offer for a position which the
rings want. We have rings in poll
tics, and rings in the church, and in
the social life, rings in commerce., and
rings in the manufacturing industries.
Rings everywhere, from the ring
around the moon to the ring around a
pissmire's body. When 100 astute un-
scrupulous politicians in any state shall
combine their forces and facilities.
they became almost invincible. They
make their states, parcel out jobs, and
give their ward-heelers and bar-room
buns to understand there is meat and
bread in it for him, from Boss Tweed, of
New York, to -, of San Francisco.
Every state has its political boss, its
w~ard-heelers and its pap-suckers. From
Maine to California every state has both
its democratic and republican rascals
and rings. It has become a close cor
poration, dishing out the patronage
with a distinct understanding that to
the victor belongs the spoils, as un-
scruplous as the devil and as unsati-
able as a hyena. They push their bust
ness, for politics is a business, with that
gang" And if you want to hear then
howl, just throw a bomb in their camp.
Let an honest man protest, let the OPP
position party call for n change in ad-
ministration and you will hear the
welkin ring. These rings are largely
composed of one-horse lawyers, red
nose editors and w~ard-heelers. No
first-cl2ss men care TO enter the
scramble for Office. The odds are
against them. Every county and dis
trict ring of organized politicians is
against him. Every saloon and bum
is against him. The odds are all
against him, and it is only when public
sentiment is aroused from it's lethargy, |
and decent men do grow sick and tired
of the way things go, that you can
effectively and permanently bury the
gang, that has had charge of things so
long. Boss Tweed has his day,-h had
his day. David 3. Hill, Ben Tillman.
Gov. Altgeld, Gov. Waite rave had their
Cay. The sun of their day is setting.
The masses of the people are discour-
aged. They rise up occasionally and
put down these rings, but the reform
party soon becomes as corrupt as the
party it displaced. Ben Tillman's gang |
in South Carolina are no better, and
not nearly SO brainy, as the crowd they
displaced a few years ago. Kansas is
also suffering at the same point. Colo
RADIO seems 10 be convalescent. The
worst rings we have to deal with are
ehe rings within rings. The state and
municipal rings combine, and play into
each others hands. Then we have the
worst form of politics. When the gov
ern~r, mayor and police commissioner
and aldermen combine, they can beat
four aces in a draw game of poker.
The only hope of the country is to
keep the courts absolutely disconnected
with the politics of the state When
ever the gang can pull the courts in
with them, then robbery and pillage is
complete. l know states where one
wholesale liquor denler speaks and it
is done, he commands and it stands
fast. God We the country or the
Otate that is at the mercy of the greed
and whims of a wholesale liquor dealer.
God pity the miserable, cownrdly in
famous set of Legislators that will listen
TO his commands and conform legisla-
ton to his wishes. When the day shall
come in this country when adj office
holders shall listen to the pure women,
and their chief aim shall be IL protect
innocent children, then we shall have
inverted the present order of things
and saved country from the ruin
which threatens it. The saloon keeper
and the wholesale liquor dealer ought
TO have no more to say in Legislative
assemblies, and the municipal halls OF
our country, than a hog should have to
say about the furnishing of q gentle