Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-10-23

When the surgeons knife cut out the
veEIniform appendix of State Senator
Patrick II. NIcCarren. Democratic lead
er of Brooklyn. it also halted the ca
reer of an interesting figure in con-
temporaneous American politics. For
Years the name of Pat McCnrren has
been power in the affairs of Brook
| lyn and Greater New York. and his In
fuence has extended beyond the bound
| aries of his own borough and city to
/ the confines of New York state. Even
/ IN the Democratic councils of the ma
ton the name of NIcCarren has borne
weight as that of an astute. vigorous.
| farseeing. influential boss
! Whatever may be said in criticism
| of Long Pat" McCarren. no one can
| with truth bring the charge of cow
ardice against his name. No other
| leader has had the courage to cham
p1on the cause of the trusts and sneer
at measures intended to- benefit the
, people. Whether it be Coney Island
five cent fare bill or an eighty cent
gas bill. Senator McCarren had no hes
itation in coming out flatfooted in OPP
.
the calendar except murder has been
charged against him without resent
ment on his part. The only thing that
apparently affected him seriously was
reference to his personal appearance.
His lanky appearance and lean. cndav-
erous countenance have long been
standbys of the New York cartoonists.
McCarren never denied being a legis-
lative agent of the Standard Oil COM
pany. At one time he was the heaviest
bettor on the American turf
Possessed No Magnetism.
McCarren's personality. without our
ward magnetism and apparently with
few qualifications for popular leader
ship has not inspired the crowd with
blind faith in him and devotion to
his interests bur even those who have
opposed him have had sneaking nd
miration for him on account of his
supreme nerve Cold in manner. with
a face that has been an inscrutable
mask. his political career was one
long. continuous scrap. mainly with
the Democratic machine in Manhattan.
whose crossing the bridge" has been
consistently opposed by McCarren. He
has believed in rewarding the men
who land the votes. He would rather |
put a saloon keeper in office than 4 |
college professor. Saloon keepers act: |
professors talk. So far as was within |
his power he helped his followers 10 |
fatten ut tho public crib. He never /
objected to men calling on him for ia
vorS Anything within his power he
did to aid them. But he did not help |
them through any goodness of heart
He did it merely as IL matter of busi-
ness-politlcal business.
There are political leaders who pro-
fPss higher grade of morality who
are not so honest to their supporters
as McCarren.
Began as Cooper.
Senator McCaRran was born in East
Cambridge. Mass. about sixty years |
ago. His parents removed to Brook
Ign when he was very young, and he
attended the Brooklyn public schools.
In his ward are located the great |
sugar refineries. Like most poor boys.
he was Obliged to go TO work ut an
early age and naturally sought en-
ploymOnt in or around the retineries.
He learned the trade of Il cooper.
Later he became an oil inspector. |
which business he followed for ten
years. Meanwhile he married one of |
the most popular schooteachers in his
ward. and they say in Brooklyn that
it was the greatest wedding ever seen
in the neighborhood. Mrs. McCarren
is dead.
In the early eighties McCarren enter
ed politics and was elected to the as
sembly and was reelected many times,
rs often as he wished so his biogra-
pliers say. He studied law and WIS |
4 Omitted to the New York bar when
&c was past forty