The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-11-14

! are ueSCIlpllOIS VI SeciStdiE 11uSh1S'
, Senator Lodge and Senator Root, by
the anonymous 'best-selling" author:
| THAT whiskered Secretary of
| State" (the phrase is attributed to
| Senator Brandegee) prevails not
! merely by his virtue, but by his in
! telligence; his is the best bind in
! Washington; to this everyone agrees.
The President speaking to an init
mate friend said he had two strong
advisers, Hughes and Hoover"
i =
1t is a satisfaction even though
| il is not a delight, to come in contact
with a mind like Mr.. Hughes; it is
SO definite, SO hard and firm and pal
/ pable. You feel sure that it rests
somewhere on the eternal verities. 1t
| is never agnostic. 1t has none of the
malaise of the twentieth century. Mr..
Justice Brandeis, when Mr.. Hughes
was governor of New York and re-
former and progressive, said to him,
His is the most enlightened mind
of the eighteenth century"
l think the Justice put it century
or two too late for, by the eighteen
tn century, skepticism had begun to
undermine those firm foundations of
belief which Mr.. Hughes still posses
es. For him a straight line is the
shortest distance between two points
-Einstein to the contrary, nothwith
standing.
Conclusions rest upon the absolute
rock of principles, as morality for
his preacher father rested upon the
absolute rock of the Ten Command
ments. There is no doubt, no I'M
certainly, no nuance, on the one hand
on the other, no discursiyeness, no
Welding to the seductions of fancy,
but q stern keeping Of the faith OF
the syllogism; thing is so or it is
hot so. Mr. Hughes never hesitates.
He never says, Il must think about
that" He has thought about it. Or
he turns instantly to his Principle
and has the answer.
You speak of Mr.. Hughes to ten
men in the Capitol, and nine OF them
will say to you, "Of course it is easy
TO understand; his is the one real
mind in Washington.
LODGE
Henry Cabot Lodge always creates
the Impression that it is condescen-
sion on his part to God to have allow
ed him to create world which is not
exclusively possessed by the Cabots
and the Lodges and their connections.
Mr.. Lodges principles it has been
observed, are infexible and rest on
solid foundation, but like good steel
they can bend without breaking.
With his grandfathers and his for
tune, Mr.. Lodge inherited violent
and bitter dislike of England. Prob
ably no man-not even the most eX-
IRENE Irish agitator-is more re-
sponsible for the feeling existing
against England than Mr.. Lodge.
Mr.. Lodge is curious and not I'M
interesting study in psychology. He
has no great talent, but he is not with
out some ability; in his youth he was
an industrious plodder and fond OF
study. He has read much but alb
sorbed little; he is we'll educated in
the narrow sense of the Schoolmas-
ter. but he has no philosophic back
ground; his is the prasitic mind that
sucks sustenance from the brains OF
others and gives nothing in return.
He is without the slightest magma
ton and is devoid of all sense OF
humor. He has almost genius for
misunderstanding public sentiment.
=
Mr.
Lodge, and so much he might have
done, that it is a disappointment he
has accomplished SO little. HIS has
been thirty-four years in Congress-
and his career can be summed up in
three achievements, the Force Bill,
tho attempt to wreck England by
driving her to silver coinage, and the
part he took in defeating the treaty
of peace with Germany.
ROOT
THAT man Root" said Mr.. Hard
ing in Marion during his campaign
has done more harm to the Republ1-
can party than any other man in it!
He is always pursuing some end OF
his own or some outside interest"
= i
the President passed over the obvious
man for Secretary of State. The
real obstacle to Mr.. Roots appoint
ment was Mr.. Harding's distrust of
him, the instructive feeling of sim
pie direct nature against mind too
quick, too clever, too adrot, too in
visible in many Of its operations.
Those who were close to him said the
President feared that Mr.. Root who
put something over on him.
: = >
Such is Mr.. Root. Public ques-
lions always are likely to occur to
him first as exercises in mental ad-
roitness rather than as moral prob
lens. His extremely agile mind
finds it's chief pleasure in its own
ability. Then he is always the ad-
vocate, always instinctively devoting
himself to bolstering up another
! mans cause for him.
He is a first-class second" said
Senator Penrose, objecting to him as
candidate for President at the Re
publican Convention of 1916, but he
| is not his own man"
He is always someone elSe'S mouth
piece. He lacks originality, he lacks
passion-there is no place for passion
in that clear mind-he lacks force.
He elucidates other mems ideas,
works out or puts into effect their
! policies, presents their case, is, by
! temperament, by reason of gifts
amounting almost to genius, of de-
| fects that go with those gifts always
and everywhere, the Lawyer. His
| public career has been controlled by
! this circumstance.
In spite of it all some greatness re-
mains, the impression of a powerful
II 1. 49,