The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-18
THE GREATEST boss.
Pingree of Michigan Stronger Than
Plat, Croker or Quay.


Plat, Croker or Quay.
From the Chicago Times Herald Und).
Hazen S. Pingree, Governor. of AIichiga
is the greatest political boss that the
country has seen. There has never been
his equal in the running Of "a convention
and in making the people do absolutely
what he wants. That incidentally he does
what they want does not alter the case.
Politicians to-day admit that Quay, Plat
and Croker able as they are in the con-
troll of organizations and the mastery of
the people, are not his peer.
To-day II. S. Pingree is the absolute
master of Michigan. His will is law and
the people not only follow him wherever
he leads but they are proud of it, There
is, to be sure a difference in the methods
he employs Pingree is honest. one OF
the chief faults his enemies find with him
is that he is incorruptible. This Is an I'M
usual charge to make against boss. But
Pingree is an unusual boss -
The election held last Tuesday in Michi-
gan illustrates the control which Pingree
has over Michigan politics. The boss
himself was candidate for Governor He
won the nomination after the hardest kind
of fight. Then he ran 10000 or more ahead
of his ticket He named most of the Re-
publican legislative candidates He mere
ly sent word to the conventions that he
wanted so and so nominated. The conven-
lions usually did his bidding In those
cases where the conventions did not obey
him Pingree came out openly and fought
the nominees of his own party. He did
not fight in secret in the usual fashion of
the political bosses who make professions
of loyalty and then pass the word along
the line to knife the man whom they pro-
fess to support. Pingree announced that
such and such Candidate on the same
ticket with himself ought to be defeated
And he was.
Never has there been seen such case of
bossism as there was in the Detroit leg
islative districts. Pingree sent down to
the convention a printed list of the men
who were to be nominated. He admitted il
and gloried in It, The opposition called the
nominees 1.-THE o. KID ten" and the
branded slaves" They were held up to
ridicule as being owned by Pingree. The
nominees did not resent ii. They went on
the stump and publicly announced that II
they were elected they would have no
higher ambition than 10 do exactly what
Pingree advised them to do. The result
was that they ran away ahead of their
ticket.
Can Croker, Quay or Plat show any
parallel to that:
Pingree Lar bis own methods. He Is orig
inal In the first place he came into poll
tics by accident. Before his nomination as
Mayor OF Detro . in 1853 he did not know
the first thing about politics He was Re
publican because he was born in Maine,
beginning life as a jouneyman shoemaker.
he had become proprietor Of a shoe factory
and his political duties consisted in send
Ing a check each year to the campaign
committee. "a
Pingree was nominated for mayor in 1859
because Cleveland had carried the city a
year before py 1900 majority and nobody
else wanted what was considered an emp
" honor. As soon as Pingree realized this
he became angry and announced that he
would be elected And he was by 1900
majority, after a hard fight In which he
pledged himself TO redeem the city from
corporation rule II elected. VorkinRnen
supported hirn in spite of the fact that he
was a millionaire. During tho campaign
he showed nis genius for organization and
knowledge of he wishes of the peoDle
Elected, he fulfilled his pledges. He made
The street railway companies REFUGE their
fares TO cents, improved the slIeets. had
the gas rates cut In half, taxed big con-
Germs twice as much as they paid before
and, indeed reformed so much that when
ne came up cor nomination as3tn the mol
iticians were against him. But the people
were with him end he won. EoI~ times IN
succession he vas elected Mayor OF ne
troit, and eacE time In spite OF the politic-
ians and the COZ poratiOnf. Eas time has
majority was Increased
Then he made his fight for the governor
ship, promising that IL elected he would do