Times-promoter. (Hernando, DeSoto County, Miss.) 1898-1970, 1898-12-24
BOSSISM IN STATE.

oSh'aOhClCo III loliblSui
life in America during the last
quarter century is boss rule in
politics. Twenty-Five years ago
it was manifest only in New York.
Boss Tweed was unique figure,
condemned by all parties and pa
pers outside of those under his
immediate control. Now we have
bosses i'll national politics, bosses
in State politics, bosses in muni-
cipal politics, oftentimes bosses in
ward politics. 1t is no longer in
| New York only, but in nearly
every town of 1000 inhabitants
and lower. SO everywhere pres
ent is the boss, with II big 'B, ;"
that even decent men feel they
must reckon with him if they are
to achieve success. Men bow to
men, and the evil is increasing.
Not merit, but money and the
boss win elections now. And in
this we are not discriminating be-
tween parties, nor referring to
recent local elections. We refer
to the boss in politics, irrespect-
i've OF party, as one of the ex-
crescences Of the body polite,
showing its innate corruption.
1t is not personal knowledge of
bosses or politics which we pre-
sent. We know no boss control,
and are not politicians. We pre-
sent the testimony of one Of the
"bosses. One of the most sue
cessful and respectable Of this
class in the Union is Colonel Dan
Burns, of California, who does
mining in Mexico for II business,
and politics in California as Il
pastime. What we quote from
Mr.. Burns was written about
two years ago in II signed article
shortly after election. We clip
from the San Francisco Exam
iner:
"When the delegates selected
by the one-man power go to the
convention, do they express their
own wills? Why, no; they await
orders from the boss, and obey
his bidding. Take the municipal
convention of two years ago,
which I controlled. I Inever heard |
of candidate going the dele
gates and soliciting their sup
port. They knew better. They |
came to me or sent their friends |
to me to obtain my consent to
their nomination. They knew
they could do nothing unless the
master hand was on their side.
That hand was the hand of the
boss.
'These methods are un-Repub-
lican; they are un-Democratic;
they are un-American. If the
people do not wipe them out, they
will see this great Government
wane as | have seen it wane.
Our institutions will disappear
from the earth, and another form
of government will be established.
Trihes that ut the outset seem
matters of but little moment
often determine the fate of ma
tons. Throughout the country
political power is being central
lzed. In all trusts, pools, or
combinations Of whatever nature,
the power finally rests in the
hands of one man. He is the
boss. y
Summing up theone-manpower
in politics, Mr.. Burns thus fore
casts the future:
"The United States will become
another Europe, with all the class
distinctions of the older coun-
tries. Before that time comes,
though, blood will have drenched
the land. The horrors of war
will once more devast tatethe coun-
try. Even now the murmurings
of dissatisfied people may be
heard from sea to sea. Soon
these murmurs will increase to a
roar of protest against existing
Then the money
barons will say: I'VE can no
longer bear the rawlings of these
rascals. We will suppress them.