The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-18
THE PLEASURES AND PERILS OF
BOSSISM.

me situation in which Senator Hanna,
of Ohio, finds himself illustrates the pleas
ures and perils OF bossism Less than two
years ago Mr.. Hanna was unheard of in pol
itics. He had been a delegate to Repub-
lican national conventions, but he was not
known a political worker or as having
any aptitude for the business Mr. McKin-
ieys candidacy brought him to the front.
and his success as a campaign manager
stamped him a political organizer of
more than ordinary ability. Nothing sue
ceeds like success, and the success of the
Mckinley campaign was the making of Mr.
Hanna as a political manager and leader
His ability as a boss was to be developed
later. 1t was a bold move on Mr.. Hanna's
part to aspire to the United States Senate
without any preliminary training in public
affairs, or even in Office holding but he
made it and won again. He and his friends
even had influence enough to secure the re-
tirement of Hon. John Sherman from the
Senate to make place for him. He had
already been recognized since the election
as the confidential adviser and right-hand
man of the President-elect, and his election
to the Senate confirmed and emphasized the
relation. From that time ne became a fully
developed political boss, and even his enc
mics must admit that he has attended
strictly to business. In one year, from hav-
ing been unknown in politics, he has be-
come the most ambitious and one of the
most powerful bosses known. Although
comparatively new to the business he has
developed an extraordinary desire to enjoy
the pleasures of bossism and equal readi-
ness to incur it's perils. One of it's greatest
pleasures is dispensing patronage and die
tating appointments. To a man who loves
power and enjoys making himself felt in
the exercise of it there is something at once
exhilarating and soothing, exciting and sat
isfying in dispensing offices. But there is
another side to the case. If it is delightful
to be able to say to one of score or
hundred applicants for an office, Thou art
the man." it is also dangerous, since it in
wolves saying to all the rest, Thou art not
the man." During the first few months of
his senatorial term Mr.. Hanna enjoyed the
pleasures of bosssm to their fullest extent;
he is now experiencing some of it's perils
ne 10 uloCONCllii6 eAoe SAAOSO ~ "AA"AAA az
has said Thou art the man." are not nearly
as numerous those to whom he has given
a negative assurance. Among Ohio Repub-
leans the men with knives in their boots
greatly outnumber those with official COM
missions in their pockets, and the former
are as anxious to pull him down as the lat
ter are to hold him up. In fact, as a rule,
+bo diSoppoiptad man in nOIitinS Is moro
tive than the appointed one One has per-
sonal wrong to redress while the other
feels that he has only received his just
desert. A hundred disappointed applicants
for office will do a political boss more harm
than a thousand office holders can do him
good. All this is part of Senator Hanna's
present experience. He is discovering what
many another political boss has discovered
before and what they all must discover
soon or late, that patronage is a source of
weakness instead of strength. 1t is a sig
nificant fact that in the recent election in
Ohio where it was understood that if the
Legislature were Republican he would be
elected senator, the Republican majority on
the legislative tickets fell many thousands
behind that on the state ticket. 1t is also
significant that ever since the election the
air should have been full of rumors of
Republican opposition to Senator Hanna
and combinations to secure his defeat. To
whatever extent this feeling exists it results
from the dispensing of patronage. 1t is one
of the perils of bossism. A politician who
undertakes to build up a machine in his
own interest must not be surprised if those
whom he turns down" undertake to build
up a machine against him. Every rose has
it's thorns, but every pleasure of bossism
has thorns by the dozens or score.