The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-08

THE BOSS-And How he Came to Rule
New York,-written from the inside-by
Alfred Henry Lewis. Illustrated. Price,
S1.50. Publishers: A. S. Barnes & Co,
New York.
A few years ago, when Richard Croker
was a friend and admirer of Alfred Henry
Lewis, the leader OF Tammany commission
ed Mr.. Lewis to write his biography. At
that time the gifted writer was enamour-
ed of Croker and entered upon his work
with zest. He idealized the political boss
and made his career read like romance.
Those who knew Croker as he is, marvelled
that his biographer could write him as
the only perfect man of a century, utterly
rubbing out every wart and blemish.
But time has wrought a wondrous
change. Shortly after the biography
came from the press, there came a differ
.ence, clash, a conflict between Mr..
Croker and Mr.. Lewis that resulted in
an open rupture. There was an issue of
veracity, If we remember Alright, between
the erstwhile aged politician and the bril-
liant writer, and the flower of hate sprung
up where the flower Of love had bloomed.
And now MIR. Alfred Henry Lewis, in a
work of fiction, writes another biography
of Mr.. Croker-and to fully appreciate
this book, one should have read the former
biography by Mr.. Lewis. 1.-The Boss" is
given to US as an autobiography of a Tam
many boss, and it is SO clearly intended
to be the story of Croker that the author
might as well have called the hero-(or
shall we say william ?)-Richard Croker
by his name, the picture is so faithfully
drawn in many particulars.
The story opens with a ragged urchin,
not .ong arrived from Ireland, who whips
a ward heller becase he has evil designs
against young girl Just arrived from the
"ould country" He is arrested, put in
JAIL and by the kindness of big John
Kennedy (the fiction name for John KEEL
ly, former boss of Tammany), who be-
comes his patron and friend. Under the
tutelage of Big John Kennedy the young
Irish athlete becomes a politician whose
prowreSs Is due to his muscle and to his
silence-two things that were essential for
success in East Side politics. He whips
a noted bully and takes his place as SUBJ
leader He is engaged in bloody conflict
with a tough, who falls dead while the
hero has his hands on his throat
He is arrested, there is proof that
he bought the knife that caused
the death of his antagonist, but
caused the death of his antagonist, but
big John Kennedy" has packed the
jury, and he is acquitted of the crime of
which he was really not guilty, Sicillian
whose life he had saved, throwing the
deadly knife. But the imprisonment and
trial so weighed upon his wife that, after
giving birth to daughter. she died. The
horror of the arrest of her husband SO
preyed upon his wife that the daughter
was born with moose of the gallows in
red upon her throat-a mark which finally
produced her death, having previously
made her life one of misery.
The story OF the steady rise Of 1.-The
Boss is told graphically and with power.
Incidents of corruption are told with
minuteness and the character of the
Boss is painted black. He has
his good qualities, but there is
a vacuum where moral perceptions
ought to be found. He regards politics as
game, as a battle, and believes that if
he doesn't rob the taxpayers somebody
else will. He has a contempt for men who
go into politics for pure purposes and be-
lieves that all 'reformers" are as venal
as himself. AS proof o; this theory. there
are introduced certain 'reformers' in New
York who were ready enough 20 trade
with The Boss" for personal or political
advantage and whose talk of reform was
cloak for their own venality.
No corrupt Boss ever succeeded who
was not in league with rich grafters-
men at the head of giant corporations who
wished to grab valuable franchises and OBJ
tain special exemptions which they could
not get in the open. The picture of the
leader of such rich corruptionists is given
US il this book. 1t runs through from
beginning to end and shows that vcnal
politicians are always in league with
venal rich men who furnish the money to
buy elections and get rich by being given
valuable franchises and concessions by
THE Boss" 1t Is not alone in the great
cities like New York and Philadelphia
that bad government comes through an
alliance of INSCRIPTIONS political bosses
with men of large financial means, or the
owners of public franchises. They have a
natural alhnce. Both are grafters, work
ing the public for their private benefit.
Mr.. Lewis has done public service in
showing that they are Siamese Twins and
that their success is inimical to good gov
this book. If he has an object lesson IN
his own city, it will still help to give him
insight into the methods of graft. Citi-
zens Of Raleigh will find it of peculiar in
terest.
There comes a time when 1.-THE Boss"
retires In that portion Of the autobi-
ography the author makes certain that he
has Richard Croker in his mind and tells
of his exile in way that leaves no room
to doubt that he is talking about Croker.
The chief power of the book is that the
author draws the black picture without
seeming to try to make the hero wanting
in character. Written as an autobiography
it rather sets down the deeds as they oc-
cur. the good and the bad, and shows
that the controlling purpose of THE Boss
is TO dictate, dominate. control. 1t IS
easied to control by following his taste
and the line of least resistance, for the
grafters. in the tenement house and IN
the palaces, are ready to do his bidding II
he car give them what they want. By
drawing them together. he has the ee-
ment that can win if small portion OF
the honest people can be fooled.