Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-11-24
Some Lesser Symptoms.
st. Paul Dispatch.


The concensus of editorial opinion
is that the significance of Tuesdays
election lies in their assault upon and
overthrow OF bossism. That this was
the objective of the battles appears
not only in the larger fields where
Jerome and Weaver led the fray, but
in the smaller ones. Less picture
sque than We're the contests in New
York and Philadelphia, they were
just as earnest, just as stoutly fought
and just as victorious. AS symptoms
indicating general condition they
are worth noting.
| In Boston the democratic and re-
publican bosses had picked out one
ocracy there is dominant and the re-
| publicans, either complaiSant or hope
| less, accepted the choice, IS the DEM
ocrats. A youag lawyer named Nor
gan--well named, as the sequel shows
Announced his independent can
didacy, secured the requisite number
Of petitioners and opened a cam
paign. The bosses looked on and
smiled at the temerity Of the "kid."
He, on his side, shook defiant fists at
them; appealed to the voters on Jcr-
ONES lines, that it was more their
fight than his; that the question was
who, they or the bosses, should choose
their servants. And he won out
y, ,l,r, IL rs 1o 1cf< Itch
ment of all, and most all of the party
managers.
In Mount Vernon, in Westchester
county, in New York; where one
Ward was boss. sub-boss to Boss
Odell, and where for years he had
said to this man come and he came
and to that one go and he went, one
Brush had been mayor, but he had
offended Boss Ward in some way and
he ordered him off the list of candi-
dates, nominated another and Brush
ran as an independents. He put up
the same issue: Ward or you, the
voters. who is boss? And he won
by plurality of 1000 in vote Of
5000. Over in New JERSEY we had
young Colby's fight with Boss Lentz
for the nomination in which he won,
and on Tuesday he had his triumph
though the boss tried to beat him at
the polls. In Jersey City Pagan ap-
pealed to the people from the boss
and the people made him mayor
againt the ukaSe of the boss.
Then their was Brooklyn whose
boss is the notorious McCarren. The
boss had picked out one Rigely, a
! fellow without shred of character
or reputation, and insGiently bade
the voters accept him for president
of the borough. The Hearst organ
Ration named Bird s. Coler, and
there, too, fight was on against the
boss And Coler is elected and an
other boss wonders what got into the
| voters. Doubtless, as the lesser
symptoms come into public notice we
shall have more of these indications
Of the purpose that they lay behind
the actions of voters on Tuesday.
The Dispatch feels the greater sat
isfaction over these Indications of
the existence of the independent
i voter because it has for years urged
the necessity of independence if we
are ever to attain to decently honest
government. Between voluntary sub
mission of Judgment to party bosses
or organization, with the consequent
surrender of liberty, and rne ignorant
and superstitious submission of the
! Russian peasant to his, ecent boss,
with its accompaniment of loss of
| freedom, we see no distinction save
in degree. We must, OF course have
party organization in government
like ours, but sad experience teaches
that such government rapidly degen-
crates into boss government unless a
Sufficient body of independent voters
exist to strike down. the developing
boss by shifting the party that en-
! wolves him.