New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-10
~- nth warm weather comes the sum-
= n I ner political candidate. Political
w booms. carefully nurtured these many


months, beginning to blossom
firth into full-biown readiness to be plucked
chen the fall campaign commences, unless
hey wither and die for lack of sufficient cult
vation The seeds of ambition have been care
fullv sown by many a prospective servant Of
4he people. But the extent of the harvest de-
pends upon many things. A dry soil is not
conducive to the rapid growth Of anything,
and political booms are no exception to the
rule. These arid prohibition days are not
helpful to the political candidate.
Time was. in the good old days, when the
ambitious man could form his friends into a
nolitical club, name it the John Doe Associa-
lion. spend $40 for printing and hold an outing
at some suburban picnic park. Then, pro-
yided he did not retain too large percentage
of the proceeds to finance his campaign, but
was free and generous in tapping kegs of
amber fluid, he would, long before the festal
day was over, be voted jolly good fellow and
announced as his party's candidate for almost
ANYTHING from Alderman to Governor of the
state.
But now it requires real political finesse to
weather our dry summers, and the seeker after
public Office must be reinforced by considerably
more than few kegs of beer and an ability
to shout: Fill 'em up again. boys; it's all
on nle!'
Prohibition is not the only factor that has
eliminated the good old days" Equal suf-
frage had its part in dimnng the glory of the
old-fashioned political outing, when the Hon.
John Smith, our standard bearer" was kept
busy seeing that the boys didn't go home
thirsty Women are not beer guzzlers, par
tcularly in pubic. and when they acquired
tire vote in New York State something had to
be provided at political outings to keep them
interosted Games and dancing were fairly
sueces u but it also helped to have few
real hrties on hand to make speech or
tive Tie dies didn't take kindly to the old
resgA t.a ready political outings, when the
nlne reoaslie as prospective candidates
ah its t. keep 1t least as sober as his friends.
ii az o.d sea-faring days, when schooners
e.zse TIE bar at the rate of one per second
81 bartender, the newspaper reporters used
10 .e sa rite that call fractional differences
side and politics were forgotten
-eq we're. For after the fifteenth
-cQOOIGI eiic HILL SOllll JO4lSo
recall whether the Hon. Michael
he1ty had run against him in the prima-
ag not, and didn't care hang if he had
Aas he only political speech that was required
gsa something like this:
"0n this here, now aus-er, aus-ahem! au-
sFish-oh, you know what I mean, fellers,
p'pose three cheers for our honorable stand
ard bearer, Mr.. John Jones, our next Assem-
hlyman. Fill 'em up again, boys!'
The three cheers would be given with vim,
and every one would go home with the idea
firmly implanted that Mr.. Jones our
next Assemblyman and nothing could stop him.
This feeling was heightened if, toward the
end Of perfect day, few of "the boys for
got themselves sufficiently to throw beer glasses
at each other-in a perfectly friendly way, of
course-and, after the reserves from the local
precinct and the ambulance surgeons from
the suburban hospital had done their work the
Hon. John Jones went to the station house
and bailed 'em all out.
But near beer, served in bottles will never
convince the sturdy and throat-parched voter
that the Hon. Mr.. Jones is going to be our
next anything. Equal suffrage and prohibition
compel more subtle methods of gaining and
holding political friends, even though the per-
sonal qualifications Of the candidates are no
higher
Under consideration now are the candidates
for the smaller Offices such Assenlblymen,
Aldermen, Sheriff, County Clerk and the
Ike. But they are the candidates who are
closest to the great army of voters. Few of
those who go to the polls on Election Day ever
See candidate for Governor, and almost none
lays eyes upon a Presidential aspirant but
every one knows his Assemblyman and Alder
man, and only they who spend Election Day
playing golf fail to have a personal acquaint-
ahee with the holders of the county offices.
Inc smaller the Office the nearer it's holder is
70 the voters of his district, and there is no de-
nylng the fact that the local magistrate has
lar more influence with these voters than has
sae justice Of the Supreme Court, whom they
seldom see
60 the relatively unimportant Office seeker is
N reality the man who, because of his close
association with the average voter, Yields the
greatest direct influence upon the shaping Of
political policies. If the state leader, for in
s'ance, offends Supreme Court justice he
fuses few friends, unless the justice, by reach
ing down through the ramifcatons of the po
Grro ta5x 49,. 1~.sA