Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-10-01
Elm" Smith Beaten

,
The defeat of "Jim" Smith for en-
dorsement for senator in the New Jer.
sey democratic primary is another vic
tory for Gov. Wilson. who personally
campaigned against the Trenton boss.
The nominee of the primary is Con-
gresham Hughes, in whose favor the
other progressive candidates withdrew.
The governors opposition to Smith
no doubt will cost him the votes of
tens Of thousands of Smiths friends
and supporters in New Jersey, but this
is a consideration not in the least
alarming to him. His is the faith that
Tor every vote lost to him because he
fights men who are the instruments of
corrupt government another vote will
be gained.
What Gov. Wilson did in New Jer-
sey he is doing by other means in New
York. He refused to take lunch with
Chas. F. Murphy, boss of Tammany,
he declined conference with him, and
the National democratic committee is
not treating with Murphy in New York.
Murphy, in resentment of this treat
ment, has left William E. McAdoo and
Senator O'Gorman off the delegation
to the state convention which will
nominate a candidate for governor.
O'Gorman and McAdoo being recog-
nized as Wilson'S personal representa-
tives in New York. O'Gorman and
McAdoo are making no secret of their
opposition to the denomination of John
A. Dix for governor, upon which MUIR
ply is bent.
In New York also Wilson's refusal to
treat with Murphy will cost him thous-
ands of votes, but here again is ex-
pressed his faith in the people, that as
against boss they will support man
who will make no deals with bosses.
In the light of these facts, and they
are facts, one is prepared to accept as
sincere and not put forth merely to
catch votes, this statement of the
governor in an address to Princeton
students the other day:
1.-The boss merely IS political or
ganizer is not dangerous, merely as q
manager who commands the organiza-
ton and gets out the vote on polling
day he is not to be feared, and he is
an almost necessary instrument of
politics, but the man we call boss is
the agent of those who wish to con-
troll politics in their own Interest.
81 have known some of these gen.
tlemen personally and know exactly
how they work. They haven't any
politics at all. That is the point. and
there is no difference between demo-
cratic boss and republican boss, be-
cause neither of them is working for
his party. They are both working for
their clients. And their clients wish
to see that men do not get into Office
who thwart them and that laws are
not passed that embarrass their bust
ness.
1.-The chief supporters of the demo-
cratic boss if he happens to be in the
majority are often those most closely
associated with the republican boss,
and vice versa.
edo you understand. There is no
politics in it. There is business in it
down to the bottom, two kinds of bust
ness controlling local governments, so
that your friends will get all the con-
tracts, and the control of national
business so that your friends won't be
embarrassed by the legislation.
These are fine words, but how in
finitely finer when deeds back them up;
when it may truthfully be said of the
man who uttered them that he fought
and beat the New jersey bosses; that
he spurned Watterson when the latter
sought to give Wall street a partner
ship in his candidacy; that he refused
to treat with Tammany before the
Baltimore convention and refused to
support for temporary chairman the
man Tammany proposed in opposition
to Bryan, and now nominated he fights
the New Jersey bosses again and
again refuses to treat with Murphy.
Such man has an escutcheon without
a STAN, a record without alloy. --Du-
buque Telegraph Herald.