Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-02
ROBINS MYSTERY SOLVED
Col Mccain Tells How "the Boys
Licked Roosevelt and How Ware
Dragged About II to r. n.
.By GEORGE non MCCAIN
CONGRESSMAN J. HAMPTON MOOR

has solved the mystery OF lhomaS hoplns.
For Mr.. Robins has been as great and as
interesting a mystery in the present mayor
atty campaign as the probable size of the
final registration figures.
He has been mystery ever since he pro
icctcd himself so prccipitately into the pris-
matte glare of Ware publicity.
BY his widely advertised offer of personal
service 80 Judge John NJ. Patterson, his
| ludicrous action IN selecting forty six women
| of the Forty sixth ward out of possible
| fifty to act Oh his committee Of one thousand
but more particularly by his appearance
as an orator, Mr.. Robins, of West Locust
street, has made himself a public character
unique in the campaign.
| In view of his repeated illusions to the
subject, he appears TO be the only man in
the country who has sought temporary
| political distinction from the fact that Theo.
dore Ropsevelt once spent night under his
| roof
The mysterious question that has alter
natey agtatcd and puzzled business and
social circles in which Mr. Robins moves has
| been:
What does he hope to get out of it?''
| rTNHE question viewed from every angle
! L appears to be- justified. No man will
ingly and knowingly filings the Social Regis
! ter into an ash can without anticipating or
! OF least in the depths of his heart hoping
| for some reward for his action
And.now along comes Congressman Moore
| in his weekly letter in the EVENING PUBLIC
| LEDGER and announces, or rather intimates,
that the new convert to the Ware system
Thomas Robins-has been slated by the or
ganization to succeed, when the time comes,
h. 81 hon
man from the Second district.
When Thomas Robins threw the ques-
tion of his personal friendship for Theodore
Roosevelt into the arena he gave about every
thing that be had of political value.
There are those bold enough to say that
it was a shameless thing to do" American
politics of the baser sort can never be gilded
or glorified by the invocation of that in
comparable Americans name.
There are no political achievements that
would recommend Mr.. Robins to the Ware
orgspization. lie is a defeated candidate
for Congress The Ware leaders are prac
ticsl politicians and they have no use for
has beens.
WFHEN that shrewd and far seeing student
w of human nature, County Commissioner
George F. Holmes. acting for the organiza
tion, dangled the bait--and Mr.. Moore sug-
gests that it was Congressman Graham's
seat7+it was taken at a gulp.
Just one might read in the quaint Ian
guage of a George AIDE fable:
And so 1t came about that Eminent Re
spectabiity dragged the Great Name of
Roosevelt into the Black and Shiny ooze of
a factional Municipal Campaign"
On his first appearance as a campaign
orator and from the shelter of the peerless
Americans name, Thomas Robins unlim-
bered the first mud battery of the cam
paign. 1t was what the politicians who
had roped him planned that he should do
from the beginning.
Judge Patterson and Congressman Moore
had mutually agreed that there should be mo
mud Singing Senator Ware, David II.
Lane and Senator David Martin, old and
sapient campaigners, had not INDUCED in
personal attack. No candidate of the Town
Meeting party or Republican Alliance has
gone beyond the recognized issues of the
campaign.
They knew their business.
But a man, wealthy, socially prominent
of good name and cultured environment, the
last one of whom such a thing could have
been expected, tyro at the game, a wooden
spoon in the political porridge, accepted the
commission as captain of the tar bucket
brigade.
IN.
after rehearsng the episode, lugubriously re-
marked:
There is such thing then as a fellow
trying to roll into political notoriety on an
ash cam
OUNCE his memorable entrance upon public
~ life in the role of a campaign orator, Mr..
Robins has been quoted in the newspapers
as saying that he was doing as "Mr Roose-
xyplft Il a,,t I.Ny
purport. l
May I not. as Mr.. Wilson would remark.
be permitted to recall to Mr. Robins's at
tention one or two important and personal
matters concerning himself and the late
Theodore Roosevelt?
He no doubt recalls with gratified pleas
ure the night the distinguished OK President
did him the honor of becoming his house
guest. Lest he may have forgotten it,
would remind him it was the night of Jam
uary 90. 1916.
The following morning the OK President.
accompanied by Mr.. Robins. paid IN Off
cial visit of courtesy to Mayor Thomas B.
Smith in City Hall. Mr. Robins had taken
the opportunity meanwhile to enlighten Mr..
Roosevelt regarding Mayor Smiths admin
istration and just how it was regarded.
The idiosyncrasies of Mayor Smiths regime
were already beginning to appear and at
tract criticism.
Mr.. Roosevelt, and quote from the stem
Ographic notes taken at that memorable
| reception, advised the Mayor ito stick to
the organization as long as it was in the
right
Mr.. Robins, being at the side of the ex
President, cannot even at this date and
after Theodore Roosevelt has passed awav.
forget the words and manner of tba ox
President. Nor can he have forgotten those
other words:
II realize that public official must
reckon and deal with his organization. He
must always, however, be willing to disagree
with his organization.
1T mustn't dominate him
"But also the organization must NOT in
| dulge in too much burglary"
TT WAS upon the occasion of this visit 10