Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-13
Alas, What Times,

cation of political feudaI chieftains each
with body of retainers sufficient to
wage warfare upon neighborins lord of
the marches. but not powerful enough to
organize kingdom. They smite their
sword hips truculentIy. figurativelv cock
-helr war bonnets aSSressively askew and
swear by thei rhalidom and all that But
they don't get anywhere
Forsooth, there is no one to attack
hughes has no organization here. There
L. no leader to bind and loose in the gov
ernors name. none with the power of the
high, the middle and the low justice
AS write this dispatch l am apprised
of telephonlc message just received from
Albany to the effect that there is no one
in Albany and there will not be any one
empowered to speak for Gov. Hughes. to
make any bargain, or ask any favor.
The convention can do what it pleases.
Well, that does not help the politicians
any on the contrary, ii makes their re-
sTonsibility the greater. 1t puts it up to
them with 4 scOrnful flip in the face.
The governor will have none of them, nor
their trafickinSs. Ii shows them the
governor realizes the strength Of his po-
sition. intrenched it is behind public
sentiment. The politicians can go hang
for all he cares-knOwins as he does that
they know they will be hanging them
selves in the long run, if they fly in the
face of the sentiment behind him.
Angry But Impotent
Can you not imagine the impotent rage
&. the politicians as they realize their po-
s,tion? How they storm and fume and
use big cuss words only to settle down
at last to the hard fact confronting them
when even they admit they will lose the
state if they turn down Hughes. while
fearing they Will lose it if they nominate
him.
President Roosevelt is not giving them
any comfort He grimly says:
We'll. you know the situation; YOU
cannot afford to deny him the nomina-
ton on the grounds which the public
VIII accept as your true reason for it"
And they have to cknoWl@dge the CO.
gency of the argument.
National Leaders Know.
The national leaders know that They
realize how precarious is the situation in
the middle west. how great body of the
voters is on har-trigger of suspicion
against the republican party. and ready,
If il once makes up its mind to cast
party ties to the winds if it concludes the
party is not playing fair with the reform
program.
Now. here another reason for the
stubborn attitude of the petty bosses
Gov. Hughes advocates the system of di-
-eCt primaries for all officials including
United States senators. This plan. If sf-
fected. means annihilaton for the ma
chine and confusion for the bosses. They
know that if he is nominated and re-
elected he will continue his fight in the
legislature for a primary law. and. with
his renewed prestige, will probably win.
They are fighting for their lives.
It's Very, Very Cold.
The innocent bystandcr at this conven-
tiol, who can contrast it with previous
republican gatherings, is compelled to
Comment upon the deadly chillness of it.
X is the coolest proposition that |, in my
short bat misguided career. have ever en-
rOIntered Gloom that YOU can almost
cut with a knife hangs over the place 1t
is Of piece with the smoke laden atmos-
lhere from the Adirondack forest fires
which has hung the sun red ball in
misty SKY all day Nobody cracks 4
smile, but the politicians with fUrroWed
brow and lowering micn stalk sulIenIy
about. and when they collect in groups
their language is not III for publication.
The village which has been all but
hankrupted by the governors onslaught
on the races. is apathctic. There is not a
strip OF bunting on al Broadway, the viii
lage main street. save about 80 cents
worth OF bunting over the main door of
the States Hotel. The Grand Union is
shut down dark and tight. and so is Con-
sTesS Hall.
Oh. for the Old Days.
The old days Of wassaI and revelry
which marked state conventions are lost
IN the dim and misty past Not a cork
pops. not a cheer rcsounds. Such ''jags'
as there be are OF the crying variety. and
not merry ones. They are suggestive of
hidden bottles consulted To drown sorrow
in drink, and not in celebration or for
Conv!vialty's sake.
You oId-time New York republicans viii
remember Old Steve Smith, Boss Platt :
bodyguard and a familiar figure for two
decades at republican conventions. / saw
him sitting alone down at the end of the
piazza, detected figure. in the sCkly
autumn sunshine. gazing forlornly at the
brown leaves dropping on the lawn.
Things are not what they used TO be; ne
can't understand it at all. He typified the
whole situation.
I4ackaday, things are not what they
used to be Saratoga heaves sigh and
says; ITO be good is all right. but it S
mighty lonesome. y. .. NJ.