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
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