VOL. LIII

NUMBER 4

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HE Boston Transcript for Saturday, July tenth, contained an earnest, sincere, and carefully considered letter advocating the nomination of Senator John W. Weeks as the Republican candidate for the presidency in in 1916. This importani communication is from Hon. Charles G. Washburn, who has been closely associated with Senator Weeks in Congressional work, and who knows. him intimately. He speaks with authority, but no single argument which Mr. Washburn presents is more convincing than the fact of his writing this letter, the fact that Mr. Weeks has been able thus to win and hold the confidence of his colleague.

We shall take pleasure in quoting somewhat freely from this letter, for the benefit of such of our readers as have not seen it; but would first point out a few general considerations that offer food for serious thought.

In every grave crisis of our national history, a man has appeared peculiarly adapted to meet the exigencies of the hour. To a reverent mind this suggests inevitably the guidance of an over-ruling power. The larger the issue at stake, the more potent for good or ill to humanity, the stronger is the justification of our faith in such guidance. A searching backward look of this kind is solemnly impressive. The

early lives of men who have later become leaders in great events, appear to be a training, often in obscure positions, tor duties that shall subsequently be required of them. The rail-spitter's axe seems more unassociated with the manumission of the slave.

When we look forward today, and inquire, as well as we humanly can, what in the immediate future, are likely to be the difficulties that we shall face as a nation, and what qualities, what trainings, they require of him who is to be our leader, is it not profoundly significant that all thoughts turn toward two points-the possibility, almost probability, of a grave financial crisis, and the stern need of military, and especially of naval preparedness, if we are to escape war and maintain national honor? And is it not a matter of deep gratification that at such a juncture there comes forward, quietly, unheralded, and as if by the very force of events themselves, a man trained to the minute in these two great and difficult subjects? How happy we will be, how favored as a nation, if, in the events most likely to transpire in the course of the next five years, we shall have at the helm a man trained in the broadest problems of finance, and possessing an expert knowledge of army and navy! In our quotations from Mr. Washburn's letter we shall select those parts which particularly bear

"The argument of locality could not be urged for or against a candidate. We are to select a man for the presidency and not a geographical expression. A miracle of science has brought the entire area of our vast country within the sound of the human voice; we no longer contain within our borders warring sections -prosperity and disaster to any one State is shared by all the others. The "Liberty Bell" now making its impressive progress across the country is held in as much veneration in California as in Pennsylvania."

Mr. Weeks is not to be a "New England candidate." He is none the less a candidate who can count ou the heartiest New England support.

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It is well known that Mr. Weeks takes a profound interest in navy. He is himself a naval expert, a graduate of Annapolis, he served in the navy for six years thereafter, and again during the Spanish war. Mr. Washburn writes convincingly on this subiect:—

MR. WEEKS AND THE NAVY "Because of his familiarity with the subject, whatever he said about. the navy had great influence. In the House, on one occasion, in reply to the argument that in the interest of international peace the naval plan should be curtailed, Mr. Weeks in reply insisted that a large navy is not for the purpose of menacing

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neighbor, but to protect our growing commerce. When the socalled 'hazing bill' was before the House and the statement was made that twenty-six ships had been lost in twenty-five years and the deduction made that the personnel could not be of the highest efficiency. Mr. Weeks answered at great length, reviewing the cause of the loss of every ship since the Civil War, gave the name of the officer in command and the

result of every investigation. The speech impressed the House with the completeness and accuracy of his information and with the soundness of his conclusions."

The Boston Globe said, May 7, 1906:

"The navy is lucky to have a man like Congressman John W. Weeks, of Newton, to speak for it; experienced, unprejudiced and moderate, depending only on the cold facts and not given to forensic fireworks, he is the very sort of man who can accomplish most in the national legislature."

The Army and Navy Journal said, May 19, 1906:

"The British military services enjoy the advantage of being represented in Parliament by men whose experiences in command on land or at sea, and whose professional training and knowledge enable them on occasions to enlighten civil ignorance concerning military matters. We have no similar representative of the services in our Congress, though occasionally an ex-officer of the army or navy does find his way through the usual channels of political preferment. A case in point is that of Representative John W. Weeks, graduate of the Naval Naval Academy, who served in the navy for six years after his graduation and again during the war with Spain. How intelligent an understanding Mr. Weeks has of naval conditions is indicated by the speech on the naval bill which he delivered in the House of Representatives, Saturday, May 5."

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The Washington Times said, June 22, 1906:

"If the bill that passed the House the other day, nationalizing the naval militia, shall finally become law, it will mean a great advance for this branch of our armed forces.

"The provisions of the law-passed largely through the hard and earnest work of Representative

Weeks of Massachusetts--will make

A MASTER OF FINANCE "Another speech was made December 5, 1913, on the Pending Currency Bill.' The subject of finance is one of which Senator Weeks is a master and he treated it exhaustively. During the consideration of the bill in committee and in the Senate he secured the adoption of many important amendments. After contributing all he could, he voted for the measure, not because it met his views completely, but because he believed that the bill would greatly improve our banking system. Mr. Weeks was a member of the Monetary Commission, and might naturally have been over critical of the bill proposed by his political opponents, but in his characteristic way he co-operated cordially and was most helpful in shaping the legislation. On December 16, 1913, he spoke in opposition to guaranteeing bank deposits. At the close of his speech he said:

"Mr. President, this whole system, in my judgment, is the confiscation of good character. It is putting a man without reputation on record on the same level with a man who has a record and a reputation. Kipling makes the Tommy Atkins, who has lived a good part of his life in

the indolent atmosphere of the East, say something like this:

Take me somewheres east of Suez,

where the best is like the worst; Where there ain't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst.

"That is exactly what we are doing; we are making the best like the worst. We are not making the worst like the best. If we were going to make the worst like the best, we would provide for better methods of examination; we would provide that only men of proven character should be put at the head of banking institutions; we would provide every means surrounding banks and banking methods, which would be business-like and sound. But as we are proposing to act, we are dragging the best down to the same level

with the worst scoundrel who ever looted a bank. That is what I am opposed to. I favor any scheme that is proposed for making conditions better-for building up men rather than dragging them down. But in this case we are going to put all kinds of men-those who have proven their character and reputation, who have established a credit which is a part of their capital-on exactly the same level that we do the man who has never established a reputation and probably never would if he had the opportunity. It is fundamentally wrong; it is immoral, if a thing can be immoral in business; and it never ought to be countenanced in this body."

In the following words Mr. Washburn summarizes Mr. Weeks' career, and adds his own very quiet, but very sincere, testimony to his worth:

"Mr. Weeks was born in Lancaster, N. H., April 11, 1860; was graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1881; served in the United States Navy as midshipman from graduation until 1883; served in the Massachusetts Naval Brigade ten years, from 1890 to 1900, the last six years of his service as commanding