Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-11-17

pieces. There was nothing to sug-
gest that the shedding would not be
easy for Tammany. Certainly Mr..
Mcclellan had made a good mayor,
he was confident of that himself, and
what he wanted to do, and what he
expected to do, was to hold the cam
paign to his personal record. He
was picked out by Tammany in the
first place for that purpose. He was
the opening of the campaign in 1904
whether he ought not to be shifted
to the head of the democratic ma
tioDal ticket: but Tammany was not
ready to let him go-there was the
promise of more convenient season.
There will be little debate in the i'm
mediate future of Mr.. Mcclellan as a
presidential possibility. Things turn
ed in such strange manner that the
sins of Tammany were unloaded upon
him. The figure that came to the
surface was the figure of the boss of
Tammany. 1t was toward him the
finger of Mr.. Jerome was pointed.
Where did he get it?'
"The lesson is" said the New York
Tribune on election day morning,
'that the popular conscience can al
ways be aroused on the issue such as
this campaign in its last two or three
hat viz 1u fn1 d ~
"Where did he get it?"
That was the issue. Graft or no
graft; public honesty or public
dishonesty. Mayor Mcclellan could
not escape his situation. What
he was Tammany made him, and
whatever he might be Tammany was
"it." "Tammany illustrates now, as
ever" said the Tribune, "merely the
cohesive power Of public plunder." ;"
1t exists for what it can take from
the people, for the cost OF its honest
graft must all be borne ultimately
by the people. This fact, it added,
"voters of all parties have learned
to recognize, and the popular revolt
of the last four weeks unexpected in
it's proportions-is welcome eyi-
dence that when simple issue like
honesty versus dishonesty presents
itself the most powerful political Or
ganization has to trim It's sails and
run for safety. Murphyism and Nc
Carrenism cannot stand in any Amer
ican community against an aroused
and intelligent public sentiment"
"Where did he get it?"
1t was an awful question. There
would have been nothing in it If
volumes of damnable reply had not
been stored in the public mind ready
to be quickened into eloquent express
sion by the fame that touched the
public conscience.
William Randolph Hearst was as
much surprised as George b. McClel-
Ian. Out of the weakness Of the
nomination CT the municipal owner
ship organization, Of itself utterly
impotent to do business, the people
improvised gnarled and ferocious
club. .saz. ass-ss 1- ezz;-..saz
William Travers Jerome was the
man of the hour. He stood one man
against thousands. His fighting
blood was up. He had sought to do
his duty in the office of district at
torney, and he was not a man after
the heart Of the bosses. On the
ticket bearing his name he had no
company. The ballot as presented
at the polls was proof that he had no
organization back Of him; he stood
alone. But not SO. He had the pub
lie conscience with him. And the
strangest thing that has ever happen
ed in the life OF Tammany occurred.
He was elected against all odds Of
party, of organization and Of ticket.
This man standing alone! This man
who had formulated the question and
put it forth like jets Of fire
"Where did he get it?"
Every man who voted for Jerome
voted split ballot. A majority Of
the electorate of New York knew
how. 1t was a marvellous demonstra-
tion. 1t is demonstration that will
quicken faith in the integrity of the
people everywhere. The time was
ripe for it, to be sure; hut the time
will be ripe for it again and again
where plunderers nest and despoilers
put their head together. III gotten
gains may go mountain high, but
spoils sufficient cannot be accumI-
latsd to smother the public con-