The Virginia enterprise., 1908-09-11

However. Is Long =. tionality Of
e;s e 1;"S. Losd II:a W;,a fers a rare oppor-
| Out, tunity for studying
..-/~ what may be we'll
termed racial poll
tics" To an outsider the facts are of
course not apparent enough to make it
Interesting, but to a man on the 'in-
SIDE the drama Is chock-full of inter-
est. As had; and have, no sort of
prejudice against any race or creed,
my experience1fh municipal politics
was as good as an extended course of
travel In foreign countries. l saw the
various outs and ms of politics unfold
7hemaeltes, viewing matters with a
strictly Impartial eye. There was moth
Ing in the4ife OF, the city that was not
in some way, either remote or immi-
nent, connected with the political
game. A man might stay at home and
ahjure politics if he wished to, and
most of the native Americans did this,
but his sin would find him OUT. Then,
when he made his roar of protest
against existing conditions, he hal no
one but himself to blame.
The ward l lived in was, for our
city. singularly free from an admixt,lre
OF races. There were quite a number
OF Germans, a large array of Swedes,
Norwesians and Danes, some Irish and
lrish-Americans, strong colony of
Poles, few English and Welsh, some
Bohemians, and scattering of Greeks,
Arabtans, Jews. Armenians, Italians,
Spanish, Chinese, Firms, Scotch, Rus
SLAMS and some Americans, with an oc.
casiona1 Patagonian or a native of
the Cannibal Islands. But it was not
one of those wards of the city where
all races under the sun were repre-
sented; and few besides.
BY and large the Irish-Americans
ran" the ward. That is, in our par
ty. 1t was the simplest thing in the
world. They were born politicians,
taking to politics as a duck does to
water, and having a real love for the
game. They were ready speakers.
and sometimes good ones; they were
invincible "hustlers;" they always at
tended the ward meetings, and usual
1y held the offices; they were active in
getting acquainted, liberal in their pur-
suit Of their natural prey-the other
races-and resourceful. They were not
too scrupulOus in attaining a desired
end, and they never lost heart in de-
feat. They could and did rejoice in
victory, but they were never cast down
when they lost. It's all we'll enough
to talk about the alleged volatility of
the Irish race, but they make good
soldiers, don't they? Well, there's q
deal of discipline and other military
ingredients In political life, ana Wl1iles
1t Is true that in the rural districts the
American comes out strong for poll.
tics, in the majority of the cities, big
and little, the Irish-American poll
ticians run things" If you don't be-
l1eve this, travel little and inquire.
OF course in ward where there is a
heavy vote of the more stolid races,
the Irish-American politicians will put
up member of one Of those races. All
they ask in the world is to control him
after he is elected. And this they gen.
orally do. And why should there be
a howl about it? l don't know! If the
other peoples prefer to sit in their par
lors on stormy and bitter nights, re-
fusing to take any interest in politi-
cal life, why shouldn't somebody else
run things for them? The tools to
the men who can use them" was in
a ward of 10000 people. There were
many Americans o. my party in the
ward, but l never saw them at the
ward meetings, at the primaries, at
the caucuses, or anywhere else except
at the polls ON election day. They
would manage to crawl out of their
holes and vote, some of them, on such
occasions.
But politics is such disagreeable
work, don't you know" OF course,
don't you know" F,ut the result of
letting politics go hang while one
keeps his nose stuck tenaciously to
the grindstone of business often re-
suits in disaster to the entire conmu<
nifty "doncherknow" And l for one,
had nothing but bitter contempt for
the people of my race who lifted pro-
testing hands and gave voice to the
''lily-livered" dictum that politics was
something a gentleman couldn't en-
gage In
But speaking Of ''Americaus," so
far as the cities are concerned, where
are they?
"English and Irish. Dutch and Danish.
German, italian, French and Spanish,
Crossing their veins until they vanish,
In one conglomeration:
80 subtle tangie of blood indeed
No Heraldry-Earvey could ever succeed
In finding the circulation.
You can find regulation Americans
down In Kentucky, for instance, men
who can trace their ancestors clear
down to Daniel Boone in an unbroken
line. You may find them indulgipg in
such pleasantries as burning tobacco
warehouses or shooting at each other
from behind rail fences, for they are
quite as handy with a rifle as Daniel
was
The Poles were O. clannish nation,
and no one else could do anything
in their wards. Where they repre-.
sented only smattering of strength
they could be handled fairly we'll by
the leaders" in the ward, but they
were live members" and wanted some
share in the "spoils" of Office. In
their particular wards, where they had
assembled In almost solid forces, they
voted solidly for their own people, and,