Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-04-10
Editor Free Press
Dear Sir:
Schoenewolf And The Man Higher
Up.

/
One does nat have to go very far tt
| find an explanation of the unusual ex-
citement caused by the Schoenewolf
appointment. The references to it at
public meetings, the preaching. of SER
mons and the concerted action of min
listers, the letters to the President of
| the United States and to other officials,
and che adverse comment in various
newspapers-this general uproar is not
due to any new discovery of corruption
in our public life, it is not due to the
| fact that Schoenewolf is a parsonage
of any great importance. it is certain
ly not due to any desire to make a
tscapegoat out of that erstwhile dive
keeper. What makes the uproar and
what makes the incident significant
and important one is the fact that here
by some rare chance, at one blow. the
whole machinery of our system of boss
government and spoiis government has
been laid open to the public gaze in
such fashion that there can be 40 argu-
ment about it.
We have all known all along that a
connection exists in our politics between
those who rule and those who. flout the
law. THE rule of the underworld it
has heencalled. Students have described
it, moralists have denounced it, reform
ers have urged that it be changed. Thu.
changing of it, however. is not q simple
thing-it is easier to disregard public
interests for private ones and thus for
1854 days in the year we adopt the os-
trich head-hiding method of making be.
lieve that boss rule doesn't exist or
its evils have been exaggerated. On
the 365th day our heads are roughly
pulled out of the sand by some abso-
lutely incontrovertible. Indispensable
fact thatshows us the boss-rule system
in all its naked ugliness.
That is what the Schoenwolf incident
was.
The startling thing about 1t as that 1T
sz1lln1iadtes as s0itf a slsght from Heaven
the arkolo disastrous connection bet,ceem
the man "higher up and the man ''to,p-
en- DOM"
On the one hand we have 81 eine.s
Schoenwolf. the saloonkeeper in the
bawdv-house district, the man who.
made his living out of fallen women
and those who prey upon them. You
couldn't go much farther down in the
social scale than that.
On the other hand, we have John.
Walter Smith. the wealthy timber
dealer, the kindly Christian gent Ieman
the great United States Senator the
man who stands almost at the ery cop
of our social and political life,
How can there be any COMM Dity Of
interest between two such men Els these.
A glance at the individual who is the
link explains that. .Frank''
Kelly IS one of the bose Of Baltimore.
de is one of the men whom the would
be Mayors and Governors and United
States Senators lock to for their nomi4
nation and their election. How arrives
y that 2 character like Kelly possesses
'uch power at this That is where the
come in. There are dozens
ana hundreds of them in the various.
wards OF Baltimore City. Fac Il has. hia
'aloon and makes it centre So politi-
81 activity. Each controls so MANY
'otea or can bring SO mucl, return of
me sort or another to til ! political ma.
hine. Each in return must get his re-.
ward N some way or other out of the
'uhlic treasury.
There is the co mbination-the high
..e.a'. shsieo an respectable; the boss
ssu.u ana = Jmfortable; the heller.
= id rewarded. There are
= en.ee ,ln rs in the chain Of political
D1Iup.lon, Isit any wonder that the
Tsniu King people of the State have.
- = protest? This is not a religious
Isau .. primarily. It is only an acci-
- ehat preachers ofthe city thus
nave been most earnest in voicing
cir condemnation. The vivid proof
4 an outrageous conditioned public |
affairs is one that appeals to worldly
y well as religious men, to every man
Who thinks. to every man who, despite
lis general apathy and lack Of interest
p politics, Is At the bottom Of his heart
. lover Of his country
Il s thing that has given Is patiaes
% nat should give y pause