Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-10-07

In the presidential campaign preceding
the election of 1908, when Roosevelt wanted
to make Secretary TAFT his heir apparent,
Senator Crane and Governor Proctor
were among the foremost leaders in the
movement to secure the nomination of
Hughes. The hearts OF the rank and file
of the Vermont Republicans had been
won already by Governor Hughes, but
the federal office holders in Vermont
were forced by the party lash reinforced
by Roosevelts Big stick" to accept Taft.
It was the irony OF fate that Roosevelt
should be constrained four years later to
repudatc his own work in 1908 and take
stand for the direct primary and other
Hughes policies that he had helped to
block when Hughes was trying to write
those measures into the statutes of the
Empire state.
Senator Crane and the late Theodore n.
Vail of Vermont worked hand in hand iii
1916 to make Hughes the candidate OF the
ton Of the Barnes Penrose element in the
Republican party. The result is now his
tory. Mr. Hughes in going over political
developments with friend recently said
that the logical time for him to become
president of the United States was in
1908, following his service as governor of
New York. Not only Crane and Proctor,
but also a host Of other Republicans then
agreed with him. Whether Hughes pro-
gressiveism would have saved the Re
publican party from defeat in 1912 and
changed the currents Of American his
tory completely is now an interesting
subject of speculation.
In the meantime more recent develop
ments in connection with senator Cranes
political service are outlined by the New
York Evening Post as follows:
THE late Winthrop Murray Crane,
though he was often characterized as a.
politician and manipulation of party ma
chinery. was far more than that. The
quietest and most modest of men. he
was nevertheless a person of ideals and
Of courage. An expert at keeping the party
machinery running smoothly; he had also
the ability Of the administrator and the
vision of the statesman. No one under
stood better the relation between party
achievement and party success. 1t would
be hard to say whether he deserved more
credit for seeing what his party ought to
do or for the art with which he won it
over. But is was the latter quality that
gave him his special reputation. other
men could lead a horse to water Crane
could make it drink.
His methods were not always con-
ciiatory. He could issue an ultimatum IL
1t became necessary. No more dramatic
instance OF this resolute determination
could be cited than his threat a year ago
to take the morning train for his home
at Dalton if the resolutions committee
of the Massachusetts Republican conven-
ton submitted a platform calling for
amendments TO the Versailles treaty
rather than reservations but that did not
affect Crane. The committee yielded and
the next morning the man from Dalton
sat on the stage watching the platform
without the word amendments go
through.
But what he did at Boston in 1919 he
was unable to do at Chicago in 1920. Elder
statesmen are ordinarily stigmatized as
rsactonary. but Crane. for all his love
of party strategy and his desire for party
triumph saw that the party that does not
keep step with progress is doomed. The
gallant but losing fight that he made at
Chicago for treaty plank that would
definitely commit the Republican party
to advocacy of the league with ample
reservations was the last act Of his pub
lie career, And It is one that will always
ho remembered with satisfaction by his
friends, and by growing realization by his
opponents that AS the years come and 90.
Senator Cranes ideals for his country and
for his party were on a higher plane than
theirs
Senator Crane numbered among his
personal friends men from every walk OF
life, and in these personal relations he
was loyalty itself. He had a New England
nuaintness and a dry humor that resolved
many n tense political situation and that
made his personality one of attractive
ness and Of force"
The service performed by Senator
Crane in 1920 recalls the way in which he
helped to persuade Roosevelt to block the
move for separate tickets nomination
by the Progressive national convention in
progress simultaneously with the Repub-
lican convention in 1916 Success Of his
service was due to the fact that he made
an exact, science of political figuring that
others largely leave to chance and guess
work. His influence was on the side of
real progress in Republcanism
SEED POTATO IDENTIFICATION
Inspectors Alfred H. Gilbert and Harold
l.. tod thn