The Washington times., 1912-06-11
"BILL" FLINN REAL
FRIEND OF PEOPLE
His Heart Is With the $6 Week Girl Workers of Pitts
burgh and He Is Out to Aid the
Progressives.
BY JUDSoN c. wELLIvER.

CHICAGO, June u.-Speaking by and
large. the man who goes out and smash
es a perfectly good political machine by
the simple procedure of getting all the
people on his side, is very likely to be-
come boss himself. But he'll be a
different sort of boss.
That 3 the way with "Bill" Finn, of
Pittsburgh. He Is easily the most strik-
ing figure in this convention gather
Ing. Every body wants to see him, to
be introduced to him, to be told about
him and his system, to know what sort
OF boss he Is and what he intends to do
with Pennsylvania, now that it's his.
For everybody seems to entertain the
curious notion about Pennsylvania, that
1t simply must have boss. 1t could
not get on without one. Finn says he
is no boss; the people are going to run
things for a spell now, whereat cynical
politicians hoist their eyebrows and
wonder whether Finn thinks they are
SO green.
Well. Finn may prove to be what
Pennsylvania will dominate as a boss
but he has got everybody here, who has
talked with him a little while about
his fights. his political ideas, his plans
-'~ @N@o eS>SS@ NAS"Sb my W DtileNlTB
that II he is boss, he will be another
such boss as La Toilette has been in
Wisconsin. or Cummins in Iowa. Finn.
matter Of fact, is as full of the
crusading spirit of the reforming en-
thusiast as Roosevelt. La Toilette, Wal
ter Stubbs. or Ben Lindsay. He talks
about 1t whenever anybody will let him
and he drops things that leave you per-
fectly certain that he means II; that he
wants to do some good for the people.
His Scheme.
Here Is a sample: He was talking
about his position in the present fight.
Before Roosevelt became a candi-
date" he said, "I was for La Toilette
and let me say right here that II La
Toilette had remained in, and Roose-
velt had not come in. we would have
carried third of the Pennsylvania
delegtion for La Toilette. No, he
could never have made the sweep that
Roosevelt did; nobody else could
Roosevelt-why' he's the wonder of all
political ages.
when was drawn into the fight for
Roosevelt. l went over and saw the
colonel; never had seen him but once or
twice before. During the talk asked:
friends in our end of the State to whom
We might turn In the hope of getting
some financial assistance in such a
fight as this is going to be?'
said, o. I know one man who might
help And then he named Pittsburgh
man who. as 1 happened to know
would have tainted II the effort had
been made to get 500 away from him
knew no other financial resources thai
could possibly be appealed to.
That gave me new view of Roose,
yelt Here was man who had heer
President eight years almost; who had
and patronage to give; yet he was &C
little concerned with that side of the
game that he couldn't name a single
solvent citizen In our whole side of the
ticated on the financial side-but lool
what the people did for him! Three
hundred thousand of them turned ou
money, everything, Just to pay thu
tribute of their confidence in and thel
demand for him. That's some politl
| clan.
Change Necessary.
when I first went over to talk I,
him said, Colonel. we've got to hav
a change in this country. The peopl
can't stand having things go on as the,
are now going. Why. in our countr!
there are 1000 women working for thei
living because they have to, and earn
ing an average of less than s. a week
and a vast proportion OF them doin
the work of men at that. Do you know
what that signifies? It means that ou
scheme OF things is failing; that we'r
breaking down: that a civilization tina
| permits-yes, that forces-such con
ditions as that--is a failure. and unles
We get busy and improve II, this coun
try Is going TO jump square into social
ism. Why not? That's all there Wi
be Tor Il, Ths socialists viii be sntitls