The Irish standard., 1904-12-17
The First Politician to Whom Title Boss
Was Given, He Retained Title Longer
Than Any Other Man.
President Buchanan Made Him Boss Laborer
in Navy Yard an He Was Known as
the "Boss" Ever After.

vote for South Carolina negro, if he
were the regular nominee Of the Dem
ocratic party"
For the men who had been associ-
ated with him in his early days and
for their children, Mr.. Mclaughlin
could never do too much. Many
man in Brooklyn owes his place in
politics to the fact that his father and
the "Boss" had been boys together. A
striking illustration Of his memory Of
the early days was shown in the at
tention he paid to Alice Fischer, an
actress, whenever she came to Brook
lyn. Her father had been in business
in the same market where he had
made his first start in business, and
when he found this out he always en-
tertained her when she visited Brook
lyn, and extended every possible
courtesy to her.
For one organization in the city he
had an affection which amounted al
most to reverence. That was the old
Volunteer Firemen. In the days when
he came into power the men who ran
with the machine We're powerful fac
tors in the political world, and to their
aid he owed part of his early success.
In his life Mr.. Mclaughlin was an
immoderate consumer of tobacco; he
smoked and chewed it to excess, and
his early portraits always represent
him with cigar in his mouth In his
later years, however, he was forced
to abandon the habit, and this his
strong will power enabled him to ac-
complish.
Mr.. Mclaughlin, when he did not
desire to make direct reply to a
pointed question, was fond of answer
ing with an anecdote in the nature of
parable. Before the city election of
1901 he was asked who would be NOM
mated for mayor. At that time there
was much talk Of making Controller
Coler the candidate, and Mr.. Nc
Laughlin was suspected of favoring
his candidacy.
did you ever live in boarding
house?' he inquired. "I did once, and
one evening the boarders wanted tur-
key for Sunday dinner. They found
out the landlady intended to give us
soup and chicken, so the boarders
went out to a turkey rattle and
brought back the turkey. That was
the only way we could get it,"
"Does that mean that whoever
wants the nomination for mayor must
get out and work for it?" was asked.
"I'm only telling you a story about
a boarding house," Mr.. Mclaughlin
replied.
In the following year the aged
leader surprised all the Democratic
politicians by journey to Saratoga to
attend the Democratic state conven-
ton to aid in having Mr.. Coler nomi-
mated for governor. 1t was the first
convention that he had attended for
many years. His lieutenants in Brook
lyn We're bitterly opposed to Mr..
Coler's nomination and did not hest
tate to say so. Before the nomina-
tion was decided on Mr.. Mclaughlin
was asked who was to be named.
"Some hunters went out to shoot
hare" he said, "but they were bad
shots and they did not kill it. They
only mangled it, and the hare is alive
BY this story he meant to indicate
yet"
that the attacks on Mr.. Coler would
not prevent his nomination, although
they might injure him, and his fore
sight was justified by the result.
Mr.. Mclaughlin was fond of saying
that he alone was entitled to the name
of "boss''
II am the only and original boss"
he said on one occasion. Gall others
are counterfeits. will tell you how
came to be boss. When President
Buchanan was alive he appointed me
boss laborer in the Brooklyn Navy
Yard and as such was known among
all the workmen. When 1 decided to
run for political Office the men who