Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-26
PRIVACY OF ROOSEVELT

To the Editor of Evening Ledger.
Sir-I have been reading for some time
your editorials in sermonette FORM and the
freedom wi h which you improvse texts and
preach upon them frequently gives evidence
or lack of taste and logic at the same time.
PARTICULARLY offensive is your editorial of
this evening, entitled Unfair to Hughes"
NO man has done more than Mr.. Roosevelt
In coming out unequivocally for the cam
palgn or preparedness, and every fair
minded man Is perfectly willing to concede
to him a large share in the preponderance
OF sentiment which has been created in its
taVor. greater teacher than Roosevelt has
said. He who Is not for me, is against
me- There is no particular reason why
this truth should remain unspoken because
you seem to think Mr.. Hughes comes under
this class j. and your editorial, like many
another, seems to have been deliberately
Iashloned to create an erroneous impression.
Ihere Is vast difference between Justice
Hughes "gaddng about the country" and
telling the people that he is an American,
and any Justice undertaking a 'junket
about the country" to express his personal
ideas on topics of the day, and presden-
tai candidate giving plain. frank state
ments of his views on the great issues of
the impending campaign That Justice
Hughes stands in this relationship of candi-
date is due to the fact that he has not
stated in clear. unequivocal language that
he is not.
q. iAllS pam IuNl pldCeS MIN In an al
together different category from the aver
age Justice of the Supreme Court In a
situation of this nature, largely OF his own
creation, the nation. to act with any degree
OF intelligence, must know exactly what he
thinks now on the great questions which
must be settled in November. To imply in
uncouth sporting language that the con-
demnation OF class for its failure to re-
veal Its attitude is unfair to an Individual
OF that class is both unreasonable and IL
logical II Is poor sort of preaching
which eliminates the denunciation of a
wrong spirit because an individual is sun
posed to be included therein.
In the vote opposed to Mr.. Wilson at the
last presidential election four years ago.
numbering 7,604,4e3, a decided majority,
4,1l9,6O7 to be exact, broke their party ties
and voted for Mr. Roosevelt and / have
not been able to find single individual to-
day whose first choice is not stlll Roose-
Welt, whether they are classified as Re-
publtcans or Progressiyes. To elect a
President In opposition to Mr.. Wilson this
snars 100000 must be utilized The 4OOO,-
OOO and more OF four years ago have been
largely augmented by many OF Mr. Taft,s
supporters, who have now declared them
selves for Roosevelt, Where then ia the
reason or common sense OF attempting IN
distort an Isolated instance of an insig-
nifeant primary vote into an insstent de-
mand for Mr. Hughes when the great fact
confronts every man of intelligence that
more than 100000 have expressed in un-
mistakable terms, at great sacrifice 10 |
themselves, their absolute preference for |
Roosevelt?
Further, Mr.. Hughes has been tested az
a vote getter in his own State and In ths |
presidential election in which Mr.. Taft se. |
cured a majority of about 200 600 Mr |
Hughes secured about one-fourth as manv
or $4,000. in New York.
The New York Globe says editorialIv,
1T is difficult to see how Mr. Hughes
can longer Justify silence. The people nav
a right to know what they are getting IN
the presidential office. Respect for tbs
traditions of the Supreme Court undsr
some circumstances can take on the eolo-
OF something akin to contempt for tbIns.
more important than the Supreme Court NJ
It is permissible for member 6f The s,,-
prems Court TO be candidate It Is inenns.
bent on him to take the public into his
as
II this temperate expression 'eonsfit,,t..
! case Of '.manhandling" Mr.. Hughes 81, ~
enemies when he Is tied 70 which vas, ts,s as
yell as thousands of other good Araeri.ss'
citizens ob1eet.. I venture 70 plead foF ~.
privilege q stating an opposite visv of
lesbla minority
kREDEaIcE 1 sMIru
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