The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-14
BOss AND BOssLEr.

Tho gradual disappearance of the old time political boss and the occupation Of his shoes by the new generation of bosslets is a phenomenon which Is at tracing the attention and inviting the comment of newspaper workers, The statement Is made that not a single boss of the first water variety Is left in New York state and that in every state in the Union the retirement of the big bosses is either imminent or threatened
 It is significant of the times In which We are living that this change in the traditional manner of controlling poll tical parties is taking place It is true that 1t has been predicted time and time again. but until recently 1t has given but little encouragement to the friends of good government The last of the big bosses In the state of New York was odel on the Republican side and Croker on the Democratic side. Their successors are men of smaller in- tellectual calibre and less personal power. what they order to be done Is not necessarily done. Hence 1t follows that they have to await a popular ex- precision of opinion before stating their t.. n1f Parsons of New York deserted the anti Hughes forces 10 support the mill itant governor. because he became con , vInced that the people were back of the man he personally would like to see i eliminated from political life. Timothy Woodruff and Mir. Ward will do the same thing within twenty-four hours, leaving alone in the anti-feld, If any one Is left there, young Mir. Barnes from Albany.
 There is every reason to believe that If MT. Fyler of Torrington had lifted his hand at the Republican state con vention in this city the bosslets would have been only too glad to substitute another for MT Lilley Mir Fyler, how ever much one may resent his leader ship and his policies, s boss of the major class with no successor in sight. Even his hold would be seriously crip- pied were it not for the Connecticut < enrollment law which works directly to strengthen the hands of the party machine This is proved by the fact that but comparatively few over one- third of the voters of the state are en- rolled the rest resenting the proposi- ton of the law that they shall make known to the public their private and personal judgments on any question The fact is that the people are no long er in a. mood to be bossed. They real ize that a political party must have an organization but they insist that the organization shall conhne itself to It's legitimate function of carrying out the orders of the party members They do not recognize the right of the organlz- ation to determine a year and a half in advance who Is to be their nominee for governor.
 The reason for this growth in the anti-boss sentiment is not difficult to follow Modern conditions are aversc Go the creation of the big boss. There are as many forcefu men in the coun- try as there was fifteen years ago but somehow they have learned that the response to their leadership Is less and less hearty, while the danger of their candidates being defeated at the polls Is more and more sure. The press has very largely thrown off its partisan al- columns scrupulously free to all, it has reserved to itself the right to comment independently upon the events of the day and week All the other sources of publicity are at work to increase the dignity of public comment and the power of individual opinion. Later when the direct primary nominating principle is adopted, the last vestige of boss rule will have disappeared and we shall have approached as near as we can hope to do to actual self gov- ernment, Had that been the rule in Connecticut this year the nominee of the Republican party would have been Rolin $. Woodruff and he would have carried the state for Taft and himself by a whacking old plurality Now bossism in Connecticut is doomed