The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-13
coLLEGE-BREp MEN IN po11r,c

CoLLEGE-BRED MEN IN POLITICS.
On occasion the New York World
can be "sarkastical cuss." as. for in
stance, in it's treatment Of the ratifica-
ton meeting, so to say, of the Inter
collegiate City League at dinner
given tho other night at the Univcr-
sity Club in New York City. There
were many speeches. and all of them
were good, OF course; but nothing
better was said during the evening
than this: The honest and Intelligent
younS men of this country should go
into the political machines and see
that they work right, instead OF leav
Ing them to the manipulation of
thugs"
That is noble sentiment, and ought
to fire with patriotic enthusiasm every
college-bred man in the country, and
particularly those who have enjoyed
the great advantages OF university
course, 1t Immediately got next" to
The World, which points with pride
to what the college bred men of New
York have accomplished in taking the
manipulation of things out of the
hands of thugs, especially in the
management of the affairs of the Re
publican party. The pioneer in this
reform movement" we are assured.
was Thomas c. Platt (Yale y. NJ. '76),
who was ably assisted from time to
time by Chanucey NJ. Depew yale
80, Ii. p. $50" Then Mr.. Platt was
followed in carrying out the bench
cent purposes of this college bred con
troll by Benjamin odell, Jr.. who went
TO Columbia, but didn't finish his
course Che might have done better
If lie had taken the whole course), and
he. In turn, or a times. by Theodore
Roosevelt (Harvard so. Timothy L.
Woodruff (Yale '79), Elihu Root Diam
ilton '6D, on down TO Ezra p. Prem
ticc princeton '9S}.
That surely is noble army Of re-
formers, and they did 1T so politely"
and with such calculations to Heaven
OF their high ideals and personal
purity and educated tastes that thou
sands OF innocents nocked to. their
standards. eeming themselves very
fortunate to be esteemed worthy of
association with the true, tho beau
tiful and the good Think Of how
much New iork must be Indebted TO
the educated methods of the late Sena-
tor Plat and the college bred satel-
lites which revolved in his orbit!
Picture the wholly undone political
condition OF that great State had not
Chauncey Depew. with his pious train
ing at Yale. his almost exaggerated
conception OF the doctrine OF meum
and tuum, RETAINED from taking part
In the political life OF the community
in which he lived. Is it any wonder
that The World should celebrate the
occasion and rejoice even in a back
handed SOFT OF way. that I'VE have
had CONTINUOUS college administra
tion OF the Republican party in New
York for many years" and that.
thanks to the influence of the col
lege graduate. we have passed far
beyond the evil days when tho ma
chine was left TO the manipulation OF
thugs"
Now. there j. Murphy, who received
only common school education.
Think of what ne might have been
able to do with college education
in the W of ins,ituting reform
methods after the manner adopted by
the late Mr. Plat and followed so
closely by his oollege-bred RepublI-
can successors, acting in good faith
with the high ideals taught by that
eminent exponent OF the theory that
college-bred men should see that,the
political machines work right.
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