The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-09-21
HERE is A GOOD BOSS
THERE is SUCH A THING IN
CITY POLITICS AND THIS
STORY DESCRIBES HIM AND
HIS WORK.
BY gibson GARDNER.
Special Correspondence to The Pr,

| bALN Lo YIN, i eA, sept. Zl.-ll
is interesting to discover that the
best governed city in the country"
Galveston, the pioneer in the com
mission form of government is
not without it's boss"
Nearly everybody has heard
about the Galveston commission !;
few people outside of Galveston
have ever heard of e. r. Chees-
borough. And yet E. r. Cheesbor-
ough is about as important to Gal
weston as is it's commission.
e. R. Cheesborough is a book
keeper in a Texas land company.
He is not rich. He is not big en-
ployer of labor. He is not 'promi-
nent democrat" nor wet a "promi-
enent republican, He is not a
ward worker, a mixer" or a "jol-
lier." He is not an officeholder.
He is not professional politician.
How, then, does he come to be
Galveston's boss?
Answer: BY reason of his genu-
inc interest in and intelligent ac-
tivity in behalf of the city.
When the inquiring stranger
comes to town and begins to ask
about Galveston and its city gov
eminent, he is told: go see
Cheeseborough.''
But who is Cheesborough? he
inquiries. rs he the mayor?"
"Oh, no. He holds no office. But
he knows more than anybody else
about it,
rs he the father of the city
plan?" persists the inquirer.
"Oh, no; but he did more than
anybody else to get it through"
Has he never held any Officer"
ooh, no. Not to amount to any
thing. But he does more than any
body eles to get the people elected
to office"
All of which the inquirer finds to
be true.
Mr.. Cheesborough is found por
ing over his big ledgers. He is a
thin, tired looking young man;
looks more like a bookkeeper than
boss. He lays aside his ledgers
and turns patiently to the task of
answering inquiries. He gives you
the history of the subject. He pulls
from his shelves volumes on city
government. He produces scrap
books filled with the current his
tory of the city. covering a period
of 10 to Is years. Here are circu-
lars used in such and such cam
paigns. Here are the statistics on
such and such subjects. Here are
the records of such and such public
men. Here are everything that
an ideal public spirited citizen
should have or know to deal intelli-
gently with public questions.
But what is Mr.. Cheesborough
well, l am a director of the City
club. l have been secretary of the
grade raising board"
And this City club? It's station
cry describes it as "A nonpartizan
political organization, whose object
and aim is to work for the welfare
of Galveston"
One suspects that the City club"
is E. R. Cheesborough. and ones
suspicious are soon found to be
very near the truth.
who writes these circular let
tiers to the people of Galveston?"
Mr.. Cheesborough modestly ad
mits that the composition is his,
though ]. w. keenan, is put down
as chairman, and long string of
names are added, among them, in
studied inconspicuousness, that of
E. r. Cheesborough.
In another campaign the voters
of Galveston were appealed to in a
printed circular entitled THE Citi
zens' Bulletin" A little inquiry dis
closes the fact that this bulletin is
another form of E. r. Cheesbor-
ough.
Again it becomes necessary to
stir up public sentiment sufficient
to back the commission in remov
ing all saloons from the residence
district. The good people of Calves
ton are addressed in a two page
paper entitled tie Home" Which
turns out to be another alias for
e. r. Cheesborough.
At election time the City club ap-
points a committee to wait on the
odd commission and urge them to
stand again as candidates. This
committee is chosen by e. r..
Cheesborough. Somebody passes
around the hat to the good business
men of Galveston to secure money
to defray the trifling expenses of
the campaign. This somebody" is
E. r. Cheesborough.
The licensing and regulation of
saloons becomes a burning issue,
and the forces of law and order are
called upon to hold joint debate
with Representatives of the brew
ers. The man appointed by the
City club to take the anti-brewers'
side is e. r. Cheesborough.
Trouble is encountered in secur-
a