The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-06-25

thing besides sawdust and useful In
formation"
This remark Is not to he found
among the collected speeches OF
Charles +. Hughes. II was made in
the smoking room OF special train
at the end OF days campaigning IN
the autumn Of 1908, when the gov
crnor was telling the voters why he
should be sent back 10 Albany for
another term. In VArious forms II
has been repeated in other quiet
talks with friends from that time 10
this. To one newspaper man who
sought information for bioEraphl-
cal sketch from the then governor
he gave but one suggestion as TO how
the material should be handled.
II YOU can do so conscIcntlously,"
he said, try in what Won write to
do something TO disahuse the public
mind OF the impression that | am
sort Of austcrc bluc-stockinE per
son without any red blood or bowels
OF mercy. that nm mere coldly
calculating Interrogation point"
For II there In anything that this
serene. even tempered, kindly sympN-
thetic man rescnts II is the popular
notion, whose prevalence Is perhaps
not as wide az Il was once. that he
is tcmperNmcntally all Puritan. in
telloctually dwollor on some cold
remote peak. monklsh rccluse. un-
emotional, forbIdding, inaccessible
the apotheOsls Of austerlty. lie
knows this is false picture His
friends know II is false and present
ly the people as he goes among them,
Will know its falsity as they awake
to the fact that Mr.. Hughes. in ad-
dltiOn to his other attractive quail
ties, is n human being In nation u
hundred million other more or less
human beings.
The Hughes myth, the dclusion as
to the trlgld pcdRntry of this man.
Is n creation Of politics. II was cara
fully erected by the politicians whose
Wills he crossed In those days from
1906 to 1910 when he was governor
of New York. Some who didn't ap.
preclate the truth and some who did
joined for their own purposes IN
spreading the fable In the hope that
the voters would accept this judE-
mont rather than the evidence of
their own senses. II IL serious
thing for u man in public life to be
pictured as Mr.. Hughes has been. He
had to overcome the handicap when
he was governor. he viii have to do
1t again as he seeks election to the
presidency.
New York knows him. The Hughes
myth is probably permanently dlssi.
patod in his home state. But there
is no doubt about ITS present persist
ence among thousands OF men In 9TH
er parts of the country. A remark
often heard by those who attended
tho Chicago Republican convention
was this Hughes? A great man.
great intellect. but he hasn't got
the stun that appeals to the ordinary
voter He's Just thinking ma
chine"
Go up to the Hotel Aston. walk
down second floor corridor and
look through wide open door into
n room where Hughes has been greet
ing old friends and making new ones
since Monday. Then pass among the
men gathered in other rooms Of the
suite. single out those who have n
right to say that they really know
him and you'll find out whether or
not they believe he is lust n think
ing machine"
Ask Charles Farnham, who man
aged his tours when he was COVER
nor: ask Robert Fuller, who was the
governors secretary; ask Brown I'm
iversity classmates, who are drop
ping in on their way to commence
ment reunions; ask anybody that
counts Charles r. Hughes as u per-
sonal friend or has talked with him
for more than two minutes. Yes.
even ask the politicians who pieced
together the Hughes myth eight and
ten years ago and see what they
think about It now.
A reporter did this. The first per-
son he encountered was one who
Travelled about the state with the
governor great deal in the days
when Hughes was appealing to tho
people against the obstinancy OF a
hostile legislature.
II am poor hand at anecdotes"
this man said, land the only thing
that occurs to me now Is too trilinS
for your use. But it's the truth that
never think OF Mr. Hughes without
being reminded OF governors day at
the Syracuse state fair.
He was walking through the ex-
hlbits. wearing high hat and qs-
corted by a citizens committee SINH
larly dignlAed. and by his military
staff In uniform. II was a solemn,
important occasion--for the com
mlttee. As they were passing the
rOuliry show n big bun Cochin roos-
ter suddenly tapped its wings. reared
its head and let out a mighty crow.
Mono OF the escort dared to smile.
But the governor dotted his tile,
made an elaborate. bow to the rooster
and said:
II can't pass by without acknowl-
edging such salute as that
80 the whole party followed the
governors example. and everybody
was quite human for the rest Of the
day. You may not know II, but M.
Hughes abhOrs fOrInality except
when the occasion absolutely de-
mands IT."
Another in tho remInescing group
at the Astor headquarters was we'll
known New York lawyer. He spoke
up: