The Washington herald., 1907-10-19
aTo Whom II Nav Concern -

Under the caption. To Whom 1t May
Concern" the New York Times prints this
somewhat cryptic eftusion as "a leading
editorial:
If there is in the state Of New York any
gentleman Of known ability and tested character
to whom have come signal proofs q popular con
fdence, suggesting stil greater honOrs in the
future. and whose mind is slightly warped by
that dazzling possibility. it would not be amiss
for him 10 ponder on an incident in the ex-
perience OF Grover Cleveland.
AT a time when that statesman was quietly
and steadily pursuing what he believed to be the
path Of duty. 10 the great annoyance and en-
baTrassment Of the Hon David B. Hil, who had
exhausted in vain all his extraordinary resources
as a politician in open and secret opposition to
him, Mr.. Hill is reported 10 have exclaimed in
despair: What can yos do with such a man?
He doesn't want anythingr A"
We take it that none other than Gov.
Hughes is the gentleman of known abiI-
ity and tested character" thus vaguely re-
ferFed 10. Assuming this 10 be the case,
we are impelled 10 remark that while
the Times has the advantage Of that por-
ton of the public outside New York, so
far as opportunities for observing the
state OF the governors mind are con-
cerned, II is liable, partly because of that
very circumstance to become slightly
warped itself. In other words. the fact
that the Times is a New York institu-
ton, presumably not wholly disinterested
as TO some of Gov. Hughes policies. nat
urally suggests that that newspaper may
be more susceptible to prejudice than the
outside looker-on Speaking for our
selves. we have seen no indications of
tendency toward a slightly warped
mind on the part of the Empire State ex-
ecutive, or of a slightly swelled head,
either. Furthermore, we have been able
to discern no lntimation that the country
at large is aware of the existence Of
either of these Affections. II seems to
US that Gov. Hughes has been singularly
free from obvious evidences that he has
been affected in any unfsvorable way by
the remarkable popularity which has
come TO him since he became a national
figure. Certainly. II he has been so af-
fected, he has not shown it so openly and
so unpleasantly as some other national
figures who have been before the public
longer than he. We have not heard Of
his commanding any of his audiences TO
applaud certain portions of his speeches,
for instance, nor Of his interfering in any
matter. OF politics or otherwise. which in
no wise concerned him. In short. our
observation OF Gov. Hughes has given US
the impression that he has kept his head
and maintained his poise perfectly under
circumstances of such a nature as to fur
nish at least an excuse for a slight tend
ency toward self-lmportance and hys-
ter!a-Or a slightly warped" mind, as
the Times would say.
If a general application is made Of the
moral the Times apparently desires to
point, We must say that, unQuestionably.
a man I'm public Office who wants nothing
/ is proof against all the wiles Of the poll
ticians, and, therefore. a public servant
/ OF peculiar desirability. 1t is perfectly
natural that the people should wish TO
| have such a man in the White House.