The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-05-23
High Duty of Citizenship.

National and Municipal League draws contrast be-
tween bossism and leadership, in the Christian En-
deavor World of April 3Oth, He writes:
Bossism must be distinguished from leadership.
The latter is inevitable, the former unnecessary and
an excrescence Leadership utlllzes personal abll-
tiles and organization for public ends and public pur
poses Bossism prostitutes them to selfish and per
sona1 ends. Leadership stands for ideas and prin-
cples. Bossism stands for personal aggrandizement
and profit.
sponsibility can make his influence felt Let him
vigorously insist clean and efficient men;
not in decade, not in five years. but every
year, every election.
While the National Municipal League is devoted
chiefly the reformation of political conditions in
the great cities, the above pithy remarks appl
cable to all communities In Idaho politics there is
no "boss" and never has been. Ordinarily in boss
ridden states and municipalities, there is machine
which is dominated by a boss" The machine is
held together by system of rewards and punish
ments. Men are put into office given special
privileges by those in office in the way of grants and
franchises and opportunities to make money in por-
portion as they are subservent and useful to the
chine There is "boss" ordinarily who controls the
machine He has his lieutenants scattered over the
city or the state. He keeps tab on the situation.
When money is needed for primaries or elections, the
boss" goes to the corporation magnates, to the
protected industries or to the ambitious who want
Office and secures from them the snews OF war, .. e.,
money which distributes among the leaders of the
machine, who in turn distribute it down along the
line until it reaches the ward heelers"
There cannot be boss" in politics unless there is
great patronage great opportunities for the making
of money to be distributed BOSS" in politics car
res with it the idea Of corruption.
When one commands great following and the
people rally to his standard and it is not charged
against him that he dispenses money or office for
corrupt purposes, such one is leader. Senator
LaFoette of Wisconsin for instance fought corpor-
ate wealth in his state for several years. and because
of his aggresseness and the confidence that people
had in his integrity of purpose, he finally overcame
all the obstacles was elected governor and reelected
and then sent to the senate of the United States.
A boss" is impossible in Idaho and always has
BEEN because there is not sufficient opportunity Tor
grating enough offices to be distributed to create
and maintain "boss" There is never BOSS in
states of large area and small population. 1t is I'M
possible that there should be- The elements which
are essential to the making of boss" do not exist
The Dopulaton must be concentrated in small area,
and great business enterprises must be carried on
there in order that the "boss" may flourish
Idaho however, has machine" which combines
all the Objectionable features of BOSS. The dif-
ference between the machine" in Idaho and the
"boss" and machine combination in Philadelphia or
New York, for instance is that the machine dis
tributes among its own members all the rewards of
success political and pecuniary The similarity be-
tween the "boss" and the machine" combined and
the machine alone is strkingly perfect in this that
under neither does the best citizenship of the COM
munity have much of opportunity The only