The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-05-03
HENRY WATTERSON'S
SURVEY OF THE FIELD

men invested with such transeendent
responsibility. They will think long
. and work hard against an unreasonins
stampede.
Every delegation in that convention
will have its price. every delegate his
tag. Factionism viii rise high, but II
is likely to run straight. Taft? Why
not Roosevelt himself? Fairbanks?
Why not Hartman? Foraker, Why,
anybody can beat Foraker. Uncle Joe
Cannon? Good enough. but too old.
Knox? Fiddle-dee-deei Crane? A
little shadOwy. Root? Too bad we
dasn't! And so along the gamut Of
likes and dislikes, preference and
diversions. a very ten-pin alley where
most are set up only TO be knocked
down.
Our National Conventions are grow
I ing more and more like our race
courses, where to the knowing ones
there are few surprises. Being in
France, ] am going to buy Paris
MutueT on dark horse picked near
ly year ago-that is, in June, 1906
though | see my long shot" is begin
ming to show in the betting, to-wit,
Charles E. Hughes. Governor Of New
York.
| met Governor, then Mr.. Hughes,
Familiarity in Providence during the
1906 commencement Of Brown Uni
versity, which conferred degrees upon
each Of US. He impressed me as a
fine type of the New England Ameri-
can in the prime Of his powers, IN
affected and sturdy, with a charming
twinkle OF dry humor The final even
ing which we passed together around
a delightful board where there was a |
good company and plenty of soda wa |
ter, said to him: The Republicans |
will nominate you for Governor Of
New York, Mr. Hughes They don't |
want TO, but they will have to- They |
can elect nobody else Now, when |
you get to Albany give your days /
and nights to close study of the ca
reer OF Samuel J. Tilden, because you
will stand precisely in the relation to
the Presidential nomination. OF 1908
on the Republican side which Mr.. Til
den stood to on the Democratic side in
1876 The issue which made Tilden
the Democratic Governor made him
the Democratic Presidential nominee.
The issue which is going to make you
a Republican Governor of New York
will make you the Republi
can nominee for President
They viii NO more want you
for President than they now want you
for Governor. But they'll have to take
you. The issue Of the time and the
of the party will force them.
Gov. Hughes seems to have learned
the Tilden lesson pretty well already
and the rest will take care of itself.
1t seems kind Of irony Of fate that
he Democratic party should be 30 ILL
prepared to take advantage Of the
situation. Have we, indeed, in the old,
historic sense, a Democratic party?
rhe South is held together under the
Democratic label by the race question,
md the race question alone At the
North We see two factions, neither of
which will vote for the other. Yet, as
! party platform, the Constitution of
he United States ought to be broad
nough for each Of these elements to
tand upon and Back to the Constitu- {
ion," rallying cry reaching all
minds and all hearts, carrying yet
ONE memory of the music which filed
he souls of the fathers OF Democracy
The Constitution is as vital today
S ever it was. 1t is applicable as well N
S institutional, reaching the railway n
roblem, the tariff problem and the n
roblems of high finance. All parties, C;
lore or less, have DETECTED from its F
mandates and its teachings. But, in
arty has taken the field committed al
} defying it. altering it by executive o.
instruction, and if this party should nj
'iumph, our system of Republican
overnment would go, along with its tn
rganic laws. W
tr