New-York tribune., 1910-12-01
IEIDERSHIP IN GOEERNORS.

Those Democrats who are in diff
culties trying TO applaud at the same
time the constitutional attitude OF
Governor-elect Dix and that of Gov
ernor-elect Wilson of New Jersey will
find their troubles heightened by read
ing the latter's exposition of the duties
and opportunities of the goyernorship
in his address before the conference OF
Governors at Louisville. In his cam
paign Dr. Wilson frankly avowed his
intention TO take Governor Hughes as
his model. and his Kentucky address
puts with extraordinary felicity that
conception of the Governors office. DR..
Wilson is sure that the people are cali
ing for open leadership" and the lesson
of successful administrations in recent
years shows that he is right. 1t Is a
sound instinct in the people which
makes them call for leaders. There is
need in our institutions of some one
who stands out distinctly as the repre-
sentative of the people. with an eye
single to their cause. Neither the rep
resentative of local interests like the
Legislature. no one of whose members
can be made responsible TO the people
as whole. nor the representative OF
party interests like the party leader.
who is equally irresponsible to the peo-
pie, but the executive, whether Of the
state or the nation, is marked to occupy
this position and TO exercise the leader
ship that goes with it
Governor-elect Wilson has no patience
with the cry of executive usurpatlon
which members of his party have been
so busy raising in recent years. In
doing what he conceives Governor
should do "he usurps nothing which
does not belong to him, whether he
were Governor or not. He employs
nothing but his own personal force
'and the prevailing power Of his opin-
ions" That is it exactly. That is
what q Governor of this type does; he
uses nothing but his own personal
force" nothing but the weight of his
character. the power that lies in integ-
rity of purpose in a clean conscience,
a clear head and gift of talking
straight He pulls no wires behind the
scenes. He abuses not the patronage
within his gift He "cOerceS' no one.
Governors can do these things. says
DR. Wilson, but they are fools for
their pains. They lose respect and
standing with honest men. and it is
1.-The respect of honest men, the support
land faith of honest men, that is their
source of Il.-cht'' Coercion by mere
force of character is an absurGity. Yet
that is the kind Of coercion of which
the country has heard so much criti-
cism
For the kind of leader DR.. Wilson has
in mind the specifications are written
large To prevail by the force Of per
sonal character requires a forceful per
sonality How often has the instructive
turning Of the people TO this or that
public man who gave promise Of this
kind of leadership been mistaken. We
sincerely hope that the next Governor
of New Jersey viii be able to live up to
his ideals in the trying circumstances of
actual contact with political life. And
we are glad in any event that he is
going to keep before the public the
ideal of Governor which Republican
executives have developed in the peo-
pies mindS-thOSe ''uSaTperS who
usurped the function Of keeping things
open and aboveboard those 'coercers"
who coerced by the force IF their own
manhood 1t would be a loss to public
life if the ideal of a Hughes admins
tration We're left to die away. if the
chara cteristic zeal of the Democratic
party for the letter Of American insti-
trtions should repress their spirit. \
democracy needs men Of personal force
at its head. and the Constitution does
not reduce such men in office to the
dead level OF nonentities.