New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-09
THE WEAKNESS OF HUGHES
Only Rhetoric Would Distinguish Justices
Candidacy from Wilson's.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

l
Sir. The politicians feel that IL the G. o. +
will insert couple of strong planks on Amer
icanism and preparedness the election
will be won. They believe that Mr. Roose-
vet's issues are essential, but that he is not;
that Hughes on a Rooseveltan platform VIII
turn the trick as well, il not more surely
than the Colonel.
! do not agree with this reasoning. There
are several obvious fallacies underlying IT.
Any candidate except 7. X. will be essentially
party candidate. He will run as the Re
publican candidate, standing on its platform
and necessarily obliged to stand on its record
And here is the fatal rub-the record Of the
Republican party on the two issues of Ameri-
canism and preparedness is bad. 1t is as bad
as, if not worse than, that of the Democratic
party It's Congressman have failed to sup
port American rights at sea; its leaders for
two years, with very few exceptions, have
been silent. As party 1t has done exactly
nothing for preparedness for two years. II
has neither been an aggressive party OF OPP
position nor has it helped to formulate the
policies Of the country during this crisis.
When it was its duty TO mould public opin
ion it was silent; when it was its duty to |
act courageously il failed miserably IN the
defence Of American rights. Every word that
T. X. has written against the Democratic
party can with equal justice be said against
the Republican party.
No Republican candidate can overcome this
handicap. r. X. is the only candidate who
could run on his own record. Although nomi-
mated by the Republican party. he could make
the campaign on his own ideas and methods.
lie would not in n real sense be the candidate
Of any party. He would be his own candidate,
or rather Of the issues which he has so clear
Is defined and for which he has consistently !
fought. What 81 have said and done would
be the answer 20 any argument. This would
draw people from all parties who actually be-
ieve in his issues. They would not feel that
they were supporting the Republican party; |
they would be supporting certain vital issues
and the man who had best expressed and most
vigorously waged battle for them. Hughes OF
any other candidate could not thus attract
Independent voters or voters of other par
ties.
1t is impossible to overestimate the impor
lance of this naturalization with party or
ganizaton this year means defeat; identi- /
icaton with the issues, embodiment of the
principles themselves, means victory. This
embodiment cannot be effectively accom-
plshed by platform planks. The Democratic
party will undoubtedly have planks on Amer
icanism and preparedness that will read as
we'll as those Of the Republican party. Nor
will the mere statements of the Republican
candidates accomplish this. Mr.. Wilson can
equal. if not surpass, Mr.. Hughes in his elo-
quent allegiance to America first and belief
in adequate preparedness. 1t will simply be
difference of rhetoric.
The usual objection may now be raised that
T. r. would split the party-at least ALLEVIATE
- h. 50 !
this objection forget that the issues of Ameri-
canism and preparedness will already have
divided the party. If T. RS platform is
adopted-and this much is conceded as the
minimum requirement Of victory-then the
damage from a party standpoint will have
been done. There are thousands of paciflsts
in the Republican party who will not support
adequate or Rooseveltlan preparedness There
are thousands of provincial people who Will
not vote for a strong foreign policy. The
very adoption of the issues essential for vic
tory will mean division within the party. Vic
tory will be gained only after dsunon
How can this be possible? By the natu-
raj gravitation OF people Of all parties who
believe in the issues to the candidate VINO
completely in word and deed embodies the
Issues. 7. r. does this; in no other candi-
date are the issues visible; his personality
radiateS them, ne IS lHe Creature anu tH44N
Of Americanism and preparedness, as well as
their father Substitute for him party can
didate and Democrats who believe IN pre-
paredness will ask: "Why should | support
the Republican party when its record is as
bad as that of my own party" 7. RS rec
ord and his personality and his issues would
draw Democrats and independents from all
sides. His issues would divide the Repub-
lican party exactly as they would divide the
Democratic party; but his personality and
embodiment Of the issues would win all or
most Of the believers in these issues.
Another weakness of any party candidate
and particularly Mr.. Hughes, ia the fact that
il is hard to distinguish any Of them from Mr.
Wilson | venture to say that one of the big
difficulties in Mr.. Hughes's campaign would be
to make people see how his brand of Ameri-
canism and preparedness differed from that
of Mr.. Wilson. Wilson's preparedness ana
Huehes's preparedness, Wilson's Americanism
and Hughess Americanism will be almost I'M
possible to dfFerentiate. Rhetoric Will be
the only key and very poor key. All TINS
confusion and uncertainty would be brushed
aside by the nomination of I. X. As clear
as the outlines Of a mountain in the sunlight
stands his platform. You may disagree with
him and think him too violent-but you know
that he dsagrees with wilson and exactly IN
what he differs from the President. No one
would make the mistake of saying that he
was the same as Wilson with the exception
Of the whiskers. +. Il. SEhhL
New York, June s, 1916.