The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-03
SUNDAY. APRIL 8, 1901.
A Typical Spokesman.

Every citizen has a duty to discharge
In peacc as welltns In war. and the State
4 has tho right to expect every cItizen6to
x do his duty whether It DO to shoulder
arms in her defense or to take part N
M any civic struggle aud use his influence
and HIS ballot In the Interest OF honest
government, Many citizens are neglect
4 ful OF this duty, They hold themselves
aloof. They never attend political meet
I hrs They never, take part In a polti-
cal campaign, and they rarely put them
selves to the trouble tojvote.. Such cit
n ,zens$ are Sinking their civic duties Just
Las surely as n man shirks when he hides
IL himself away from tho enrolling officer
/. IL time OF war and manages BY hook
3or byE crook to keep out Of battle.
But many good men refuse to take
part n politics and In election contests,
not because they are indifferent to thair
I duty, but because they arc Disguised with
& political methods.
$z several days ago Senator George W.
1,lunkett sage OF tie county court
house Npoot-black stand In New York. :"
delivcred n discourse for the benefit Of
first voters III the coming presidential
5 election. which is worthy Of study.
h .'Thcr.'s thousands Of young men In
K this city who'll so to the polls for the
+ frs tH,time next November" lie SAID.
Among them will I've many young men
who have watched the careers OF sue
i ccssfuI men in politics and who are long
q In to make names and fortunes for
at No Erlr
these youths that want to give advice
VI to-day. First, let me say that I'm In q
Il position to give what tlha courts call cx-
pert testimony on the subject. don't
5St link YOU can easily find a better exam
81 pie thnn ] am Of success IN Politics.
Attcr forty years experience at the
san,e5T am--wcll I'm Senator Plunkett
Everybody knows what figure cut in
sthe greatest organization on earth, and
f You hear people say That I've laid
~ away a million or SO since was a
Butchers boy in Washington Market.
don't come to me for an Indignant de-
arial. Tin pretty comfortable thank
YOU. sl ta
NOW, having qualified as an expert.
las the lawyers say, I'm gon' to give
5@ advice free to the young men who are
goin' to cast their first votes, and who
are loollin' forward to political glory and
Z lots Of cash. Some young men think they
from books, and they cram their heads
with all sorts of college rot. They
couldn't make a bigger mistake. Now
understand me, l amt sayin' nothin
against colleges guess they'll have to
exist as long as there are boollworms.
ana I suppose they do some good IN q
certain way but they don't count in
politics. In. fact, q young man who has
gone through the college course Is handi-
Is capped at the outset. FIe may succeed
III politics. but the chances are 100 to l
against him.
'...no,her mistak,a:.i some young men
think that the best way to prepare for
tho political game is to practice spenkin'
and become orators That's all wrong,
We've got some orators in, Tammnny
Hall, but they're chiefly ornamental. You
nev,er heard of Charlie Murphy celiverln'
h a speech did you? Or Richard Croker,
or John Kelly or any other man who
has been n real power In the orgflnza-
ton? Look at the thrty-six district
leaders OF Tammany Hall to-day. How
mary Of them travel on their tongues?
"A Maybe one or Two, and they don't count
when business is dom at TammanY Hall,
"a The men who rule have prncticed koepln'
= shcir tongues still, not eXcrcisln' them.
s5o YOU want to drop the orator idea un-
less you mean to go into politics Just
y to perform the skyrocket act
Tho distinguished statesman then pro-
4 ccelnG to tell his hearers how lie be-
came sreat and Influential In politics.
ITe said that when he started out to hs
a noiiticinn no went to his intimate
chum, made known his intention. Tom
n my" said he. 81 am goin' to be n poll
tlcian. and ] want TO get a followln':
& can ] count on you?' sure, George
said Tommy. and tho career was begun,
lie went to tho leader and told hin,
Y that be could control two votes. his owr
and one other, and the leader told hin
h 10 consider himself enlisted in the Tam
many ranks. II Offered the leader mar
ketable goods" said the statesman. 'ant
he told me TO &c ahead If ! had of
fered him a speech or a book full o
lrarnin', he would Of said Forget t,''
That Was the way the statesman began
Then he secured one other vote. then sew
eral votes in his own building, then NOR
votes in the block and, finally, he hat
"followln'," and organized the "Georg
washington Plunkett Association A
last had "markeiable goods of req
value. and was ahLs TO tiyliver them t
that party or candidate that was willini
10 uey most for the stuff, In the cours
OF time the Hon. George washington
Plunkett was able to dictate his Owl
terms TO Tammany, and so he became
TaInmany leader and the DISPENSER of
considerable patronage,
Thai sort OF political organization l
seen In It's perfection In the city Of Ney