The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-03-21
PEOPLE AND POLITICS.
BY AN OBSERVER.
your voice shall be as strong as any

mans
In the disposing OF new digniiies.'
Cassl,ls 10 Mark Antony, in julius Caesar.
Machine politics, This expression IS
heinz. much. used these days in America
What H. meant by So II Is little under
world I'm itself. Republics are especi-
adv rtvorobie to the growth OF this form
oil political life and influence. IL Is no
new thing They had an abundance OF
IL i'm old Greek days-thc leaders, the
STRIKERS the secret understandings, the
amendments 10 office, the granting Oh
contracts and franchises, the hanging To-
ccther oil certain ones whose interests
were thus made identical DcmOsthenes
did not depend upon his public arguments
and his smooth and eloquent power ot
speech so much Is he depended upon ms
secret missiye and clOseted consultations
one OF his rival orators describes MN
as "nrancing about with cps,ies dangling
al his fingers tips giving him secret IN
formation of the movements Of his enc
mics" Cicero had his ward heclers,
and some Of them did not hesitate 10
stick a sword through a fellow. upset
the ballot boxes and cause a general row
when things were going against his chlei
Horace Waipole perhaps had the most
complete political machine that was ever
set up I'm England lie added 10 II
rank system OF bribery and openly
sneered az and rldculed young Pitt for
appealing % the n0bler emotions Of men
Here. ia our own country there Is pretty
good evidence that Thomas Jefferson
understood the mechanical parts ol
pretty complicated machine and did
not hesitate % make free use OF lubrl-
eating fluids Andrew Jackson was a
master I'm this line. We may talk about
our modern bosses" but Andrew was
a "boss" with whom the modern ones
wouold pale I'm comparison. on one oc-
casion a friend OF his reported 20 nm
thqt the Democrats were getting "a III
Tie the worse of the debate down az the
other end OF the avenue IN the House
and that the Speaker would not let
certain congressman have the floor.
Jackson said by the Eternal he shal
speakw lie wrote a sharp note 20 the
Speaker. and in thirty minutes the ZEN
nessce congressman was lettlng loose ms
Illuminating bolts on the foor oil inc
House Abraham Lincoln engaged IN lne
most shameless trades. promises ana
combinations. an Of which are usuails
called machine politics in many OF
his efforts. notably that by which he had
Nevada admitted as a state into the
Union. s. machine politics is Moth
fro new Wherever there are organized
bodies OF men. wherever by the free
.uoicc OF individuals. power and prefer
mont arc to come. there you Will mo
nI those motives. incentives and rewards
fru-ht into play to effect what Francis
calls working a man" Some
+ oreanizati0n. and Organization
WY good word for e. But in
Iic. organization can only be Ell
...f where man sees how orsanilt
tom works 10 further his principles or his
private interests So, In e6ecting an or
cauization. the first thing necessary the
very laying of the keel as 1t were. IS to
show "A man where his principles or his
interests come In This once done. the
rest of the mechanism Is easy.
How are machine politics getting along
these days? Admirably. There are
times when the general upheaval Of pub
DE- sentiment takes the manipulators UNI
aWares and some unexpected popular
move breaks in upon them unprepared,
. uut DO does not take them long 90 readjust
themselves, and the machine is in work
ing order in those particular ways and
directions. But al these human plans,
a.l this machine building, is but fleet
ing and temporary al best, Mistakes are
madc. parts are broken. explosions come
and "the machine having done its WORN
goes t0 the scrap pile Seldom has there
ever been anything comparable 10 our
day tO the perfect working order OF Ma
homes machine here in Virginia. iie
laid it with consummate tact and most
approved gcuerllship. Tie played upon
the most violent prejudice Of the mass
OF the people. while 40 the same time he
ef o. frf
ers In communities for lucrative offices
and hOuOrs he seemed 10 have a gee
MUS for going 90 "a county and selecting
"a man who through his wife's kindred or
his own, could reach "a good portion OF the
leading citizens OF that county. For
Instance. he went % T1zeweu county and
made John Watts United States marshal
Watts had married "a Bowen and the
B0wens and Gilicsples had intermarried,
SO that by this one stroke, more than any
other. Tazcwell county rolled zap It's Re
publican majorites. But along came Mr.
Barbour and he effected an organization
and drew TO his side able lieutenants and
improved so much upon Mah0ne's patents
that the Barbour machine was the vim
nor OF the two and sent Mahone's
broken and out-of-date. 90 the scrap pile
Virginia has been using the Barbour
machine pretty steadily ever since 30 was
set up. At times there is some rumblne
OF discomfort with Il; occasionally IN
some sections OF the state signs of open
revolt are seen. out so far. this machine
mas not been superseded IN virginia and
while IL has passed into different hands
az different times. they are an pretty
well trained IN the same schools and run
it with equal facility
In the first place. in order 20 dominate
public thought and reap public honors
and em0luments by machine methods.
Il IS necessary these days TO ally your
self with powerful corporate influences.
Legislatures and congresses are the
creators and regulators OF corporations
in these days, then. Operations demand
and provide for men 10 go 10 these
bodies whose habits OF thought, whose
business associations. whose professional
talents. all run with the corporate way
Of looking at things Then, there is such
q kinship such a fell0w-feeling. between
q man thus identified and so many 9TH
er men likewise identified throughout the
state. that without lifting his hand or
opening his voice, he has friends and adj
vocates by the score. 40 Is almost i'm
possible for "a machine" 10 be built and
kept properly fabricated unless the great
g.. D