The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-26
DEPENDING ON COX
TO DELIVER VOTES OF CINCIN-
 MATT TO TAFT.
Boss Cox Has Long Been The Machine Dictator iu Cincinnati,
 But Taft once DisItked Hlnn Very Much.

Boss Cox Has Long Been The Machine Dictator in Cincinnati, Hut Taft once Disliked Him Very Much.
 Chicago. Oct, 25-(SpeciaD-Wil'
 liam H. Taft is depending upon George
 B. Cox. the political boss of Cincln- l natl, to deliver a majority of the votes
 of that city to him on election day. Mir. Cox has long been the machine dictator in Cincinnati, and was dele gate to the Chicago convention which | nominated Mir. Taft. He is the Repub-
 lican candidates chief supporter in southern Ohio. Mir Taft thinks well of him; he and his advisers consult with him. MT. Taft, however, has not always held the same high opinion of Boss Cox which he now entertains. Three years ago,--to be exact, Octo- Der 26, 1905--and before he was can didate for the presidency MT. Taft made a speech in Akron, Ohio. during the course of which, regarding Boss Cox and his machine, he said:
 The Hamilton County machine Is the result from fifteen to twenty years labor by George B. Cox, a man of great executive talent and politi- cal capacity Beginning with the politics of the ward hc has created a political organization in the city of Cincinnati and the county of Eianlil- NOAS ASAhAS0 OA SAiC OOACSANS PO"SE of the public patronage, which oper- ates as smoothly to control the nomi- nations and elections in the city and county as a nicely adjusted Gorliss engine.
 "The whole government of both county and city are absolutely under his control, 7 and every Republican man whom he dictates. The organiza- tion is carried far beyond the mere preparations for conventions and em- braces the strictest discipline among the cohorts in bringing out a full vote on each election day. The gov ernment under the machine Is con- stantly described as a very corrupt one. Such a government generally begets corruption.
 '"rhe importance of expressing open and notorious graft In order to pre- vent defeat at the polls Is known to the engineer of the machine and he has perhaps exercised his power to suppress the inevitable tendency in such a machine. But the power secured by the boss and his assistants under the machine has undoubtedly inured to their pecuniary benefit, and 1t is seen in the large fortunes which they now have. How their money was made has not been disclosed The large public utility corporations seem to regard the boss as a conserving ih- fluence, and are content to have the control of the machine continue as it is. because they regard themselves as thus insured against disturbance in their franchises.
 "The condition is one of absolute helplessncss on the part of any inde- pendent Republican seeking to take part in politics and to act indepen- dently of the machine; and the dis tressing effect is now seen upon all the young men ambitious politically, as 1t either drives them out of poli- tics and deprives the public of their probably valuable services, or if they go into politics they must subordinate themselves to the tyranny of the boss. It is a condition of affairs--a local despotism-much to be deplored. and if had thought by speaking and sup porting Governor Herrick tonight, I should be doing anything for the per petuation of the power ot tho Cox machine in Cincinnati. or if I thought that Governor Herrick had entered into a corrupt bargain with Cox, sas charged I would not be here"