The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-11-24

AN ESSAY on BOSSES.

Governor Teddy" Roosevelt IS man.
every inch Of HIM lie win not 'crooH
The pregnant hinges of the knee mat
thrift may follow fawning.' and tina, is
one of the very best evidences of man-
hood. lie showed himself in cuba 90 DE
a gallant dashins soldier. ready TO sacfl-
fee his life at any and AN times upon
The altar of his country, and since Dee
returned home and was elected Governor
Of the great state of New York Dee has
administered the Office as one who really
and truly looks upon public office as
public trust.
The Chamber Of Commerce of the city
Of New York gave its annual dinner
day or so hack and Governor Roosevelt
was one Of its guests. lie made am adj
mirable speech upon Honesty in Poll
tics" and in the course Of it Dee told the
following story. lie said:
Let me tell you q very homcly per-
.sonal anecdOte. some time a-o iol-
loved the business OF q rachman out m
the West. out in part of the country
whore there were no fences ana me
cowboy and the branding iron took tnef
place. There the breeding herds are Kept
9p by branding each calf with the brand
of the cow that it followed. and f the
roundup passes ~ call-ntAL year
what they oal q mavcrck-t ls UNI
branded and mavericks have produced
not merely race but county wars I'M dir
ferent sections of the country-ln our
more youthful bu0yant days-and in my
81 10. q q
should be branded with the brand oi ihe
1anch or range on which it was found
one summer out there j had hired new
,oW-punCher and he and ] were riding DOB
across the range and we struck q MAYER
ick ana be got ont his rope ANA threw
A. and we started to brand IT, i said TO
him. not knowing the range Ne were ON,
..lt is a thistle brand" lie said. can
right. boss. / know my business and
in "a minute OF two / said, 'Nalt 81 mo-
iuent. yOu are putting ON mF brand. tie
said. "Oh yes, 1 always pat ON the
boss brand" laughter. j said. "On,
ali right. Now you 80 back TO The ranch
and get your time" IlC said. "Nhat is
that for? i was putting on your brand.
j said. Yes. my friend. bat III you steal
Tor me you will steal from me-
Now. there is ID profound phiiosophlc
truth in that, and 10 applies 20 a good
deal more than the COW business. When
YOU set the public man who VIII go
what he ought NOT 10 do for you OooKils
directly at Plato. ne win do 90 against
you just AS soon as IL suits his sell-in-
ttrest 20 do IL.
BOSS PLAT was one OF the guests at the
dinner ana the reporters say that he Was
"a very uncomfortable man while Rooso-
Welt was telling his story auI soon lett
the dinner after 10 was over.
Governor Roosevelt IS perfectly right in
his estimate of the political boss. The
hess is as ready to Dc aud steal ia oqposi-
ton To- your interests. where it suits his
interests to do SO. as Doe was to lie ana
steal for yoa when ii suited his interests
10 do that la other words. the boss
knows nothing but his own selfish pur-
poses and aims and any professions that
he makes of motives and impulses. IT
fully and fairly disclosed. would be found
20 turn upoa some selfish scheme OF nus
own that he S. sctdng TO promote.
The political boss is the curse Of our
iasutuuons and unless We can and some
way 20 hold him moasurably m ubJcc-
tion De wm in time become serious
monace 90 them and 20 an public and
private morals as we'll