The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-05-27
By Samuel E. Bowen


especially have I played most
important part in city politics for
| together with large number OF
sturdy resolute and loyal Demo
Gratis helped 10 elect the three
Democratic councilmen in 1906
which paved the way for the
| great Democratic land slide that
| placed our present mayor in a
position of honor and trust.
During the three years of political
contact with fioaterS. ward heelerS
and titular bosses l have acquired
a varied, though nevertheless in
terestlng experience. An ex-
perlence which under some circum.
stances would cause one to have a
very great distrust in the
capacity of people to govern
themselves. For the man
who is honest and patriotic in
politics meets with manifold
encouragement. for in the first
place the so called better element
stay at home and do not vote at
all. More especially do they stay
at home in the primaries where
the ballot is made in both the po-
lItlcal parties. About l per cent
of the voting strength of each po-
lltlcal party carries the convention
or primary which ever way they
choose. And this one per cent
usually represents the irres ponsi-
bic law breaking and criminal
iioater who base as they may be.
are decidedly better than the 90 per
cent of the better element who
though hypocrits are too sancti-
fled to mix up in politics.
From my birth and throughout
an uneventful life I have been an
optimist I believe the world is
better to day than yesterday and
exercise broad charity for the
faults of others. But | must say
that L have the greatest possible
contempt for the man who poses
as being too good to mingle in
politics at least enough to vote his
honest sentiment. I care not
what mans politics may he. in
fact it matters but little what po-
Utica! party governs so long as it
is done honestly and by a majority
vote. There is happily growing
diminution of rancorous parti
sanship, i'll fact the people are the
only partisans for the bosses
throughout the country demon
stratcd decidedly by partisan in
clination. We witness this very
emphatically here at home. in no
other place would you find 4
stronger bond of fellowship exist
ing between the bosses of the two
dominant political parties. In the
Democratic party to which | bear
allegiance there is about as much
chance for youny man in Kan
q " '4Si 'ouiI. With independence
OF character to succeed i'll politics.
as there Is for an honest man to
succeed with Tanmanny Hall
Such is the force of machine rule
IN this county. And this boss
ridden condition of political de-
bauchery. will continue lust as
long as the people are Indifferent
to such iniquity- We must have a
new leadership in the Democratic
party before we can hope to offer
very formidable opposition to the
Republican party. The Demo
cratic leadership both in the CITY
and county have their pacity
for organization. Our leadership
has vainly tried to supply the
want of thorough organization by
means of buying votes and cor
rupting the electorate and this has
not alone proven ineffective. but
expensive and demoralizing. It is
{ quite impossible to hope for any
substantial reforms from those
who have been instrumental in
corrnpting the ballot. 1t is quite