Show ITHE jj TRAGEDY OF HUGHES From the N. N Y i World I Where is Hughes gone The Hughes of 1008 1908 inquires the Times rImes That Is what Democrats alike are asking themselves themselves the the Democrats with astonishment and delight the Republicans Republicans Re Re- publicans with bewilderment and dis dis- dis- dis gust The Hughes that New York YorI used to know tho the Hughes whom tho the World supported in 1906 and in 1908 has disappeared dis dis- appeared In Ia his place we have a Hughes of the Penrose Cannon ger gel type whose mind never arises above tho the petty partisanship of Republican Republican Republican Re Re- publican organization politics polities The speeches he is delivering in the West might be made by any ordinarily clever young Republican candidate for the tue I state legislature I No other candidate for president within the memory of living living- men ever ran downhill so bo rapidly as Hughes has I done dono since the tho day following his nom noni- It is both the campaign sensation sensation sensation sen sen- sen- sen and the campaign mystery of the country Wherever men talk politics the one question is What has happened happened happened hap hap- to Hughes Nobody has answered the question yet It admits of an answer and answer and the explanation can be found in Hughes' Hughes Chicago speech when he said As I Iwas Iwas Iwas was on the bench per cent a Judge I then became per cent a a. candidate candi candi- date That is where the Hughes of 1908 has gone lie Ho has disappeared in the Hughes of 1916 who Is per cent a candidate The Tho country thought the tile Republicans were nominating a great leader who was still per cent a judge with all that it implied implied implied-a a leader leador lead lead- er or who was wise just fair learned honest in all his statements upright in relation to all the great issues of the I campaign and fearless in his discussion of them Instead they suddenly find a aman aman aman man who has changed himself from per cent a Judge into per cent an office seeker with all the ness with all the evasions with aUthe all aU the dodging and twisting and deliberate misrepresentation that usually characterize characterize characterize char char- the per cent office seeker Hughes the tho judge and statesman has been swallowed up in Hughes the candidate can can- That is where the Hughes of 1908 Is I gone The Hughes of 1916 is merely a partisan aspirant for office He assails President Wilson but he has no polIcies policies policies pol pol- pol- pol of his own lie He abuses his opponent op opponent opponent op- op but ho he offers no constructive program lie He has even forgotten the courtesy that ought to exist between opposing candidates for president The Hughes of 1916 sneers at President President President dent Wilsons Wilson's successful efforts to keep the country out of war with Germany but he Is afraid to say he would have done that the president did not do or what he would have left undone that the president did He ridicules President Wilsons Wilson's efforts to bring a anew anew anew new order of things out of the Mexican chaos but he dare not say what his own Mexican policy would be He makes boastful professions about his devotion to America first but en encourages encourages en- en the German vote to support S him in order to punish the president for refusing to yield to the kaiser He accuses the president of vacillation and timidity in dealing with the gravest na onal and international S problems with which any other president president pros pros- dent except Lincoln has had to grapple grap grap- graphe I but buth he lacks the moral and pOlitical courage to say how he ho would meet tile the I situation In the midst of the tho greatest crisis I known to modern history the most ImI Important important Im Im- im- im I issues in Hughes' Hughes mind are the tile substitution of a Democratic director of the tho census for a Republican director director tor of the census the appointment of a I son of Battery Dan Finn to a place in inS the tIle customs service and the failure of S the president occupied with S S I matters of j I the first magnitude to kt keep keel all the petI petty pet pet- ty pork out of a river an anti and harbors bill I It is Abraham Lincoln because because be be- cause the streets in Washington were not better paved during the civil war ivar and declaring that in consequence his administration was a failure In 1908 there was a ring of sincerity S In the Hughes speeches and a fervor of conviction There is neither sin nor conviction in the Hughes speeches of 1916 1016 But the hughes Hug of or 1908 was not per pCr cent a candidate I for office lIe He was per cent a leader of the people of New York irrespective irrespective irre irre- of party to re establish popular lar government Tho Tile Hughes of 1916 1911 Is Js not per cent a leader or 10 0 per percent percent cent a leader He lie is 13 trying to pussyfoot pussy pussy- foot into the presidency under th the a guidance of the old guard Republicans He takes his political advice from I them Just as ho he takes his campaign 0 fund from Wall Vall street He Ho takes his hi campaign information from them H He makes the kind of speeches that they tell him he ought to make They warn warm him not to try to present constructive policies of his own lest he be compelled to defend them and he obeys That i is 1 the Hughes of 1916 That is the per pox percent percent cent candidate who Is assailing the bC per cent president The World is frank to admit that it ii S finds no cause for elation in the thc 1 Hughes fiasco It contains too many of the elements of a political tragedy As an enthusiastic of President President Pres Pros ident Wilson The World favored I Hughes' Hughes nomination by the Republicans Republic Republic- ans believing that his candidacy would I mean a campaign of education for the American voters We Vo were certain that he ho would put the issues upon the highest plane of statesmanship anc and I that the contest would be a contest of 01 r two great statesmen differing as to tc method and policy but each courageous courage courage- ous single minded and unswerving in im a his conscientious devotion to principle and duty Instead has pitched his campaign in the lowest key leey of partisanship partisanship partisanship par par- and is appealing only to party party party par par- ty prejudices and party passion Instead Instead Instead In In- In- In stead of being the tile Republican candidate candidate candi candi- date for president he might be a Republican Republican Re Re- publican candidate for assemblyman The World cannot rejoice at the ex exhibition exhibition ex- ex that Hughes is making of himself him him- self This country always needs wise sagacious political leadership It needs need a Republican who can do for the Republican Republican Re Re- publican party what President Wilson I Ihas has done for the Democratic party I It t needs men who are per cent leaders leaders leaders lead lead- ers of political thought and political I principle and we used to regard 1 Hughes as such a man To discover that he is only per cent office offic seeker and that he is ready to subordinate subordinate subordinate everything else to that ambition ambition ambi ambi- tion brings to the World a sense o of or orleen keen leen personal loss We feel that something very fine very inspiring has gone out of tb the public life of the United States W We Vo e feel that the tho American people ar are e poorer because a Hughes Hughe who was once one 0 per cent a judge has turned hi his Ws S back upon his record and his tradition traditions S Sin in order to become a Hughes who i is S merEly per cent a candidate |