University of Virginia - Corks and Curls Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

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5 CORKS AND CURLS VOLXXVI his prostrate form. Smith was not elected to the Senateg the progressive .laws were passed, and Governor Wilson loomed up before the publlc as a national figure of the first magnitude. ' .V The story of the Baltimore Convention cannot here be retold. One incident, however, should be noted, since it showed Wilson to be, not the grasping office-seeker, but the chivalrous gentleman. The rule of the Demo- cratic party has always been to name no one as its presidential candidate who has not secured two-thirds of the delegates to the nominating convention. But, when Champ Clark had' gotten, not two-thirds, but a bare majority, Woodrow Wilson promptly telegraphed to William T. lVlcCombs, his man- ager, to withdraw his name. It was the generous thing to do-as natural, to such a man, as breathing. But then was shown how firm was' the friendship of his friends, how closely he had grappled them to his soul with hoops of steel, how unfaltering was their faith 'in him and in the policies for which he stood. F or McCombs and his lieutenants refused to withdraw Wilson,s name, and the wisdom of their decision was shown by the result. Moreover Wilson's generous conduct toward Clark was to bear good fruit in the subsequent came paign. For, while Clark was embittered by Bryan's ceasing to support him he could feel no bitterness toward Wilson himself, but gave him his loyal support. - i , A To say that Wilson is wholly incapable of pecuniary corruption is to say little. For there are, fortunately, a good many people beyond the reach of a vulgar bribe. But there are subtler forms of corruption that overcome many men who could not be bought outright for cash. Some of these forms are so subtle as not to be recognized by every one as corruption at all, so subtle as to be even commended as virtues. Such, for example, is what is known among politicians as gratitude, or standing by one's friends. According to this code of ethics, if A supports B for an ofhce, or, indeed, assists him in any way, it is B's duty to support A for another ofhce, noimatter if there be other candidates much fitter for its duties. Not to do so is to be guilty of Hingratitudefl But Woodrow Wilson well knows that this code of political ethics is at bottom, and in principle, the same as that prevailing among bands of outlaws and robbers. I-le knows that there may be honor among thieves, as there may be among the members of a political ring-honorable conduct toward each other, and mutual aid inthe ruthless plunder of the public. l-le fully believes in political organization for purely political purposes, that is, for the purpose of electing proper men and passing proper laws, But he is the

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1913 CORKS AND CURLS 5 His absolute sincerity has already been alluded to, a sinceri.ty sp complete that it dumbfounded and nonplussed the corruptionists of New Jersey. Accustomed as they were to hear men make promises before election and break them afterwards, they imagined that this amateur statesman, this pedagogue in politics, would be but clay in their hands. His plain statement to them before election that he would under no circumstances support the candidacy of Smith for the Senate was surely fso they thoughtl , not seriously meant. I-lis equally plain and emphatic statement that if he consented to accept the nomination for Governor, he .would make no promises, nor con- sider 'himself under any political obligations whatever to any one save the people of New Jersey as a whole, was also regarded by the ringsters as made in a Pickwickian sense. Knowing how they would have acted themselves, they supposed that, as soon as the new Governor was firmly seated at Trenton, he would wink benevolently in their direction, shake the political plum-tree, and stand aside while his political friends, who had Hrolled up their sleeves to work for his election, picked up the luscious fruit. No wonder that, upon awakening from, their sweet dream and seeing that he not only failed to tip them the expected wink, but actually warned them to keep their feetioff the grass and their hands off the plums, they rubbed their eyes with amazement. Was it possible that this theorist, this unpractical dreamer, was going back on the 'Warwicks who had made him, merely for the sake of keeping a silly promise to the dear gullible people? It was hard to believe. Yet it proved to be only too true. So they gnashed their teeth and girded up their loins, and prepared to crush the impudent ingrate and toss back his mangled remains into the scholastic obscurity whence they had unwisely plucked him for the nonce. Such was their plan. But they were yet to learn the tremendous power of a great heart, a great brain, a will of adamant and the courage of a lion, when combined in a man of fascinating personality and wonderful gift of speech. The battle was joined. But the issue was never doubtful. Taking the people into his confidence, explaining to them and to the legislature the necessity of keeping faith, explaining to them in clear, terse English, intelli- gible to all, the reasons for the progressive measures that he had proposed, Governor Wilson shivered to bits the machine that was to have rolled. over

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1913 CORKS AND CURLS 7 deadly foe of political organization for the purpose of securing fat offices for private individuals. I-le knows that political gratitude is the foundation stone of political corruption, and he may be relied upon to appoint no friend or supporter to office solely because of his friendship or support. i - Most of his fellow-students at the University of Virginia probably regarded Woodrow 'Wilson as, all in all, the foremost man among them. The Writer has ever since regarded him, as he regarded him then, as the most re- markable of his contemporaries. More than ten years ago, when he little dreamed that the American people would ever be so fortunate as to elect him President, the Writer remarked in conversation that he considered him the best fitted man for the office in the land. There are other Americans, it is true,'With hearts as-big as his, others with courage as great and Wills as in- flexible as his, others as incorruptible as he, others with heads as level and clear and strong, others with equal gifts of tongue or pen, others with knowl- edge as comprehensive and accurate as his, others as unselfish and as public- spirited as he, others as courteous and kind, others as genial and humorous and full of personal charm. - But, if there be another living man who combines all these qualities in so remarkable a degree, he hasthus far -concealed him- self from the public eye. The University of Virginia, then, is proud of her great alumnus, and the author of these sentences, dedicating this book to a man so worthy of the Universityis loftiest traditions and ideals, considers it a privilege to have been selected as the mouthpiece of Corks and Curls. A r RICHARD HEATH DABNEY. Illlllll 1 N ' , l l i ,iaf::2:1:::iq,.. .r l g l l l al 1 . ll lf ' - ' mui1s'rWlllllll F1P'i'zwf..n