The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-01-02
BOSS SHEPHERDS REIGN.
chicago Timcs.lier


now dying at Basopilas, in Mexico. where
he has been living ever since he left Wash.
lington. lie was called BOSS" shepherd.
and In those days he deserved tho tito. be-
cause he was a rcal boss OF everything
and everybody In the District OF Coll
unbia, OF which lie was the governor. Ais
ambition WAS TO make the city OF WASH
ington worthy lie name and worthy heing
called the capital city OF tho greatest Ma
lion upon the earth. To do this he had to
have money and TO gct tho money he had
to tax the people OF the district, and he ale
most taxed them out of their boots.
No man in all Washington was SO thor
oughiy detested as Vas the snterprising
governor. He spent money right and lett in
masking Washington place to be proud OF,
4 and he was cursed for his patriotism and
| his pride, Yet IN the light of later days tho
4 wisdom OF the policy he pursued is made
| manifest, and time has done much TO soft
| en- asperity leaving the best there Is and
| was In Boss Shepherd clearly rsvslaled
\ In the background OF the years. Mr.. Shep-
herd left Washington twenty years ago.
broken in heath aud spirit, and went TO
| the Mexican state OF Chihuahua to live. AT
the same time ne desired TO recover the
| fortune he had lost. and indeed he recov-
| cred both health and fortune, and in very
! few years he became u rich maus When MI.
/ Shepherd left Washington he WAS cxecrat-
1 ed by all of its citizens. They were slad he
1 was gone. Like Caesar he found a Rome
tof clay and left one of marble Tut the
i people groaMed under the weight. Time
passed by and the debt was all paid up,
4 and real estate values went up, and then
people began To think batter OF Boss
| Shepherd. Two years ago Mr.. Shepherd re-
| turned TO Washington for visit lie had
been to Europe, and stopped In the capital
ION his way home. He was received like y
/ victorious general The light infantry
turned out to clear the way and Mr.. Shep-
herd was followed by a line of carriages
containing the biggest and best men In
! town TO Willard Hotel. which was decked
cut to receive him. The Marine band play
| ed sweet music, and Speeches We're made
| In his praise, the president OF the honrd OF
trade leading. His hand was grasped by
| 1000 men who felt glad OF the opportunity
to do it,
| In Mr.. Shepherds career is found les
son which the people OF all times and
places always failed to learn 1t shows that
| the masses Of the people are wise enough |
| to see that present pleasures and conven-
| fences are sometimes better sacrificed in
order TINT the future may be assured and |
| that future pleasures may be greater. 1t !
emphasizes the fact that men, as rule.
do not care enough for posterity, aud for |
| get that humanity lives on, though indi-
4
public not cared for their children and |
grandchildren, there would have been no |
United States and no American citizens to-
day. Had not Mr.. Shepherd been boss
and Just the kind OF a boss he was, |
Washington would today be a city of mud |
and dust. for it needed the strong hand of |
n stubborn, unyielding force to drive the |
unwilling citizens of the capital INTO max |
ing their home place in which the presi- |
dent of the United States need not be |
| ashamed to live.
| In his young days Mr. Shepherd was a
| plumber-a fact which might tempt wag
to say that 1t was in that calling that the
beautifier Of Washington got his imperious
and domineerng disposition. When very
young man Mr.. Shepherd set himself up in
business in the plumbing line, and did very
! We'll with it. Out OF plumbing he was
| graduated into politics, and hardly before
people were aware OF it. he was the gov
ernor Of the Territory, and he'd the place
during the time the district was terri
torlal government. As soon as he found
| himself in power he began a series OF si-
gantic reforms which astounded the peo-
! Pile. When Shepherd ndertnol. 10 do some
| thing he generally accomplished his pur-
| pose whether the law allowed 1t or not.
| a notable instance OF what enc determin- |
ed man can do when he makes up lis mind |
was seen in the case OF the old Liberty |
market. which stood at the corner Of Sow
enth and X streets. The building was old |
and dacadent and unsightly and a disgrace |
| 10 tho city. Shepherd besides, picked out |
its site for public park He tried every |
| method in his power TO have the old hllld- |
| ing demolished according TO law and order, |
but ne was blocked at every turn. the law |
said to him: Thou shalt not cut DOWN the |
market housed" His appeals were ms strains |
in Msrch wind. People generally wanted |
the old buildipg removed. but thclr own |
laws would not let them touch It.
| One morning Washingtonloans awoke ana |
lo when they looked for their familiar |
| market it was gone! II had vanished in the |
| night and not a stone OF 1t remained on |
stone Shepherd had gone there IN the dark |
| OF the night. when the people slept and |
| with a crowd of coDgenial spirits, he bat |
| tered down the old structure Wien The law |
had chung TO so tenaciously 10 DO TINS
| Roman-Iike thing Shepherd lsot up ban-
| Duet far from the scene OF thu, WORK. All |
| those who were known TO ba opposed 10
his park scheme were invited, ini while |
| they fe,sted and the Others slapti ibe GOV |
| ernor and his friends layed Tgoc with |
The old market bill has been introduced |
into every congress since hen 70 ipdem- |
Nifty the owners of the stalls IN the market |
but those OF them that are yet alive have |
never received a penny Tor tnsir ,rorble.
Another monument 10 Mr., Shepherds in
duatry, genius and peculiar methods is
billock on the south side OF the Baltimore
and Ohio railway tracks. His purpose was /
TO drive the railway out OF that part OF
the city in which, by law. 1t was allowed
10 come into Washington. os course, he |
could not do this legally, SO he tried 10 do |
It Illegally. He hired an army OF men, ann |
they went 10 work digging and bling up
the earth or the tracks This bold plan Of
ple. learning what was going forward. lept |
couple OF engines stor,nins UP and down
the track. In word. there was uothinH
that he wanted done that he did |
not have done or try to have done.
herd in a verify made Washington. This