Part 14 (1/2)

The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to urge you as strongly as I can to address at once an open letter to the chair fully your views in the ra upon a definite and unequivocal repudiation of the hyphen vote

The President's ”fighting” telegrara plank:

Whoever, actuated by the purpose to proard of our own country's welfare or to injure this Governn relations or cripple or destroy its industries at hoious or other nature creates discord and strife a our people so as to obstruct the wholesome processes of unification, is faithless to the trust which the privileges of citizenshi+p repose in him and is disloyal to his country We, therefore, conderity, and as destructive of its welfare, the activities and designs of every group or organization, political or otherwise, that has for its object the advancen pohether such object is pro the Government, a political party, or representatives of the people, or which is calculated and tends to divide our people into antagonistic groups and thus to destroy that coreement and solidarity of the people and that unity of sentiment and purpose so essential to the perpetuity of the nation and its free institutions We condemn all alliances and combinations of individuals in this country of whatever nationality or descent, who agree and conspire together for the purpose of e the Govern our public representatives in dealing or negotiating with any foreign power We charge that such conspiracies aated for the purpose of advancing the interests of foreign countries to the prejudice and detriment of our own country We condemn any political party which in view of the activity of such conspirators, surrenders its integrity or modifies its policy

There is no doubt that for a while after the Convention at Chicago which nohes there was deep depression in the ranks of our party throughout the country, the opinion being that the fored in sharp controversies with hes would not only be a sad disappoint methods he would fall far short of the expectations of his many Republican friends

Previous to the nohes the President was his cordial adenerous terhes as Governor of New York, which he adressive, liberal character Previous to the Republican Convention, he and I had often discussed the possible nominee of the Republican Convention The President, for sohes was a serious contender for the nomination and often expressed the opinion that the idea of a nohts of the then Justice of the Supreh the newspaper hes froton infors toward the noly of the opinion that the Justice was in no way indifferent to the noo out of his way publicly to resent the efforts that his friends wereto land it for him When I expressed the opinion to the President, that as a hes was a candidate and was doing nothing outwardly to express his disapproval of the efforts being made by his friends, the President resentedof friendshi+p on the part of all the hes, and at the Sayre wedding, held in the White House, one of Justice Hughes' sons had played a pros of friendshi+p of the whole Wilson fahes, the curt character of the Justice's letter of resignation to the President deeply wounded the President and the hes' stout defenders and supporters

I recall that on the day Mr Hughes was nominated, and after the news of his nohout the country, there ca the following abrupt note to the President:

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, WAshi+NGTON, D C

June 10, 1916

TO THE PRESIDENT:

I hereby resign the office of associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

I am, Sir, Respectfully yours, CHARLES E HUGHES

When I brought this letter of resignation to the White House the President was in conference with that sturdy Democrat from Kentucky, Senator Ollie M James When the President read the letter and observed its rather harsh character he was deeply wounded and disappointed When he showed it to Senator James, the Senator read it and advised that by reason of its character the President ought not to dignify it by any acknowledgment The President turned quickly to the Kentucky statesman and said: ”No, my dear Senator, the President of the United States ”

The President replied to Mr Hughes in the following note:

THE WHITE HOUSE, WAshi+NGTON

June 10, 1916

DEAR MR JUSTICE HUGHES:

I anation and feel constrained to yield to your desire I, therefore, accept your resignation as Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States to take effect at once

Sincerely yours, WOODROW WILSON

HON CHARLES E HUGHES, Washi+ngton, D C

On the first of August, 1916, I prepared the following n of 1916 and what appeared to th of our own candidacy:

One of the principal argureat stress in favour of Hughes' candidacy is his strength as a castown speech delivered years ago in a can in which Mr Bryan was the leader of the Deth of that speech lies in its cool analysis of the attitude of a great emotional orator [Bryan] on public questions at a ti econoth and virtue In other words, the position of Justice Hughes in that ca an economic principle which had cut the Dehes as a candidate in this the [1916] can will be radically different for he will have to face a candidate representing a united party; one whose power of analysis is as great as Hughes', and to this will be added this feature of strength in the Democratic candidate--the power of appeal to the einative side of the Ath of conviction in urging his cause that coreat dangers and who has brought to consummation substantial (not visionary) achievements unparalleled in the political history of the country He will not speak to the country as the representative of a party divided in its counsels or as a dreamer or doctrinaire, but rather will he stand before the country as the practical idealist, defending, not apologizing for, every achievestown speech, Justice Hughes found no difficulty in attacking the economic theories of Bryan In this attack he not only had the sympathy of his own party but there can he will have to attack achievements and not principles of doubtful virtue _I predict that the trip of Hughes to the West will be a disastrous failure_

When Justice Hughes' Western trip was announced, there was consternation in the ranks of the Democratic party, especially those Deton They declared that he would make a tremendous ireat salient, and ains there

In a letter which I addressed to Mr Raymond T Baker, Director of the Mint, I expressed the opinion that Mr Hughes' Western trip would prove as distinct a disappointment to his friends as had his speech of acceptance