Hardly Root
Title
Hardly Root
Creator
Boston Post
Identifier
WWP25487
Date
1918 November
Description
If President Wilson is going to pick any Republican to go to France, it should be McCall of Massachusetts.
Source
Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers
Publisher
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Subject
Root, Elihu, 1845-1937
McCall, Samuel W. (Samuel Walker), 1851-1923
Contributor
Danna Faulds
Relation
WWP25485
WWP25486
WWP25488
Language
English
Provenance
Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.
Text
Hardly Root
One of our brethren of the press blazens forth the name of Elihu Root as “leading all the rest” in consideration for a member of the coming peace council. Hardly, and for two reasons.
Mr. Root had his chance when he was named by President Wilson to head the commission to attempt to obtain order and common sense in Russia. It may be no disparagement of him that he failed, but fail he did and utterly. He made no impression whatever upon the situation over there. No man with a record of failure in a task like that is eligible for the great work in Europe.
Again, the President is not at all likely, nor should he justly be expected, to name a man for the peace table who has not been in sympathy with him, his aims and his principles for peace. Elihu Root has not been in such sympathy.
If a man from the Republican party is to be chosen by Mr. Wilson--and presume that one may be--there is no Republican in the country who by training, by intellect, by wisdom and by sympathy with the momentous work of the administration so completely fills specifications as does Samuel W. McCall, Governor of Massachusetts, statesman and patriot.
One of our brethren of the press blazens forth the name of Elihu Root as “leading all the rest” in consideration for a member of the coming peace council. Hardly, and for two reasons.
Mr. Root had his chance when he was named by President Wilson to head the commission to attempt to obtain order and common sense in Russia. It may be no disparagement of him that he failed, but fail he did and utterly. He made no impression whatever upon the situation over there. No man with a record of failure in a task like that is eligible for the great work in Europe.
Again, the President is not at all likely, nor should he justly be expected, to name a man for the peace table who has not been in sympathy with him, his aims and his principles for peace. Elihu Root has not been in such sympathy.
If a man from the Republican party is to be chosen by Mr. Wilson--and presume that one may be--there is no Republican in the country who by training, by intellect, by wisdom and by sympathy with the momentous work of the administration so completely fills specifications as does Samuel W. McCall, Governor of Massachusetts, statesman and patriot.
Original Format
Newspaper article
Files
Collection
Citation
Boston Post, “Hardly Root,” 1918 November, WWP25487, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.