The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-04-30

The Seventh ward We will say is
called on and the chairman Of the del
egation rOars out Fourteen votes for
Jones and one for Smith An assist
ant secretary repeats to the main sec
retary, Fourteen votes for Smith and
one for Jones" and it is so recorded
The chairman from the Seventh ward
may think the vote of his delegation
has been recorded properly. Some
times, when things appear to be rum
ming TOO close, they will not even give
the opposition candidate any votes
until the bosses candidate is safe.
Any motion for a rOll-Call is "gavelcd
down" by the chairman, and the ser-
geants-at-arms, always chosen by the
BOSSES" are eager to eject any OBJ
streperous patriot who begins any
iargon about his rights
To "gavel down a motion is simply
10 hammer on the table with the gavel
and proclaim that motion has been
carried" or defeated" just as you
want it to 60 In this way, no matter
what the majority is the bosses and
the chairman and secretaries can
thwart the will of any convention, un-
less the convention splits and "a bolt
is started. TO bolt is to leave the
hall, organize separate convention
and proceed as though the other con-
vention was not in existence.
This is last resort, and is seldom
done. Delegates are timid and they
rarely have any independent action.
They may fume in private but they
take the gaff'' in public. Party fealty,
party cohesion, party this, that and
the other weighs on them and makes
them towards. For the most part the
delegates hope to get some crumbs
from the party table and they fear to
revolt, knowing well they will be
marked men with the organization.
Oh! potent phrase, the organization" !"
There is the ward organization" the
county organization, the state or
ganization" the national Crganiza-
ton" all ineytriCably linked and
welded together, and the national COM
mitteeman can put his finger on a
garbage wagon driver in a remote
ward and separate him from his job
if the driver doesn't do exactly as he
is told It's beautiful system. Don't
imagine that it is not perfected so far
as it can be.
Occasionally some fossil Of respecta-
bility, galvanized into spasmodic ac-
ton by something particularly brazen
on the part of the powers that run the
convention, will get up from the plat
form, where he is supposed to be ac-
quiescent to the program, and start
the animals by fiery diatribe against
the bare-faced robbery going on under
his very nose. At such time it is
really delightful to see the perfect re-
tened to by the chairman and the
bosses" His remarks may be pune
tured by cheers by the malcontents IN
the delegates seats, but the strong
arm contingent governed by the
bosses sits quietly until he fires his
broadside. Then possibly boss"
gets up, or the chairman gets in 4
happy remark or two and there is a
thunder-roll of applause from the
bosses gang. The respectable gen
tleman has simply talked for the
pleasure of having his cerebellum vi
brate. He might as well have recited
Mary had q little lamb
Our ward stood eight to seven in one
convention, and our chairman an
nounced it correctly. He was an op-
ponent of mine, but he did not try to
change the vote. But when the vote
was announced from the stage it was
Is for the other side. Several of us
yelled "bloody murder" at the steal,
hut, bless you, that convention went
right ahead with it's business as easily
as if seven men standing upright in
their seats and bowling Mister Chair
man; Mister Chairman" was mere
tableau and nothing that concerned
the convention in the remotest de-
gree.
By the way, convention oratory is
divided into two kinds, the turned
tbo