Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-11
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Bosses, Political and Otherwise, In
tenslvely Studied and Some In.
teresting Conclusions Are
the Result
BY SARAH ID. LOWRIE

was troubled by them; but being just an
observer, all | can say of them is that they
interest me. not because they are so queer
or so abnormal, but because they are so
natural
Every family has its boss. so has cvery
city ward. Some families have conflicting
bosses, so have some wards
The family boss is generally a capable,
KIND person. who is as interested in the
ahairS of the other members of his or her
family as though they were his or her own
affairs; in fact, at times he makes his family
or his friends affairs his affairs and strs
about to help.
When this help is not needed il is called
interference when it is needed it Is called
help. but IN any case the family boss oars
IN and helps. Experience in 'oaring in
generally gives him Il mastcrful. assured air
OF kindly competence. which can turn to un-
smiling competence if the help is refused or
accepted grudgingly. II the family boss is
circumvcnted in his desire for helping you
out II. that is, you have purposcly kept him
ignorant of your situation and have managed
10 make your decision without consulting
him. he is apt to appear unintcrcsted in you
or your works. whereas in reality he is
waiting for you to come crOpper' be-
cause you have gone it alone. When you
do fall into disaster, if you 60 to him for
help he will forgive YOU and give you help
and like you all the better. If you try to
hide your mistake from him and avoid him
hC viii regard you with shrCwd sCorn.
That is the way of family bosses Of the
moro open type There arc. Of course. more
subtle types. persons of every degree of com
pcllngncsS. from sweet ingrat tiuting. inSidious
cutencss TO cvasivc cunning. but the open,
kindly. friendly, tyranniCal boss Is the one
that really holds his own.
A Nd ! have como to the conclusion after
"A my intensive study of the ways and the
wakes of ward bosscS--or rather ncighbor-
hood bosscs-that what makes them powerful
is not their evil qualities but their good
qualities.
remember years ago having man dror
IN TO tea with me perfectly exhausted with
rage which he had pCnt up during visit
to n ward boss. now deceased. whom he had
had to consult about an addition to the
Polytechnic Hospital. lie was angry at having
10 go to sec the ward boss TO ask n favor.
lie was cnraged that great hospital that
was bcnetiting the ward should have to first
get permission of the ward boss for i'm
pr"vcmcnts for which neither the boss nor
the city was paying. lie was irritatcd to
be received by the boss without ceremony
and rs n matter of course that some placating
policy was due TO him. And yet that same
man would have gone with perfect cquanlm-
ity 10 the head of one of the big banks
here in town to get his good will before
launching n new business venture, regard
less of the fact that he had all the capital
for the venture that he needed as well as
his board of directors.
TNIIE reason why the most thoughtful citi
l. zens dislike and diStrust tho majority of
tho bosses that are in power is because they
did not choose them and never would choose
those particular men to rule their political
dcStinics. Rut they arc chosen, tacitly at
least. and by majority or they would not
arrive where they are. or stay put so
firmly.
They wcrc chosen because they had
knacli of minding other folks business with
a certain mastcrful flourish Of aptitude that
put their ncighborS under obligation to them
for past favors and also because as their
power for good favor grew, so did their
power for i'll favorS.
T.ET us suppose there is n kindly butcher.
- or plumber. or even saOonkccpcr in
your district who got 10 know the family
history Of all his customers and because he
took an interest in them came and looked
YOU un when YOU wcr" in trouble. went
bail for this customer and saw to It that
that one who was thrown out Of his job
got soft place in the city Hall because
his brother in laws cousin happened to
have influence Suppose little by little this
power Of taking trouble for his customers
widpncd t" taking care of their friends and
their friends friends in everything. from
bargaining down the undertaken at funeral
to seeing that the ncighhorhood turned ont
and paid for tickets at tn" frcmcn'S benefit
bail. Now giving help costs money. il not
money then some one money I. mere
can the money como from so we'll and
Justly nS from the rich? But tho boss docs
not know most of tho law. abiding rich 10
speak to in his nojghborhOod there is
however. another class of ri"h-at all events
easy money persons whom he docs know
to speak to- In his character as rcscucr
he has NOR" than once made them lose
their stranglPhOld on some victim that was
friend of his. II" knows very well the
lawlrsS rich who ar" coming money by
ln, IN l,n, g,n
gambling rooms or diSrCpntabc houses. And
from these he collects tribute. How much
Of this tribute goes into his pocket depends
on the boss. but tho very fact that he has
collected it obIigat"s him to spend the bulk
Of il on his friends when they are in
trouble or on their friends or on their
friends friends. If he kept it some one
would collect it from him. Part of it must
60. no doubt, 10 protect the very persons
he has held up from othrr collectors. part
Of il must 60 to fix" certain authorities
who might make trouble. part of it goes
for oiling the political machine Of which he
is humble cog. bur the bulk of it goes
toward helping the friend upon whom he
can count in tho division or tho ward or
the district or tho county or tho state. For
there are bosses divisional aud also in
wards Just Rs there are county bosses and
bosses federal.
TT DOES not always fellow that ward
J. boss is under orders oF county boss
4 man may domlinat" many wards and yet
hold no political office; he may dominate
n whole city and hod only nm obscure
political position, probably just enough 10
give him the legal right to an office in the
city hall. or perhaps only dcsk He does
not arrive at that domination by way Of
an airplnuc, hur lay sheer ability to attend
TO other folks husiurSs and by n power Of
making all fuYors per. uuHl and all his deeds
invors for those he likes or wishes to like
him and all his TCDTi ~ilIS personal too and