Life — May 4, 1916 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

836 Judge Hughes’ Availability WASHINGTON correspondent of the Boston Transcript said on April 7th that, as things looked then, Judge Hughes was as good as nomi- nated, and that the current suggestion that “we don’t know where Hughes stands” cut very little figure in Wash- ington. The Providence Journal, which doubt- less feels a special responsibility about Mr. Hughes because he is a graduate of Brown University, thinks he ought to come out with a positive refusal to leave the bench or be a candidate for office under any circumstances. But no matter what the Judge might say, the Republicans will nominate him if they want to, and if they unite to do so, and he agrees to their platform, he will probably have to run. And the chance that they will try to nominate him is increased by the fact that he has been able to avoid with entire propriety the public expression of his views on current affairs. The longer any Republican candidate can escape the disclosure of his opin- ions on current affairs the better for him. The Republicans are not united, nor able to unite, on any war polic: They could not get together in depre- cation of the failure to protest against the invasion of Belgium; they are not likely to go beyond careful platitudes in their treatment of the Lusitania case ; they dare not go on record with a declaration that we should have got into the war. They can make a gen- eral complaint that our present admin- istration has cold extremities; that it wasted a year and a half without effort to get military preparation, and that Mr. Daniels is an unsuitable head for the navy. They can talk a good deal about Mexico, and any amount about our domestic concerns, but they dare not go into the campaign with a decla- ration that, as Dr. Hill says, we have “completely lost our former prestige as a nation,” and are “a negligible quan- tity as an international influence.” Moreover, they cannot offer in June any suggestions as to foreign policy that can be depended upon to last through the summer. The dice are con- stantly dropping on the board, and the moves are made according to what is thrown. Not all the Republican wise "TIS EVER SO men in conclave can tell three months ahead what the throws will be or what moves should follow. About the best the Republicans can do is to say to the people: “Mr. Wil- son has had a terrible time of it, and seems fagged and needs a rest. The Democrats have no one else, but here's our man, fresh and sturdy, and we can back him with a good team. We are more competent than the Democrats, anyway. Suppose you try us!" On such a platform as that, Judge Hughes might run without embarrass- ment, and all the better because nobody knows what he thinks about anything that has happened in the last two years. As a change from Mr. Wilson he might possibly be acceptable to more voters than anyone else. It would be the least violent change that could be made. E.S.M, Not Quite Empty-Handed can hardly be said to have a E W vy so incomplete is our naval outfit in equipment. But we undoubt- edly have some of the belongings of a navy in good quality and measure, and they will be useful to the Allies if we get in with them. Devotion HE: Would you leave your home for me? He: I'd leave a baseball game in the ninth inning with the score a tie. P ENITENTIARY GUARD: Con- vict 411 is not in his cell, sir! Waroen: That's all right! He's still hunting for the ball he lost on the links this afternoon! comicbooks.com