Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-28
WHO is BLACK?

- city Frank S. Black, at one time
governor of New York, has skinned
President Roosevelt alive. He has
fayed. excoriated. flagellated, pilloried
him, burned him. And yet-Mr. Roose-
yelt lives. Like the moon after having
been the victim of nine hours barking
on the part of little yellow cur, the
president continues serenely along his
path of duty. We have not enjoyed
the sublime felicity of reading the
Black attack from start to finish, but
we have read enough of 1t. And know
ing Mr.. Black, knowing his record for
nearly twenty years, 1t is with an
aching heart, though with no surprise
whatever, that we read this extract
from his oratorical effort:
"The movements of the crowd it will
pay to observe. Which way is 1t
headed? What does it carry in it's
hands? What is it's temper and, most
speaking to the crowd from the head of
the barrel? The history of what that
concourse said and did and where it
went may be read by coming genera
tions not without wonder Do not for
one moment let your eye wander from
the man speaking from the head of the
barrel! 1t is he who in all ages has
planted thorns to prick the feet of
government; it is he who has started
fires that have burned into cinders the
accumulations of generations. 1t is he
who has raised discomfort to the grade
of an occupation and encouraged hate
to take the place of charity and good
will. 1t is he who has magnified the
peoples hardships till they seemed ten
fold harder than they were, and decried
their blessings till they seemed like
cheap and unsubstantial things. Ad-
versity or success, sorrow or hope, COM
fort or distress are alike to him, and in
every age or cline wherever his voice
has been heard his universal theme has
been the oppression of his fellow men
and his own intense devotion to their
cause To my mind the American peo-
Pile are now in that condition where
they had better think than move. Who
ever arouses the mob or the mob spirit
plays with fire."
One must consider the source from
which these wild mouthings emanate
in taking account of their weight. Mr..
Black, who so violently assails the
president as a man speaking from the
head of a barrel" is notoriously a
barreI-head orator himself. If that fact
had not been known before, his recent
speech would have brought conviction
that he is of this stamp.
Nearly fifteen years ago man named
Robert Ross was murdered at the polls
in Troy, N. Y, by hired thug named
Bat Shea, At that time Frank S..
Black was an obscure lawyer in the city
of collars and cuffs. This crime at the
polls wrought that city to frenzy.
The blood of Shea was demanded.
Hardly had the smoke from the assas-
sins revolver cleared away before Black
Jumped to the front and offered his
legal services to a hurriedly organized
determined to bring Shea (and, if possi-
BILE, the powerful political machine back
of mimi to justice. Shea died in the
electric chair and Black, after harangu-
ing the county, was swept into con-
gress ON the crest of the tidal wage Of
reform, to use a popular simile. His
chief claim to distinction while a MEM
ber of congress lay in the fact that he
regularly sent his soiled linen back TO
his Troy laundry under his congress
sional frank. His political enemies
facetlously quoted his name at times
made it read frank" Black.
Then came a campaign for state off,
GERS, Twenty-four hours before the
Republican state convention met at
Saratoga Springs probably nobody in
New York state, aside from Black him
self. thought Of the possibility Of his
nomination. His name had not been
mentioned. But the barrel-head SPELL
binder had had some experience in
swinging mobs of voters into line. He
went to the state convention determined
to gain the floor Che so confessed to a
small circle Of intimates the day before
the convention, and at the psychological
moment hypnotize the delegates into
nominating him by acciamation. He
was scheduled to make the speech nom-
mating somebody else That speech he
neatly turned into the seed Of a Black