Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1916-08-08
THE HUGHES ACCEPTANCE
(The New Republlcl

hall There vas thu usual task OF the candidate, which is to be ALI things
to sufficiently many men, and added to it the inner necessity, Tor i'm
peratve to Mr.. Hughes than 20 most OF being true to lis W instincts.
.e had to represent the Roosevelt propaganda, the Republican, partys
a,sre to win, and his personal relations to American politics. He man
aged with considerable skill to find the least common denominator OF all
Mr.. Roosevelt sat in a box, and scattered through the hall werem many
who still wanted Teddy. The elan was there. They had the vision OF a
service. open sympathy for the Allies. They waited to be thrilled they
wished to taae OF glory, they felt aggressive and red-blooded M very
male On the platform and elsewhere vas the substance OF the RepubH-
can pary-Senaor Harding, sleek, genial and meaningless; Senator
Warren Of the Wyoming army post, a strange apostle OF preparedness;
iced smoot tall and stohd and nearighted; Prendergat a perpetual
2!ro.ation; Murray Crane, benevolent and approving. To them Mr.
hughes was not the restorer OF American honor ne "as TIT ""a m
+ the Republican party in convention assembled. Then there VAS Mr..
ughes himself dominated by a powerful instinct o. worh ann anu
moral passion Tor a job well done; by temperament no aF'Sa " "e
a1dng sense, and no hero n the Roosevelt sense:
To speak out to harmonic these three political impulses anc pro-
duee something which would go n a campaign where there are to be
womens votes. workingmens votes, business mems votes pro-Nhy vo,cs'
candor ar obscure the fact that Mr.. Hughes wrot his speech with all
these elements n mind, that he spoke not merely as his heart Dictated
but as he imagined the Republican candidate for president OF the Unit
ed States was expected to speak. 1t a a sincere, carefully planned
compromise between conviction and necessity.
The basis OF the compromise as obvious. Mr.. Hughes made anti
Wisconsin the issue. 1t was the easiest and most natural thing to do.
AnttWHsonism is the only common factor of the Roosevelt following
he Republican machine, the active pro-My sympahzer' thu pro-Ger-
ans ard Mr.. hughes own passion for efficiency. Hammer Mr. Viii
"a and YOU satisfy Mr.. Roosevelt, or at cas- you prevent hn from nam
raaring YOU; You satisfy the machine which wishes to control the gov
eminent. you satisfy the "a parties who don't like the president though
Tor opposite reasons; and you satisfy your W integrity by pointing
out the administration weakness, the vacination and the poor technique
OF the Wilson diplomacy. Ant-Wisoni'm is OF necessity the Republ-
car ISSUE, o Gm Noi is 1T ' n, %" heo ~y :" cnnmitnent O., o. anv issue Which
win seriously divide the Republican voe. Thus Mr.. Hughes by making
Ills attack very vigorous could ignore Mr.. Roosevelts wishes about Bel
eium and universal service. could avoid the ultimate desires of the pro
Ally voters by coupling the maintenance OF trade rights against Great
Britain with rights in Mexico and against Germany, could ignore the
need OF stating a positive policy in Mexico by stating with great force
the grievances OF those who wanted Huerta, those who want Intervention,
those who are distressed at the plight OF the National Guard on the
Above all. an,i-WHsonism is a splendid outlet for Mr. Hughes gen
uie and noble passion for administration. He could speak from his
deepest convictions and with damaging effect when he d"eltu upon Mr..
Wilson's general record OF appointments: The best promise the most
spoke with the passion of a man who knows that all laws and IL policies
Hughes tradition reinforced his words.
But when he looked forward into the future he fell into pious words
and utter vagueness. Though he devoted thirty minutes to his speech to
Mexico, n n knows today what his Mexican policy would be. 1t
would be firm and friendly, he said, but W are the wiser. He de-
voted about ten minutes to the European var said or isolation was
ended, and never indicated even in the barest outline the nature OF the
foreign policy which is to supphnt isolation. He spoke OF the economic
struggle after the war, and the only specific item he offered va a good
odfashioned protective tariff. The real economic problem which peace
will bring. the problem OF a world divided into economic alliances, the
most porHntouS problem OF our 0Wn ana ne "or" "uHe me- "e nan
who would have to deal with it, neve Eve mentioned Great efioen-
r1 70 "r nhc with h him the great nc trust Of the presidency must do more than
tell us he would do well whatever he did. lie mus give some hmt at
least of what he would do o we'll
This avoidance OF any dangerous commitment for the future is due
ct only TO Mr.. Hughes difficult task OF uniting the ant-Wilson vote
1t is due in part o a native quality of his mind, which the speech re-
veaed impressivel. Go behind any M of the subjects he treated, with
the exception OF woman suffrage, and you will find a commonplace set
Of assumptions He assumed, for example, that III foreign policy rests rest,
how this to be a hollow position, for not all rights" are OF equal value,
nor an all OF them be maintained at the same time. No Pa tel states
man has W upheld all national rights. Every statesman has dealt with
something greater than rights, that is to say with his conception OF
national policy and interest He has s"bordinated the rights OF imi-
vidual citizens to the future OF his country's international relations. 1t is
mere legal dogmatsm and diplomatic navete to talk of rights as if they
were absolute. To approach the delicate Mexican question with such
ramshackle intellectual ideas is to do just what Mr. Wilson has done
with his legal fiction about Mexican sovereignty To approach the prob
lens OF European politics with n mfatuation for rights is to do worse
than Mr.. Wilson has done, for in his action, if not in his words, the
president has practned a diferential neutrality. Mr.. Wilson has seen
that our rights against Germany and against the Allies are OF unequal
value not only because N involves lives and the other property but
because Americas future is bound UP with the issues of the va.
Mr. Hughes has not yet justified the faith of liberals. Dominant
Ameicanism, whatver that may be, remains a phrase and a handme-
down from Mr.. Roosevelt. No policy for the nations future gives con-
tent to it. The serious question of the relations between labor and
capital a question which peace will exasperate, Mr.. Hughes left IN the
complete darkness OF mere goodwill All that stands out is a able in
dictment not always imaginative, and a demonstration that Mr.. Hughes
understands the meaning Of administration.
1t is not enough. The vote for president has become so significant
under our system of government that it amounts almost to the election of
=, J;cthorf for III wears We trust Our future to the Dresden practically