The San Francisco call., 1905-08-27

not prepared to see that distinguished
company rise and with not shadow or
resentment on any mans face. with only
a respectful, envious glance at me. who
was to deprive them of sunshine for a
few minutes, remove themselves and
their glasses to another table. When
knew Donfnick better. and other bosses
in this republic of ours, i knew that the
boss is never above the weaknesses OF the
monarch class for rigid and servile
court etiquette. My own lack OF this
weakness has been a mistake, which
might have been serious had my political
power been based upon men. 1t is blum
der to treat men without self-respect as
If they were your equals 1ney expect 10
cringe; If they are not compelled to do
so they are very likely to forget their
place. At the court OF boss are
seen only those who have lost self-re-
spect and those who never had It. The
first are the lower though they rank
themselves. and are ranked, above the
Just naturally low.
But-Dominick was alone. his eternal
glass of sarsaparilla before him He
used the left corner of his mouth Doth
for his cigar and for speech To bid
me draw near and seat myself, he had
to shift hisecigar. When the few words
necessary were half-SpOken, half
.grunted. he rolled his cigar back to the
corner which IL rarely left. He nodded
condescendingly, and, as took the IN
dicated chair at his right, gave me a
hand that was fat and firm, not unlike
the fiabby yet tenacious sucker of d
moist sea-creature.
He was huge, tall man, enormously
muscular, with a high head like a
block, straight in front, behind and on
either side; keen, shifty. pig eyes. POM
pOuS cheeks, raw, wide MOUTH SLOW
emily dress, with big diamond as col
lar button and another on his puffy lit
tie finger. He was about 40 years old,
had graduated from blacksmith too lazy
to work into prizefighter, thence into
saloon-keeper. 1t was as saloon
keeper that he founded and built his
power, made himself the local middle
man between our two great political
factors, those who buy and break laws
and those who aid and abet the lawless-
ness by selling themselves as voters or
as office-holders.
Dominick had fixed his eyes upon his
sarsaparilla. He frowned savagely into
its pale brown foam when he realized
that i purpoSed to force him to speak
first. His voice was. ominously surly
as he shifted his cigar to say: We'll,
young fellow, what can i do for you?
Mr.. Fessenden told me you wanted
to see me-" said l..
He didn't say nothing of the Sort
growled Dominick. I've knowed Buck
- fiusaeasa9d cIe1
endured this insulting monarch. I could
II. the youthful, the obscure. the de-
spondent- Said I: Perhaps did not
express myself quite accurately. Fes-
sender told me you We're considering
making me your candidate for county
prosecutor, and suggested that I call
and see you
Dominick gave gIeam and a grunt
like a hog that has been hattered with a
rough scratching of its hide. But he an
severed: Il don't give no nominations.
That's the province OF the party. young
man.
But you are the party" was my re-
ply. AT the time was not conscious that
1 had thus easily dropped down among
the hide-scratchers. 1 assured myself
that l was simply stating the truth, and
ignored the fact that telling the truth
can be the most degrading sycophancy
and the subtlest, and for that reason the
most shameless, lying.
well, / guess I've got a little some
thing TO say about the party, he con-
ceded. "Us young fellows that are active
in politics like to see young fellows
boys amt stuck on Ben Cass-he's too
stuck on himself. He's getting out OF
touch with the common people and is
boot-licking in with the sWells up town.
= So. when heard you wanted the NOM
ination for prosecutor. cold Buck TO trot
you round and let US look you over. Good
party man?'
'sYes-and my father and grandfather
before me-.
in xro1 cyTSf prf11
L laughed was really amused, such
relief was it to see gleam of pleasantly
In that menacing mass I'm no better
than my party said /. 'and don't de-
sert it just because it doesn't happen 10
do everything according to my notions
That's right" /. approved Dominick.
falling naturally into the role OF political
schoolmaster. There amt no govern
ment without responsibility, and there
amt no responsibility without organiza-
tion and there amt no organization
without men willing to sink their differ
ences." He paused.
looked my admiration-I was most
grateful to him for this chance to think
him an intellect. Who likes to admit that
he bows before a mere brute. The COM
pulsory courtiers Of a despot may pos
sibly and in part tell the truth about
him, after they are safe; but was there
ever a voluntary courtier whose opinion
OF his monarch cOulu Dc DcACfCOA
The more distinguished the courtief
the greater his necessity to exaggerate
his royal master-or mistress-to oth-
ers and to himself
Dominick forged on:f Somebody's
got TO lead, and the leaders got to ba
obeyed Otherwise what becomes OF
the party? Why. it goes to hell, and
we've got anarchy"
This was terse, pointed, plausible
the stereotyped machine" argument
nodded emphatically.
'Ben Cass.~ he proceeded. believes
in discipline and Organization and lead
ership only when they're to elect him
to a fat lob. He wants to use the
party, but when the party wants SER
vice in return, up goes Mr.. Cass' snout
and tail, and off he lopes. He's what
/ call a cast iron shall omit tha
vigorous phrase wherein he summar-
lied Cass His vocabulary was not
large: he therefore frequently resorted
to the garbage barrel and the mues