The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-27


If elected"
This was, In effect, the same state
rnent that / made in my telegram to
ex-senator jackson, pending the con-
fenion, which ran in part as fol-
fowst Can we not, forgetting past
differences. now Joint, for the safety
and honor of our country. to enforce
the policies of genuine Americanism
and genuine preparedness? Surely
we can afford to act in accordance
with the words of Abraham Lincoln
when he said, May not all having d
common interest reunite in COM
mon effort to cave our common coun-
try7 May we ask those who have
not differed with us to join In this
same spirit toward those who have?'
As far as my own soul Is known to
me. II is In this same spirit that at
this time l make my appeal to the
Republicans and ProSresslves assem-
bled at Chicago"
HIS GOOD FAITH BROUGHT
IN QUESTION BY u. .. II. LEADERS
In addition to these public state
{nents had also stated my own at
tituds verbally, and In letters, during
the weeks Immediately preceding the
convention. to scores OF leading Pro-
gresslves from all parts of the coun-
try. including many OF the leaders at
the convention. To these men 1 ex-
pressed my earnest hope that the
Republicans would 80 act as to make
1t possible for the Progressives to
Join with them. / stated to them,
however, that In view of the attitude
OF some OF the Republican leaders 1t
was at least conceivable that we
should be put In a position where
our highest duty, our fealty to the
country. our sense of what patriot
isrn demanded In q great crisis would
make 1t imperative upon Us to run
separate ticket; and that whether In
such event II would be necessary for
me to head that ticket could not be
determined in advance. I stated in
these interviews and in these letters.
with the utmost emphasis, that the
decision of this point like the whole
matter of running a separate ticket
would have to be determined by what
the interests Of the country demand
cd in view Of the action finally taken
by the conventions at Chicago.
At tho time many of the Republi-
can leaders asserted that my state
ments were not made In good faith:
that / really Intended to insist upon
my own nomination by the Repubu-
can convention: and that II | was not
80 nominated I intended TO accept
the Progressive nomination and run
on third ticket or course my fell
low Progressives were under no such
error. They knew that I spoke in
good faith and meant exactly what /
said They knew that my utterances
were to be accepted at their exact
face value as meaning that If the
Republicans nominated a man whom
: we could conscientiously support we
would support him The Progressive
convention came together knowing
my public statements and therefore
knowing exactly what nay attitude
was.
"REYoND ALL COMPARISON"
BETTER FITTED THAN WILSON
In my Judgment. the nomination OF
Mr.. Hughes meets the conditions set
forth in the statement Of the Pro-
gresstve national committee, issued
last January, and IN my own state
menta- Under existing conditions the
nomination of g. third ticket wouf,
in my Judgment, be merely q move
in the interest of the election OF Mr..
Wilson. ! regard Mr.. Hughes as a
man whose public record is a guar
antee that ''he will not merely stand
for q program OF clean-cut, straight
! out AmericAnism before election, but
will resoiutely and IN good faith put
1t through II elected" He Is beyond
all comparison better fitted to be
President than Mfr. Wilson Tt would
! be a grave detrimeut to the country
to re-slect Mr.. Wilson ! shall there
! fore, strongly support Mr. Hughes,
/ Such being the case. 1t is unneces-
sary to say that I cannot accept the
nomination on a third ticket 7 do
not believe that there should be a
third ticket. I believe that when my
fellow Progressives coor1y consider the
question they will for the most part
take this position. They and I have
but one purpose--the purpose to serve
conviction that at this moment we
can serve 1t only by supporting Mr..
Hughes
NOT BECAUSE LOVE HUGHES
| But THEY HATED HIM
It is urged against Mr.. Hughes that
he was supported by the various So
called German American alliances.
believe that the attitude OF these pro-
fessional German Americans was due,
not In the least to any liking for Mr..
Hughes, but solely to their antagonism
to mo. They were bound to defeat me
for the nomination. The only way by
which they could achieve this object
was BY supporting him accordingly,
without any regard to other consider
sttons. I need hardly repeat what I
have already said IN stern reprobation
OF this professional German American
e1eznsnt-the element typihed by the
German-Am srican Alliances and the
similar bodies which have, in the pre-
nomination campaign, played not
merely an un-American, but a thor
oughiy anti-American part These
men have nothing In common with the
great body of Americans who are In
whole or IN part of German blood and
who are precisely as good Americans
as those OF any other ancestry. There
are not. and never have been. in all
our hand. better citizens than the great
mass Of the men and women of Ger
man birth or descent who lseve been
Or are being completely merged in our
common American nationality; a ma