Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-05
Mccain Sees District
Boss" System Here

DOSS system mere
| Continued From Page One
pie, there is the Third Senatorial Dis
trict, cut up into nine wards, or the
Eighth with seven. From the very ma
ture of things it follows that the control
of such a territory would be centered
| in one leader instead of nine or seven
Influence Of Leader Great
| The influence of such man would
be greater than that of county leader
and in big pppulous county at that.
Instead of fIorty eight leaders to be
heard as at present, there will be eight
| only--one for each senatorial district.
They will form central council or
standing committee in conjunction with
the head of the organization, no doubt
Any other scheme will breed endless
| dissension, petty j. ,usics and factional
rivalries among the smaller leaders. In
| fact, shrewd politicians forcsce that the
power Of the present ward leaders will
wane and the influence of the district
| leader will wax. The former at present
| dominates his ward. lie nominntcS
counCilmen. distributes the plums when
the tree is shaken. rewarding the faith
! full and forgetting the fnithlcss.
Ward Bosses to BE Only Aides
! Under the new system all this
! largely will be the work Of the district
| leader. with the ward bosses as his aides
and assistants. He will be n higher
| type of a man and Il poiticinn than
many of the ward leaders of the past or
| present. If he is Shrcwd. taclful. com
! paisant and yet mastcrful. he will be Il
| powerful factor in the new political
| life of the city.
He will be bigger man than coun-
Gilman ultimately.
And therein lies one great danger to
the existing organization. Every ward
leader will aspire to district leadership.
Every failure to attain tn" goa! Will
create hcartburnings and petty jealousy.
Such ground is fertile soil i'll which to
SOW seeds of diSscnSiOnS and GiSSatiS-
faction. These two petty vices, unless
some very shrewd political wise men
and observers are ut fault, will prove
the disintcgrating forces of both :h"
present organizations.
1t will not come. however, at the next
fall election. 1t will be its aftermath.
1t will probably come in the natur" OF
continuous erosion a gradual we'ring
down that will result in uncertainty
until the men who work regularly at
politics rearrange the lines and perfect
the new system. 1t will most emphati-
cally. be n question of the survival of
the tittest.
have far seeing and unbiased po-
ltical judgment for the statement that
the survivor of this rcgcncrative process
or reorganiza ton. whichever you choose
to call it. will be stronger after it than
before.
With every senatorial district organ
lied under district leader, who presum-
ably will be faithful and guarantee n
square deal to every one of his ward
lputpnants and make good his prom
Use, the head of the dominant orsaniza
ton will be the biggest boss that Phila =
delphia has ever known. He will have
eight powerful leutenants instead of
forty eight men of varying degrees of
ability, loyalty and political horse sense
to deal with.
Selection Delicate Process
The selection of these district leaders
will be delicate problem. Whether
they will be chosen by the votes of the
ward leaders of the wards composing
the various senatorial districts, or
chosen by the head of the city organi-
Zation, is matter for She future to
decide. There are other methods of
selection. While the new charter makes
district leader virtually a party neces :
sity, the machinery for his selection
must be device of the party itself.
The title of the district leader is
of no consequence whatever. He may
be designated as the Ware or the Pen
rose or the Town Meeting lieutenant
! He may be known as the president of
the Ward Leaders Association or any
other cognomen that may be suitable or
convenient. But, whatever the title.
he'll be the boss.
Once these organizations are formed,
it will be the district leader vino will
| largely direct or control a vote that
will elect his members of the council of
twenty one,
He will be the party or factional
mouthpiece, provided, of course. that a
regular organization is maintained in
power, as at present. He really will
be in a position to name the council
men.
I have no doubt that there are those
who regard this view as untcnable and
not in consonance with the aroused
public spirit of the city. But an
expressing the opinions Of men whr
have watched the political game fol
years and who predicate their views OF
conditions that have existed in PhiIa
delphia from time far back,
1t must not be forgotten that while
clioues. candidates, factions and re
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