New-York tribune., 1907-12-20
THE BOSS AND THE PEOPLE.

Regarding the prospect that Mr.. Murphy would
re elect Borough President Ahearn our inquisi-
tive contemporary The New York World
repeated the other day its often asked question:
Must boss be an ass:" Now that the event
has occurred. il may feel like renewing IT'S
query or perhaps may regard II as answered at
last. But for our part fail TO perceive now
ANYTHING about the incident in any way impalrS
Mr. Murpbys reputation for astutenesS- GA
the contrary. in Opinion the proceeding indl-
Gates that Mr.. Murphy has one of the best
qualifications for being boss: no knows MS
New York He understands perfectly the po-
IticaI ideals of the public with which he has
10 deal Conscience makes no coward OF Mr.
Murphy He is halted by no false terrorS He
does not overestimate public squeamlshneSS- 1T
has been reported that Mr. Sullivan advised Ills
boss against restoring Ahearn; if that is so we
understand for the first time why Mr.. sullivan.
with all his resourcefulness and all his strength,
occupies only subordinate position IN iam-
many Mr.. Sullivan is too sensitive spirit to
he the boss He is scklied DER with the pale
cast of civic righteousness He has been ex
posed too long to the refining influences Of
Washington and Albany. His ideals are for
eign He is out of touch with his native city
He does not know what it withstand for. He
has not that discrimination of Mr. Murphy.
who never offends the city so much that 1t VIII
resent il nor SO little that the boys VIII re-
sent it, That. we take it, is the ideal of the
successful boss.
II we apply this test we see al once how per
fectiy Mr. Murphy is justified in re-eiectinG Mr.
Ahearn Take a hasty retrospective glance at
the kind of candidate Tammany has offered i'll
years past to an approving public. The only
thing clearly established is that you cannot
elect a thief 10 office. That is the one truism
of local politics. Almost anything else goes.
The idea that honesty" is the one absolutely
necessary qualification has been hammered
into the organization BY experience. until now
il is fairly permeated with honesty. 1t
is ohsessed with honesty and in this re-
spect it may be said fairly to represent
the voters of the city. We ask. as Mr. Murphy
must have asked. what would have happened
if Mr. Ahearn had been removed from office
Just before a general election for simple incom-
petence and general neglect of duty. but with
that priceless political jewel. his character for
honesty unimpaired. We ask If. under those
circumstances. the removed Borough president
had been put upon the Tammany ticket, tnat
ticket would have been swept TO defeat by the
disguised electorate. Would even Mr.. Ahearn
himself have been rejected: We are taking
into consideration ordinary conditions as they
have always existed. Suppose the result to
have been tested in a straight-ouz fight between
and a citizens ticket Tammany and such
a hybrid as that of last fall Wouldn't Tam
many have gone in with its usual majority and
Mr. Ahearn have been elected too running
about ten thousand behind his ticket-that
ten thousand representing the offended civic
virtue before which the supersensitive Mr.. Sui
lvan is reputed 10 have evinced a desire TO
prostrate himself? Let us look at the facts
plainly before applying unpleasant names in
hocc II ICy.Sf
business to be casting pearls before-weli,
where they are not likely to be appreciated.
1t is not fair to ask the boss to have higher
ideals than the people over whom he rules. 1t
not only is not fair, it is not possible. If a
boss sets out on an uplIft movement, the only
thing likely to be uplifted is his head. We
have said that 1t is the boss's ideal not to
offerd the city SO much that it will resent it
nor so little that the boys" will resent 1t; II
he departs from that ria media be is lost. It
is his part to know just how much the city
will endure and to make 1t endure it, II a
boss should adopt the lofty ideals of Mr. Sui
lyan and mistake himself for cross between
the master of Tammany and the leader of the
Citizens Onion his hours would indeed be num-
hered. Mr.. Murphy may have made a mistake
this time but bis reasoning is from correct
data and upon correct principles. The people
have SO far given him no reason to make him
fear their disapproval. May we amend our
contemporaries query? Must the people OF
New York always be ass?