The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-11-15
Mr.. B0NAPARTE.S UNIQUE SCHEME
Whereby Localized Bosses Would Be
Empowered 10 Make Party
Nominations.

. . NN'N~N NAAN N'btAi'-
lishment of a legalized "boss in
each political party" in each of
the states and cities, the "boss"
to be empowered to select the
candidates for the various offices,
thereby doing away with nominal
ing conventions. Declaring that he
was speaking seriously, Secretary
Bonaparte continued;
ut is hard, indeed, very hard,
often impossible, to get the men
who are fit for public office to be-
come candidates. Somebody has
to do a great deal OF work in find
ing the right man for each place
and inducing him to run for it.
Unfit candidates can be secured
by the bushel, but public life in this
country involves such grave sacri-
fees ofboth inclination and inter
ests for men of character, ability
and high standing in the commun-
ity, that they have to be driven
into it by a sort of compulsion,
through appeals to their sense of
public duty, in some cases, of par
ty loyalty.
Now, by a legalized boss
mean an individual authorized on
behalf of one our parties to choose
all candidates of that party for
elective Office within a designated
territory-to do intelligently, de
liberately and carefully the work
which is supposed to be done by
nominating conventions or 'Craw-
ford county primaries, but which
would be done by such agencies
so thoughtlessly. hurriedly and
negligently that is done usually,
in fact, by the local boss" or
ring" in secret.
"Of course, every facility should
be afforded for making lndepen-
dent nominations, whether within
the organized parties or without,
so that all citizens who may be
dissatisfied for whatever reason
with the regular nominations may
be able to vote effectually accord
ing to their convictions.
The reporters asked how Mr..
Bonaparte would choose his pro
posed 'legalized boss"
He ought to be elected annual
ly" said the Secretary, 'by the
legal voters of his party, at a pri-
mary held under all the sanctions
OF law, and at which only this one
office, or rather, position, should
be filled.
Each voter would have only to
say whom he consider the best
American in the party to consti-
tute a nominating convention of
one for all elective Offices within
the state city or county, as the
case might be.
'This would be a very simple
duty, and l am inclined to think it
could be satisfactorily performed
by the average voter, and I like
wise think it probable that no one
of the persons who have been
known as bosses since I have
known something about politics,
would have been elected at such a
primary.
perhaps is might be wise to
provide that the 'nominator' or le,
Called boss I have suggested,
should be himself disqualified to
hold public Office, but of this I am
not sure; there are certainly two
sides to the question.
The ISecretary was then asked
whether he expected to get up an
agitation in favor of establishing
'Iegalized bosses.
No" he said. the thoughts I
have just expressed are crude and
undeveloped and probably worth
no more than YOU will pay for
thcms Moreover, I fear I am get
ting decidedly into the sere and
yellow for purposes of political ag-
itation; perhaps for other purposes
also.
But I am inclined to the belief
that if somebody with half my
years and flour times my leisure