The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-07-18

FREDFRCKBJRG Va THURSDAY CEN

should thereafter alway hang his head in
shame.
According to Montague land "Brutus
IL an honorable man') the Martin ma
chine liz rotten To the core and justly
deserves condemnation Mt the hands Of
the people, M in the present instance. Ac-
cording to Senator Daniel there il no
machine. Montague would have the
people believe, and it appears has really
made them 80 believe, that the past or
ganizatiOn is rotten to the core, and
that the machine is an allpOwerful agent
for evil. The popular conception Of a
machine il n combination Of political
tricksters for personal ends, and of course
for personalgains. The abhorrentexam-
pies Of platt, Of New York, and especially
Quay. Of Pennsylvania, ARE frequently
held up as warnings Of the awfulness OF
machines. Asa machine" Quay seems To
have been a success. He seems to have
been able to not only take care Of him
self. but also of his friends, and, inciden-
tally. to punish his enemies. \ few days
ago he announced his retirement from
politics at the end Of his present term,
and received an unprecedented ovation
and n nice contribution in the way OF
railway franchises. He is boss that il
boss indeed
And there il Gorman Of Maryland. He
was n boss too, but now is merely a
statesman out OF job. Years and years
AGO he was president of the Chesapeake
and Ohio Canal, said to be as pretty a
political job ~ Maryland ever afforded.
The canal ring was said to dominate
Maryland politics. and German was the
leader Of the regulars. He was said to
be faithful To his friends, virtue now
sadly wanting in Virginia. Anyway, he
evoluted himself into the L. $. Senate, but
he was absolute boss Of Maryland poll
ties long before. And then the war be-
gan. and finally he wentdOwn. Gorman
always was a political trickster. in theeyes
Of the political purists Of his state. but
was considered pretty good statesman
by everybody else. lie was pretty
good debater, but no spread-eagle
screecher He believed that actions spoke
louder than words, md while Others
were talking he was doing. 1t il iortu-
nate for hin, that he did not live in Nir-
ginia. else he would have lost his scalp
long before he did.
The Martin machine appears To have
been a solitary example among the ma
chimes Of how not TO do it, Martin
appears to have been able To get himself
elected Senator and then reelected. and
that il about the sum of his successes
The powerful ring which the Red Fox
terror pictures surely ought to have been
able To select men better suited to its
needs than the heads of the present state
Government Any ring or machine tnat
cannot get its own men at the head
of Government is poor concern. Any
boss that cannot manipulate legisla-
ture for more snap than an election for
himself. while his friends are left out in
the cold. il not much of boss. A boss
that can't help even one of his friends TO
success il no fit companion for other
bosses like Quay and Platt and German.
Why. W. 4. Jones can beat that lie has
succeeded himself five times and SUCCESS
fully helped his friends, and yet he is no
boss. (or least his friends say that he
is not.) The Congressman is like thecen-
turion in the Scriptures, except that he
is not a man under authority, but he has
men under him and he says to this man
"Go," and he goeth; and to another
Come" and he cometh, and to his SER
want. "Do this" and he doeth it. But
the Senator is unable to do anything for
his friends. it seems, while the Congress
man can do everything. A machine that
fails the very first time it is tested can't
be the powerful thing it is supposed to
be. and "boss" that can influence no
body is not much of boss in the world
of politics.
Judging by results the student ofevents
can lint reach the conclusion that some
body has been doinga powerful amount
of lying.
THE TATTLEH.