The sun., 1916-10-29

NowF amousC Com.
parison Between
Mexican Bandits
and Our Soldiers
Of the Revolution
By ALBERT BUSHNELL HART.
Professor Of History at Harvard.
y TEwToN DIEHL BAKER was
N interpreted in the who's
Who" Of 1913 between two
eminent men OF that name. Moses
Nelson Baker. the high authority on
municipal engineering. and Orlando
Harrison Baker. consul at various for.
eicn ports. At that time Newton
plehl Baker was Mayor Of Cleveland;
previously city solicitor Of Cleveland
for ten years; previously private. sec-
rotary to Postmaster General Wilson
for one year: hence his twelve lines
Of undy1ng fame In who's Who" He
M gsnerally supposed to owe his
slsvauon to his connection with Mayor
Tom johnson Of Cleveland. . man
MA ssd blood II W there wa one.
ASssr csAsing to b Mayor Of Cleve-
lana In 1914. after . two
year term. Newton D. Baker
waited for the lightning to
striks him. meantime preserving
his reputation Of past master4n get
ting out the vote" The name Of Now
Ton d Baker RAJ q spell in Cleveland.
Columbus and Cincinnati. cities which
once we're a. sure Republican a. Mark
Ehnna Of Cleveland and Boss Cox Of
Cincinnati. Getting out whose vote?
Here begins the coincidence which re-
suited in Newton d. Baker occupying
A place from which . slam on the
Revolutionary Army could be felt.
Secretary Lindley NJ. Garrison. a
straightforward. able. conscientious
Secretary Of War. wanted to see his
country protected by an adequate mil
.tary force. Congress substituted for
his plan what has since proved to be
a weak. trininS and miserable sys-
tenn. which preserved most of the de-
fec,s OF the old militia and furnished
some new ones.
President Wilson s~ympathized with
Garrison, but discovered that the
psychlcal moment had come when 1t
was undemocra,ic I o oppose h Will
OF the sovereign people OF the United
States as expressed through their
elected representatives. Hence. on
that issue. Garrison resigned February
10. 1916. rather than to undertake to
work what he believed to be an I'M
workable plan. President Wilson de-
plored, exactly as he deplored Secre-
,ary Bryan's departure: but he sur
vived both shocks.
Here was the golden opportunity for
the Administration Of efficiency. which
had suffered some hard knocks. For
instance, It was loaded up with Secre-
tssy Redheld. within whose jurisdic-
ton was the Inspection o: passenger
steamers on the Great Lakes. A gior-
lous opportunity came TO Secretary
Rsdnsid when the steamer Eastland
July -, 1915. capsized IN the Chicago
Rivsr, performing the unexamp.ed
feat Of . steamer thirty feet high
turning over and drowning more than
. thousand people in fifteen feet OF
water. The Secretary Of Commerce
could show tho country how careful
A., his Department was Of tho lives OF
Americans; how strict and searching
we're the rules Of his Department; how
swift the penalty inflicted upon In
spsctors who failed to do their duty:
how Eager the Department was to col
Lest Information which would lead tc
the prosecution Of the murderers o
the Eastland victims. \
Did Secretary Redheld show the Ola.
mond brain and the iron will and the
marble hand in this crisis? Far from
t.: no practically Endorsed the defence
OF the inspectors. which was that when
they certified that the East!and was
'seaworthy." they meant that she was
seaworthy when at sea. II she had
turned turtle on Lake Michigan. they
would have been grieved; bu'
when. by the Joint and Grim
inal fault OF the owners an'
the officers Of the steamer. she Ia!
down sldewise in the Chicago River
that was a trick which had not beef
covered by the rules; and therefore thu
inspectors dlsclaimed responsibility FOL
this dreadful disaster.
While Secretary Redhe:d was try
Ing to cool of the burning public sen
timent, President Wilson made a spe
cinc request Cor direction, II 20,
choose so to put It. that Redneid shout
cause a thoroush Investigation to b
made Thu a>crstsrv nromisa IN max,