The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-04
WEDNESDAY,, NOVEMBER 4, 1so:
THE PASSING OF PARKS.

No one can read the story of Parks without a feeling of pity; not for him. but for those whom he assumes to rep resent and who have allowed themselves to become his dupes. It Is hard to under stand how such a man as he could obtain and maintain such an influence as he has done. His followers are, for the greater part, men of ordinary sense and capacity. They are not ignoramuses, but hard-head- ed working men, many of them far above the average of the working classes.
 It Is such men that constitute his fol- lowing and who have been as clay Tn the hands of the potter, submitting to his dictation and contributing of their earn ings to support him in life of ease and comparative wealth. From all we can learn of him he never had any capacity or talents except a brute obstinacy, un- limited gall and very limited conscience He ordered strikes when he saw an op- portunity for money or revenge and call ed them off when he was paid for it. "I'm Sam Parks" was all that he considered 1t necessary to say when employers re- monstrated with him about strike situa- tions: I'm Sam Parks, and when you pay me - dollars, the men will go to work" The proof that he blackmailed employers of labor was beyond dispute The evidence that he asked and obtained money for preventing strikes, or for call ing them off after they were underway was plain and undisputable. He black mailed all who would submit to it, and he was as false to the unions and labor ing men as he was to principle.
 This Is the kind Of man who ruled the laboring men and labor unions of a great city. His word was law to them. They submitted to his domination as they sub mitted to his exactions from themselves. Even after he had been convicted of blackmailng and sentenced to prison, a large majority of his followers clung to him and acknowledged his leadership. A second conviction has opened the eyes of many of them, but there are many others who yet refuse to see anything wrong or criminal in his acts. If 1t were within their power, they would release him rom
 
 leader of union labor. It Is a strange in stance of the ascendency which can bC obtained by men totally undeserving.
 We thoroughly agree with a contempor ary that Parks Is the kind of man agains whom organized labor must ever. be oI guard, and his methods are the kinC against which labor must set itself firml! {C tho% [ known by the company he keeps, 1t i none the less true that men will be largel! judged by their selected leaders, And tn danger Is ever present when man O Parks's character and origin finds himsel in a position to be looked up to- to leat and dominate his fellow men, and to es tablish himself in easy circumstances There is always the danger that such man will betray those who build him u and will sacrifice all else to gain his owl ends. There are too many men who ca .a not bear prosperity or withstand tempta tfan. If they are not grafters at heart th&y often become so as soon as the doc of opportunity is opened to them.
 Parks was a bully and Bruiser to be gin with. lie was al"dys reauy lor u ro' and preferred to make his way by tn methods of the slugger That made hil the natural leader of every man who hc Iieved in the doctrine of brute force. Th5 kind of man is rarely safe leader fC law-abiding men to follow. He is nev' sto be relied on except with his fists or club. and in too many cases he develoI Into an accomplished grafter. Of course is not to be understood that all who nal their way up are to be regarded with su picion, but we do mean that the lab of the country has always the dang confronting it of being betrayed by leaders.