r "1 Underworld Id Politics "Strong-Arm Boys" and Their Part in the Great Game. By Ernest McGaffey Men Who Want "One Put Over the Plate* Resort to Criminal Methods. L . J AS the motto of the game is, generally, "win at all haz ards," it follows that poli tics is in some wards, end in some exigencies, a desperate game. This applies both to the upper and lower stratas of the men engaged in it. If the men "higher up" wanted something "put over the plate" that required physical force, they could always find men lower down in ahe scale who were guaranteed to stop at nothing. These riff-raff of the under current relied on political influence to bring them clear of any crime they might commit, and it often did gain them immunity. The code of morality seemed to be that the other fellows would do the same thing if they had the power and needed "the trick," so that not even deliberate murder was omitted on rare occasions to accom plish a political end. If anyone thinks I am drawing on my imagination for this statement, he is respectfully referred to the books of the various cemeteries and the record of the murder trials in the criminal courts of the city. In the practice of my profession as a lawyer, I had run across some mem bers of what were known as "the strong-arm boys" of a certain section of the city. They had figured as wit nesses in some criminal cases in which my firm was engaged, and I had an opportunity to study them. They were young fellows as a rule, and exceedingly well dressed. Some of them were very handy with their fists, and some were regulation "gun fighters." All of them were "crooks" in various lines, from "card-sharps" and 'confidence" men to "shell-game workers" and pickpockets. When I broke through "the crust" of politics these "strong-arm boys" were very active in local politics, al though they were far distant from my political bailiwick, and mostly did not belong to our party. Sometimes they held petty political jobs for a year or six months, and sometimes they hung around the saloons and polling places, the henchmen of some local politician. Another time a local politician of considerable prominence was stabbed in a wrangle over the alleged stuffing of a ballot box and instantly killed. Certain of the witnesses testified that Politician of Considerable Prominence Was Stabbed. some one cried "get him" just before the fatal thrust. An open knife, ready there to "sharpen a lead pencil," was the cause of his death. His slayer, after a bitterly contested legal battle carried to the supreme court of the state, was sentenced to serve a peni tentiary term. Another time one crowd broke into the doors of a closed meeting, with a revolver volley from both sides as the doors crashed in. Two men dead and several wounded wasi the result of this fracas. No one was ever tried for any crime in con nection with this. Of course these desperate affrays were not frequent, nor did they usual ly happen except in the tough wards; but they sometimes did occur in good wards, where the people were above the average in intelligence and order liness. Anywhere, in the fierce ani mosities engendered by the excite ments of an election, of a primary, or a city convention, there was a very strong probability that somewhere within the city's limits there would be a death to lay at the door of party politics. Whisky, of course, often was a contributory agent of no little im portance. One time a would-be voter lined up to get Into a polling booth, a pist»l in his side coat pocket, and something like ejeven drink 3 in hla Immediate possession. A man of the opposite party approached from inside the booth with the salutation: "Hello, Jack." "Hello, Andy," was the re sponse, and instantly following his reply he drew his weapon and killed the man in his tracks who had just emerged from the booth. A jury ac quitted him after it had been shown that the dead man was a "terror," who had shot three times at his slayer on one occasion, and had shot another man through the head who was then in an insane asylum from the effects of the bullets. The slayer afterwards said h« had "keyed up" to "get" his man at that election, if he wasn't got ten first. As for ordinary assaults and slug gings, they were a matter of constant occurrence. Even the most respec table of men who really engaged in active politics had to make up their minds to a fist light, if necessary, rather than to "back water." When I was in politics the "scrapping" was mostly confined to the rougher ele ments; but you had to either be ready to fight, or convey the impression that you would fight, or you would lose caste. A man might get along all right without any personal encounters, but he had to make up his mind not to "lie down" if trouble presented Itself. The Australian ballot and the rigid house-to-house canvass in the wards did away a good deal of the abuses of illegal registration, and about "knocked in the head" the "an cient and honorable" practice of "re peating." Sometimes these old-time schemes were tried, and the experi menters sent to the penitentiary for their pains. Ballot-box stuffing at the regular elections was much of a "lost art" also, and stealing ballot boxes a desperate, dangerous and generally futile means of gaining an end. Each party had its judges, watchers and challengers, and the closest possible "tab" was kept on every detail of the vote. When a man arrived at the polls and handed in his folded ballot he found that the men in charge some times knew more than he did about himself. "What's your name?" asked one of the judges to a man who was deposit ing his ballot in the clerk's hand pre paratory to having it slipped into the slit. "George H. Wilson." "Where do you reside?" "One hundred and forty two James street." "How long have you lived there?" "Seven months, a little over." "How long in the state?" "All my life." "Why, you live with the Smalleys, don't you?" "Certainly," was the answer. Several men spoke up from both sides. "He lives with Smalley, all right." "Well, Smalley lives at 140 James street. I know you're all right, but how'd you happen to get the number wrong?" The man hesi tated and then said: "Well, I'm sin gle, and I get home at night so late that I can't see the number, and when I get out in the morning I never have happened to look for it. But I live with Smalley, all right." "Sure," was the universal chorus, and in went his vote. On some occasions candidates have been "drugged" or "doped," so that they could not come out and make speeches, and in some ward elections certain candidates have been extreme ly careful what they ate and drank during their campaigns. Not that they feared being fatally poisoned, but they did apprehend a possible "doping," as such things had been done in the past. Put an orator's stomach "out of busi ness'' for a week or ten days and it may make the difference of a life time to him. Springing some sensational charge in the opposition papers the day be fore election is a favorite method ot trying to "cut under" a candidate's support. Sometimes these things prove a "boomerang," or a "roor back," as it is sometimes called, and defeat their own aim by shifting support which had been with the party making the charge to the party against whom the charge was made. Sometimes they accomplished their purpose, but I recall one particular instance where a candidate had an influential paper "on his staff" up to the time he "sprung a roor back" against his op ponent. The paper promptly withdrew its support and he "lost out." « In the petty ward elections of dele gates to the various conventions, one of the most common frauds practiced was getting out bogus tickets, either bribing the print shops to print them or getting a friendly printer in the ward to "hocus-pocus" the names so that certain delegates would be elected. This was one of the meanest and most contemptible of practices, but it was something that could not be stamped out and could only be guarded against by constant vigilance. Sometimes it was necessary to rout a printer up in the middle of the night before election and get out an entirely new bunch of tickets to offset the treachery or crookedness of some in dividuals. "Jobbing" was a favorite method of "bringing down" a candidate. To "job" a man required enough plotters to"put up a job" of some kind on him so that he might be made an object of unpleasant notoriety and thus fall la the estimation of the vaters. Some times this was accomplished in one way, sometimes another. The ingenu ity of men's imaginations was the only limit to the scope of such schem ing. To charge a man with "graft ing" was one way. The opposition papers could be depended upon to make the most of the charges in the way of publicity, at least, and once you got a man "explaining" the next move was to ask him to "explain" his "explanation." Alleged interviews, al leged treachery to the "party" or to particular candidates —• these tricks and hlindreds of others were resorted to to do away with a candidate or to beat him if nominated. As for "counting out a candidate" who was honestly elected, that branch or the game was a really classic one. CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1908 It required the utmost solemnity and decorum, surrounded by all possible "legal safe-guards," and carried on with that artistic assumption of fair ness and regard for liberty's palladium commensvrate with the dignified hypocrisy of the proceedings. It can be readily imagined f-om the foregoing that a man had to keep his eyes open when he west into politics. Ordinary treachery and double-dealing he became accustomed to at once, par ticularly if he was in a ward where he could depend upon meeting men whose ideas of honesty were dim and fleeting; and whose word of honor was something less in substantiality than a burned-out match. He might make half a dozen iron-bound compacts with the members of his own political tribe in one night, to have day break with a different combination forming in his absence. The only way to rule an ordinary ward is to have the power over the "jobs" to be distributed, and use that power with the utmost rigor. Let every political worker know th&t he will "walk the plank" Instantly If "What's Your Name?" he sidesteps or hesitates, and you will have discipline, faithfulness and results; never otherwise. If you hold the reins of patronage you can guide the political vehicle of your party safely. From the newspaper end of the game you must expect not only a reck less regard for fairness and justice, but in the case of some sheets, a steady stream of slander and libel. Caricature (even Lincoln was vilely caricatured) Is a daily weapon, and criticism of officials, laden with ridi cule and contempt, was a matter of course. Indeed, no man in any office need expect any less than this, and Is foolish if he attempts to stop it. I recollect the excitement of an honored citizen who served with me on the board of local improvements (some times called "the board of local amuse ments") when a paper on the other side of the political fence said we were a "set of lazy, useless, good-for nothing incompetents," or words td that effect. He wanted to sue the paper for libel right away. But, pshaw, that was a mere bagatelle. But sometimes, especially In the case of certain papers, they hesitated at nothing. I had an experience of this kind. One morning I was charged with the committing of the crime of attempted bribery. The article was the result of a petty ward conspiracy, and was without any foundation what soever. I read the article at noon, and by three o'clock, as soon as the neces sary papers could be drawn, had the managing editor of the paper held for crimirtal libel before the nearest jus tice of the peace. In a few days the paper paid all the costs of the proceed ing, paid my lawyer his fees and printed on the front page of their paper a complete retraction and apology which I dictated and headed. 1 then dismissed the charge against their managing editor. He was a nice fellow, all right, and had never seen the article, having instructions to rush everything through which he re ceived from a certain "bureau." Yet he was the "responsible party" legal ly. I did not know who the reporter was who turned the stuff In.and did not care, as he would simply be the purveyor of the tale "as 'twas told to him." I got to the bottom of the thing afterwards. Now all that can be done in these cases, no matter how foul the wrong, is to jail the manag ing editor six months and colleot money damages from the owners of the paper. The only fair way to look at abuses of this kind is to give the press the fullest possible liberty and then make it a felony if they abuse the liberty. The reputable newspapers do not libel nor slander, although they criticise bitterly. No man will object to partisan criticism, politically, how ever biting. But deliberate or even careless criminal libel should be pun ished when shown to be the result of malice or utter lack of caution. In the political game on the lower levels while a man will meet good men and true occasionally, he will be sur prised at the rarity of such individ uals. I don't know what it is in petty municipal politics that makes men as they are, unless it Is the cowardice that depending absolutely upon it for a living engenders. Or is it— "Because their natures are little, and whether lie heed it or not. Where each man walks with his head to a cloud of poisonous flies." ERNEST M'GAFFET. (Copyright, 1908, by Joseph B. Bowles.) j 1 QUITE SAFE WITH HER. One Secret "Tootsie" Surely Never Would Pass Along. "John, love," said the young wife, "you oughtn't to have any secrets from me." "Well, Tootsie?" "You goto lodge meetings, and you never tell me anything about them." "They wouldn't interest you, dear. I don't mind giving you the password, though, if you'll promise never to dis close it to a living soul." "I'll promise never to tell It to any body." "Remember it's to be repeated only once and very rapidly." "I'll remember. What Is it?" "Aldaborontlphosciphorniosticos." "What? Please say it again, a lit tle slower." "Have you forgotten the conditions already? I said 'only once and very rapidly.'" (Tearful pause.) "O, dear! I wish you hadn't told me!" ECZEMA FOR 55 YEARS. Suffered Torments from Birth— ln Frightful Condition—Got No Help Until Cuticura Cured Him. "I had an itching, tormenting ecze ma ever since I came into the world, and 1 am now a man 55 years old. I tried all kinds of medicines I heard of, but found no relief. I was truly In a frightful condition. At last I broke out all over with red and white ooils, which kept growing until they were as big as walnuts, causing great pain and misery, but 1 kept from scratching as well as I could. I was so run down that I could hardly do my work. I used Cuticura Soap, Oint ment, Resolvent, and Pills for about eight months, and I can truthfully say I am cured. Hale Bordwell, Tipton, la., Aug. 17, 1907." "I cheerfully endorse the above tes timonial. It Is the truth. I know Mr. Bordwell and know the condition he was in. Nelson R. Burnett, Tipton, la." FOOLISH QUESTION., "Oh, Willie, wot yer goin' ter shoot?" "Indians, of course! You didn't sup pose I was goin' out to hunt sparrows, did you?" HIS OPINION OF FIELDING. At Least. Only Kind Young Broker Knew Anything About. A young broker in Boston, while vis iting a certain household In the Hub not long ago, encountered a number of young women graduates whose con versation suddenly turned to a dis cussion of the development of the English novel. The dealer in stocks and bonds speedily found himself "out of it." Presently, during a lull, one young woman asked him: "What do you think of Fielding, Mr. Brown?" "Oh, fielding is important, of course," quickly responded the broker, "but it isn't worth much unless you've got good pitchers and men who can hit the ball." —Harper's Weekly. Her Reserved Seat. It was raining and the car was sop ping wet. Most of the passengers stood, but there are always excep tions. One big pink man with a snowy beard defied rheumatism and wet cloth by plumping himself down on one of the drippy seats. His presum able wife, with a laughing explanation that she was tired, seated herself in his lap. And when the conductor came along to collect fares she in quired, with the earnestness of one who seeks knowledge: "Do I have to pay extra for a re served seat?" The conductor spoke no words that could go resounding down the corri dors of time. He just grinned, and the passengers grinned with him. Sporting Offer. As he entered the restaurant the cut of his clothes betrayed him as a member of the sporting fraternity. Choosing a corner seat, he ordered oyster stew. When the dish was brought to him, he looked at it with a critical frown, and then he began excitedly to peel off his coat and vest. "What's the matter? What's the matter?" said the landlord, hurrying to the table. The man looked at the stew, then at the landlord, and said: "Bot you a dollar I can swim from one oyster to another. Largest Rock Crusher in Operation. The largest rock crusher in the world was recently thrown into opera tion in a cement mill at South Pitts burg, Tenn., and it crushes all the rock used by a 4,000-barrel plant. The machine has an hourly capacity of 808 tons and 60 per cent, of the product is in pieces four inches or less and 30 per cent, in pieces two inches or less. The crusher is 19 feet in height and weighs 425,000 pounds. The hopper is 20 feet tn diameter. The operation of this machine alone J requires 29 horse power. LUKEWARM LOVER. | The Girl —Ye 3, Willie, I think we'd better call our engagement off! The Roy—Why, Genevieve? The Girl—Well, I'm just thinkin' that any man that can sit with his back to a girl, fishin' for four hours, j ain't very much in love! Fin© Y. M. C. A. Building Planned. A Young Men's Christian Associa tion building that cost to build and equip more than a million dollars is to be opened in Philadelphia this fall, ; with Walter M. Wood of Chicago in charge as secretary. An effort is to be made to recruit the membership to 4,000, so that the largest possible number of boys may have the bene fits of the new structure. Philadel phians are proudly pointing to the eight-story building in Arch street as one of the three finest Young Men's Christian Association homes in the world, the other two being the Twenty-third street branch, in New York, and the central building in Chi cago. Newspapers of the World. There are 12,500 newspapers pub- ; lished in the United States; about 1,000 of them are published daily and 120 are managed, edited and pub- j lished by negroes. In Asia there are 3,000 periodical publications, of which i the greater part appear in British In dia and Japan; the latter country pub lishes 1,500 newspapers. Africa has only 200 newspapers, of which 30 are published in Egypt and the rest ap pear in the various European colonies, i PSCHSTOBIA For Infants and Children. | Kind You Have Always Bought (J* AVegefablc Preparation for As- M mi similatingtheFoodandßegula- "Rao-pa +T»n W % jJ:R| ting the Stomachs and Bowels of JJOdIO LiiCJ M jig; ■ i>ifiii ik§ Signature //l.y Promotes Digestion, Cheerfu- 112 %[ fj nessandßcst Contains neither /\£ AA If 1 Opium, Morphine nor Mineral #l\ IM to NOT NARC OTIC (i Mln Peapt cfOldDrSAMVEimct/EP i Air Q|| Pumpkin Steci - A ;K Jlx Senna » \ 1 V ■ I j. hoc he llt Satis - I 1 A 7* A*iu W < I in !n ftpptrmint > A % I R fliCarlonateSctUx • 112 A - It wL Worm Set d - 1 I ■ 1 |1 ■■■ U*. *£"£«* s»?°r ) W 1 J« C rrinftryrten rfnvor ' W A perfect Remedy for Constipa- Jtf» II ft fl (ion. Sour Stomach, Diarrhoea, I ■ fjr www «e[ Worms .Convulsions .Feverish- I Ikj _ ness and LOSS OF SLEEP 1 ■ LAI* |1 U0 P Facsimile Signature of || Thirty Ypars CO THE CENTAUR COMPANY. 11111 !j I QUI W & NEW YORK. * fifIQTfIBSA under the FoodaiKj (jHO I Ultlfll Exact Copy of Wrapper. TM. O«HTAU» OOUHKT. new TOR* orrr. SICK HEADACHE Positively cured by CARTERS ,hase liii,g p,lls " They also relieve Dla -9 ITTI r tress from Dyspepsia, In nil WFn digestion and Too Hearty HS I*M r" R Eating. A perfect rem- Sh| n|| | e edy for Dizziness, Nau ®3| I* ILL 9. sea, Drowsiness, Bnil jj 1 .rti. Taste In the Mopth.Coat ed Tongue, Pain In tha TOHPID LIVER. They regulate the Bowels. Purely Vegetable. SMALL PILL. SMALL DOSE. SMALL PRICE. PAqtcd'cl Genuine Must Bear uAmcKo Fac-Simile Signature ■ITTLE - _ TlttE *■* I REFUSE SUBSTITUTES. ' W. T,. 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Best] ForMen\\£>men an <LCUI - oia. % got its ljenej'icial Effects Always buy the Genuine which has the jull name of the Com pany CALIFORNIA Fc> SYRUP CO. by wlioin it is manufactured, printed on thr front of every package. SOLD BY ALL LEADING DRUGGISTS. one size only, regular price s(Kpe>- bottle. him iu 11 "" "j ' LIVE STOCK AND MISCELLANEOUS Electrotypes IN GREAT VARIETY FOR, SALE cAT THE LOWEST PRICES BY A.N. KELLOGG NEWSPAPER CO. 73 W. Adams St., Chicago nnd all manner and Dv/COOCO form of the most obstinate skin diseases rapidly yield to the almost utairlc curative and quick beal ini* power of ISoyd'ft Ointment. Your dru jurist or 50 cents by mail. BOYJJ OINTMENT COMPANY, Kiliaiiumg, Pa. A. N. K.—C (1908—35) 2245. TOILET ANTISEPTIC Keeps the breath, teeth, mouth and body antiseptically clean and free from un healthy germ-life and disagreeable odors, which water, soap and tooth preparations j alone cannot do. A j germicidal, distn- ...rf i fecting and deodor izing toilet requisite I of exceptional cx- |T|~' ' 'liiri cellence and econ- 1 omy. Invaluable |D 1 for inflamed eyes, throat and nasal and |j] drug and toilet || fITVjH IH stores,,so cents, or 11 1 1 Large Trial Sample WITH "HCALTM AND BEAUTY" BOON IINT mil THE PAXTON TOILET CO., Boston, Miss. J. BOY PAINTER\V^^^ I PA I NT QUALIT 1 I I IT IS FOUND ONLYON I \ PUREWHITE LEAD / ASTHMA and HAY fever "W ■ El HIM POSITIVES CUItKD by K'NMQNTTH'S asthma cure uvorauOU pat lent* cured during the past a yoant A HI cent trial bottlo sent to any addreßs on receipt of 1 »ct«. JUK.H.S. KINMONTH.AiboryrarkN.J. 7
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers