The Washington herald., 1911-05-21
}EERO OF ATLEE POMERENE, MARK HANNA'S SUCCESSOR

| fOmereneS garden in Canton, s0 by
S5i feet, wherein he raises vegetables and
| flowers. and does the work himself be-
/ fore most of the town is out of bed.
But the main point is the similarity be-
| tween Thurman and Pomerene in their
| habits of thought and the type of Democ-
| racy they represent. IF I had de-
pended on NY money" Pomerene quietly
remarked. Il wonld not have come to
| the Senate" After nearly thirty years
the echo of Thurman's boast is finally
heard by the Democracy of Ohio
Says He Is n "Progressive."
"Categorically.' inquired, what sort
Of a Democrat are you?'
II do not like the words reactionary
and progressive. as used in modern
classification and controversy" Senator
Pomerene answered. but if either is ap-
plicable to me it is the latter. The world
moves. and political thought and doctrine
must move in harmony"
I'm your opinion, then" said. gov
ernment carried on by representatives Is
not adequate to meet present conditionsY 20
You have no right to put such an
Interpretation on my position. 1 en-
phatically deny that I believe represen-
tative government to be a failure. The
men who doubt the wisdom and security
of our present form of government are
not the progressives In either party, but
the conservatives or reactionaries; they
are the ones who are afraid to trust the
people. The election of United States
Senators by direct vote of the citizens
is representative government in the best
sense, ard to mo 1t is fundamental.
Such elections. moreover. would stop the
purchase of legislatures. Pocketbooks,
just because they are pocketbooks. and
for no other reason, would cease coming
to the Upper House of Congress. So it
is moral question, Also
But couldn't a rich man." I said.
hire a band of spellbinders, organize.
and campaign State with a big noise
and beat the poor candidate2'
Il do not think he could. The posses
sion of money does not popularize the
possessor when he runs for Office, al
though 1t may do so IL he asks the
legislature to elect him to the Senate.
The people themselves turn away from
wealth when 1t is unsupported by ability
and moral worth. Your suppositional
rich man would be at a disadvantage.
Only his money would talk, and that
feebly, as compared with the poor man
who would talk for himself. The result
of the contest between wealth and pow
erty. If there were no other elements
to be considered, would never be in
doubt"
Why Ohio Men Are Politicians.
How does it happen" I inquired, that
nearly every man in Ohio is a politi-
cian?'
TT doesn't happen" Senator Pomerene
replied. I'VE are pretty busy as a people
in other useful directions. Agriculturaily.
Ohio is one of the great States of the
Middle West. We have mines, factories,
mills. and furnaces. Also great mercan-
tile establishments and fleets of ships on
Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Because
we have men abundantly and particu-
larly competent to run the nation and
because those men are chosen to serve
in high places. the impression has gone
abroad that our chief business Is poll
tics. The remainder of the country
should remember that the Ohio man tries
to excel, not to draw attention to himself,
but on the theory that what Is worth
doing Is worth doing we'll, Thousands
OF tourists visit the reception room of
the Secretary OF War each year. They
see famous battle fags and other his
torical relics. On the north wall In q
sroup. arc four portraits n oil-etauton'A