The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-01
The Latest Cure for Bossism.

pany OF new YORK
pamphlet entitled "a
Way to Abolish Bosses and Bossism:
to Break Up Political Machines, and
to Establish Efficient and Honest Gov
ernment in Our Cities" being extracts
from Orlando j. Smiths book, "The
Coming Democracy" A publication
with such title naturally arouses
curiosity; let us examine it.
In order to prescribe a cure it is
necessary to have a disease; and the
author of this pamphlet draws his
diagnosis in lurid colors. Our repub-
lie is "irrasponsive and unprogressive;"
its natural crops are patronage priv
ilegc and Corruption:" our democracy,
being Inert and imperfect" is overrun
with weeds and thistles." " Snakes and
vampires" and things harmful, hid
cous and Vcnomous." Our ways of
handling the public business are more
than hundred years old while the
methods of handling private business
are up to date. The old ways have
failed; the new ways are successful.
We must investigate the new meth
ods'
We shall discover, Mr.. Smith pro-
Ceeds to say, that the new methods
are all practically included in one sim
pie machine-the corporation. Our
forms of government are built in fear
and distrust of the people. An intri-
cate system of barriers and checks and
ha hn ont
that prompt and direct control by the
people which should exist under a just,
scientific and efficient democracy. But
the corporation is Immediately respon-
sive to the will of the stockholders
through the single board of directors
periodically elected by them: hence
Mr.. Smith proposes to reorganize the
government of our cities on a basis
similar to that of the ordinary cor
poration.
Taking New York city for purposes
Of illustration, he would have the leg
islature grant a charter providing that
the city should be ruled by small
board of trustees, say fifteen in num-
Der, elected once year, at large. un-
der a scientific system of proportional
representation. This board he would
have authorized to enact all laws,
rules and regulations needful for the
government of the city, to elect it's
chief executive and other officers, to
define their duties, and to remove
them at its will. On the basis of the
last vote cast, the board thus consti-
tutcd would comprise 6 Tammany
members, l Independent Democrat, 4
Republicans, . Good Government men,
police rcformcr and 1 anti-Ramapo
| man-certainly a happy family.
The novel feature of this plan is the
method of election proposed. A sim
Pile ballot with the name of the party
and the name of the candidate in
| blank is used. The voter takes this
| into the booth and writes or has a
| helper write in the blank spaces the
name Of the party he wishes to sup
port and the name of one candidate
| for trustee. The ballots are first
| counted tO ascertain the relative
| standing Of the various parties and
| their representation on the board.
| That ascertained, the 6 Tammany or
| 4 Republican representatives, for eX-
ample, receiving the most votes in
| their respective parties are declared
| elected. The election officials are TO
| certify the vote east for all of the
candidates, chosen and unchosen; and
| If any candidate chosen should fail
| to qualify resign, die or become dis
qualified, then he would be succeeded
| by the candidate on the same ticket
! who received the highest vote given
] on that ticket to n candidate who was
unchosen. This would obviate special
| elections
We corae now to the merits claimed
| for Mr.. Smiths scheme. The voter
under it, we are told. is as free as
the law can make him from every
form of dictatlon, coercion and intimi-
dation; he selects his own party and
names his own candidate; caucus, con-
vention and election are rolled into
one. "Heelers, bosses and the manip-
ulators of the party machines can
plead, advise and urge. but they can
! no longer dictate, Party organiza-
tions and conventions We shall still
have, but since the power of naming
candidates has ceased to exist, the
| conventions must confine themselves
to the legitimate work Of formulating