The OHIO HISTORICAL Quarterly
VOLUME 64 * NUMBER 4 * OCTOBER 1955
The Correspondence of George
A. Myers
and James Ford Rhodes, 1910-1923-IV
Edited by JOHN A. GARRATY
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, May 22, 1920.*
Dear George: I have yr. two valued favors of Apr. 30 and May 12,
the latter enclosing two editorials
from the P. D. which I have
read with great interest. Senator Lodge
is a very able man. The
contest has been between him and the
President. The President
has had a stroke of paralysis: the
Senator has gained two pounds.
Naturally every man who comprehends the
game should be on the
side of the Senator; therefore the
ratification of the Treaty and
the League of Nations with the Lodge
reservations should be the
platform of men who hope to save
civilization from the wreck
which threatens it. I do not understand
what you mean when you
write, "Were Senator Lodge free
from the plutocracy influence".
He is 70 years old, too old to run for
President; he occupies a more
enviable position in being leader of
the Senate and leader of the
Republicans. These positions he has won
despite a personal un-
popularity in the Senate. He is not
liked here by the Independents,
who object to him in general1 and
especially for his attitude toward
*This is the fourth and last installment
of the Myers-Rhodes correspondence. It
has been published in successive issues of the Quarterly,
beginning with January of
this year. An extended introduction by
the editor of the letters was published with
the first installment. All four
installments will be republished in book form some-
time next year.
1 In Boston, "independent"
opposition to Lodge dated back to his refusal to bolt
the Republican ticket in 1884, when
Blaine was running for president.
363
364
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
President Wilson, whom he hates as the
devil hates holy water.
But as you are a good honest Republican
it will answer to tie to
him. He is a protectionist and a
thorough believer in the Republican
party. I am on excellent terms with
Senator Lodge, whose towering
ability I cannot help but admire. He was
also a great friend of
Theodore Roosevelt although he differed
from him on essential
points, especially on the Initiative,
Referendum & Recall. Theodore
Roosevelt was a great president and a
great administrator. The
more I study him the more I admire him.
Thayer has made him
out a Saint which he was not but purely
human which no one would
recognize more clearly than he would
himself. He was wonder-
fully attractive and his sincerity was
unquestioned. I never knew
that Thayer felt amiss because he was
not asked by Dan. H. to
write the Life of Uncle Mark and I would
not believe it unless
you have unquestioned authority. Thayer
is a brilliant writer but
not entirely logical in his admiration
of Roosevelt. He was an anti-
imperialist and therefore down on
McKinley and Hanna. He is
entirely wrong when he classes Hanna
with Tom Platt & Quay.
No one understands the difference
between them better than you
do but you must have a little charity
for men who live here in
the ideal and do not understand as you
do the rough and tumble
of life. They are not therefore judges
of practical affairs and you
will note that defect in their writings.
These remarks do not apply
to Croly's Life of Hanna which despite
some errors is an excellent
biography; and in this Mr. Henry White,
our ablest diplomat,
agrees with me.
I note with great interest all that you
say regarding the ap-
proaching Convention. It will soon be
over and we shall know the
result. I hope that it will be in favor
of civilization and opposed to
prohibition. It is agreeable to get a
breath from the great State
of Ohio down in this corner of the
country where my acquaintances
are disposed to be critical. Theodore
Roosevelt used to say to me
Boston is the worst place in the country
except New York City.
How he did love the West!
Was not Wm. J. McKinnie appointed
Collector of the Port
not Collector of Internal Revenue as you
say? We expect to leave
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 365
for Seal Harbor on June 14. The season
is very late here. We fear
a famine during the approaching winter.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, June 17, 1920.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: Replying to yours of May 22 I first wish
to make myself clear in my allusion to
Mr Thayer and D. R. Hanna.
I intended to say that I thought D. R.s
failure to have Mr Thayer
write the life of M. A. was probably the
reason why Thayer per-
sisted in going out of his way to give
M. A. such uncomplimentary
digs, whenever he referred to him in his
Life and Letters of John
Hay and Autobiography of Roosevelt. I do
not know whether
D. R. consulted Thayer or who, aside
from Croly, whose work I
took occasion to criticise to you, and
in which you and the Hanna
family partly agreed.
In re Senator Lodge and plutocracy
influence: Dominated by
wealthy influence and environment, so
much so, as to not be in
touch or sympathy with the proletariat,
and consequently not popu-
lar with the masses by reason thereof. I
am one of his admirers
and a friend of the "good old Hanna
days," and will go the limit
for him. He is a great man and
statesman. Easily the commanding
figure of The Republican Party. Outside
of Mass, he could not
be elected to any office. This is one of
the penalties that greatness
has to pay. Too bad the Republican
Convention did not have the
courage of their convictions, and
endorse The Treaty, with the
Lodge reservations. How long do you
think that Uncle Mark would
have stood the bluffing of Borah &
Johnson?1 Just long enough to
have told both to go to -----. The
country favors the treaty
properly adjusted to protect American
interest, and this is what
the Lodge Reservations would do. Our
platform and Our Candidate
are on a par with each other and suits [sic]
nobody. Not even those
who drafted the platform and nominated
Harding. Here in Ohio
1 As leaders of the
"irreconcilable" foes of the League of Nations, Borah and
Johnson threatened to bolt the party if it went on
record as favoring American en-
trance in the league.
366
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
nobody is pleased. Now and then you meet
a republican who like
"the small boy whistling in the
wood" claims a republican victory
in Nov. Let us hope so. While I shall
vote the Republican Ticket,
and would do so if a yellow dog was the
candidate, there are many
not like me. It is really amusing to
hear the different expressions.
When I wrote you that Harding was out of
it, he was. Mark
Sullivans letter2 enclosed
explains his resurrection from the "political
graveyard." Whether the republican
party can pump air enough in
him to keep the corpse alive until Nov
2nd awaits to be seen.
Judging sentiment now prevalent, if Cox
is nominated on a plat-
form containing a wet plank and the
proper Treaty reservations,
good bye Ohio, and there will be a good
many Ohios.
I was in error. Mr W. J. McKinnie was,
as you say, Collector of
Customs. I think it was in 1887 or 1888.
The Blue book shows. I
shall in all probability pay my respects
to Mr Thayer and his Auto-
biography of Roosevelt when I write to
you again. I want to verify
the statements to which I take
exceptions. You wisely say that
Thayer is wrong in making out Roosevelt
to be a saint. Saints never
have to do with the political game, at
which Mr Roosevelt was a
Past Grand Master. He prided himself
upon his prowess and
were he alive he would take exceptions
to any such statements,
even from his friend Mr Thayer.
I sincerely trust that it is well with
you and Mrs Rhodes and I
wish you all the good health needed to
finish your next Volume.
I only hope that I may live long enough
to read it. Because it will
no doubt cover many events with which I
am familiar.
RHODES TO MYERS, Seal Harbor, July 15, 1920.
My Dear George: Yours of 17 ult. came duly. I met at Jellison's
barber shop in Bar Harbor a colored man
who said he used to work
at yr. shop. His name is Wilson; he
worked there when George
2 Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 16, 1920, describing the familiar story of
Harding's
selection in the "smoke-filled
room."
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 367
Brown was your foreman. He said that he
was a barber then; he
is now a bootblack and he shines shoes
uncommonly well.
You have partly your wish. Governor Cox
is nominated on the
Democratic ticket but not on a
specifically wet platform, yet as
Bryan's bone dry proposition was voted
down it is well to assume
that the sense of the Convention was
opposed to the XVIII amend-
ment and the Volstead Act. It is safe to
say that legislation cannot
control what you shall eat and drink and
I hope that the Congress
to be elected this autumn will so modify
the Volstead Act as to
make the XVIII amendment ineffective.
You know that there is
no attempt to enforce the XV amendment
and one part of the XIV
has gone into "innocuous
desuetude," to use a phrase of Grover
Cleveland, so wherefore should the XVIII
be any more sacredly
regarded? I suppose of course you do not
want to write about it
fearing that yr. letter might fall into
inimical hands but if I could
see you, I could ascertain how well the
Volstead Act was enforced
in Cleveland and in the Hollenden Hotel.
I will not ask you how you think the
election is going as it is
much too early to make an intelligent
forecast but I may put the
question to you in Oct. I suspect that
Cox & Roosevelt1 will be a
hard ticket to beat. But Cox is an
Episcopalian and Harding is a
Baptist and Baptists are more numerous
than Episcopalians, in fact
I think that next to the Methodists they
are the most numerous of
Protestants. Still our former candidate
was a Baptist and yet he was
beaten. I observe however that Johnson
is out for Harding
which will probably insure us
California.
The action of the Dem. convention seemed
to me to be Con-
servative. I supposed the Democrats
would throw themselves into
the arms of the Labor Union men in order
to make an issue with
the ill-concealed conservatism of the
Rep. platform. Tell me, you
who now belong to the capitalist class,
say the bourgeoisie, is there
a Conservative reaction? Will capital
and railroads and manu-
factories be more highly regarded in the
future than in the past
few years? Will the price of culottes
come down? If the contest
is made on the issue of the League of
Nations is not the Republican
1 Franklin D. Roosevelt, the vice
presidential candidate.
368
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
position more logical than the
Democratic? Is not the question now
proper, What have we to do with abroad?
(except of course on
the wet question). I had a letter from
Boston from the editor of
the Atlantic Monthly the other day in
which he said he had not
yet heard a cheer for Harding or for
Cox. Let me close with some-
thing for you to bear in mind.
"Some are born great, some achieve
greatness, and some are born
in Ohio."
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, August 31, 1920.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: I have your very kind favor of July 15th and
note carefully what you say relative to
the enforcement of the
XVIII Amendment. "Tis true and pity
tis true," that the Grand
Old Republican Party, even with a
Republican President, a Re-
publican Senate, a Republican House and
a Republican Supreme
Court, did not have the courage of its
convictions--to say nothing
of the courage of Lovejoy, Phillips,
Lincoln & Sumner1--to enforce
the provisions of the XIV & XV
Amendments, and it is even true
that it was a Republican President,2
who surrendered to a Demo-
cratic South. It has been Democratic
ever since and ever will be.
Here in Ohio, especially Cleveland, the
Democratic government is
spending all kinds of money to enforce
the intolerable provisions
of the XVIII amendment and the Volstead
Act. Had there been
one half of the money spent and one half
of the governmental
energy expended to enforce the XIV and
XV Amendments, the
South would now be Republican and this
is not waving the "bloody
shirt." The owners of The Hollenden
own the P. D. which was
the organ of the Drys and perhaps the
most potent figure in that
cause in Ohio, consequently the
Hollenden is "bone dry." Of course
they do not interfere with what a guest
may have in their room
1 Elijah Lovejoy, Wendell Phillips, and
Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts
were prominent abolitionists before the
Civil War.
2 President Rutherford B. Hayes removed
the last federal garrisons from the South
in 1877, ending the Reconstruction
period.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 369
or rooms, but they serve nothing. There
are some "speakeasies"
which charge .75 per and pour it
themselves. Whiskey can be had
from 100.00 to 150.00 per case. Gin is
practically out of the market.
All wines have disappeared. Private
stocks, including my own, are
nearly exhausted. In fact people have
drank more whiskey since
Prohibition than before. People who
formerly took one drink and
were satisfied, now never leave until
the bottle is empty. If put
to an issue in Ohio tomorrow, the Drys
would carry stronger than
ever. Ohio is a dry State and Harding
can beat Cox on that issue
alone. The Wets, like the proverbial
"Frog Pond" story, are not
as strong as their croak.
The Labor Unions seems [sic] to have kissed the hand that smote
them in their endorsement of Cox. Labor
has always been regarded
as Democratic. Wilson's jamming the
Adamson Law through Con-
gress and the Supreme Court was his bid
for their support. He
sowed to the whirlwind. Labor is never
satisfied and never wrong;
I have little use for Organized Labor.
It is inimical to the Negro.
Anent the League of Nations as an issue,
it now looks as if Mr
Roots World's Court will be fathered by
the G.O.P. I shall have
to leave that to such master minds as
you, Mr Lodge, Mr Root &
et al. While it may be (if success in
business counts) that I am
classed with the capitalistic class, I
am far from a capitalist, and
still identified with the proletariat.
No barber to my knowledge
ever became wealthy enough to get away
from them. I agree with
your Boston editor, even here in Ohio
(the home of Mark Hanna,
Tom Johnson and Me--the only one
left), the centre of the stage,
not a cheer has been heard nor a
demonstration made. Of course
I am not in active touch with the Party
managers, they are not of
my old crowd. Though Howard Hanna claims
he spent a very
pleasant 11/2 hrs with Mr Harding at
Marion, and he seems to
think that he is alright [sic]. Influential
Negroes in Ohio have been
slow to rally to support of Harding. I
think however they will be
found in line by Nov 2. The quandry [sic] now is what
are the
women going to do. I have it just from
the P. D. and the leading
newspapers have tried to get a line upon
them. "That a majority
of those approached, all over the
Country, say they will not even
370 THE
OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
register" (This from young Holden).
I trust that you have had a
pleasant and profitable Summer (your
work) and that Mrs Rhodes
has entirely recovered her health. Dr
Thwing and D. Z. Norton3
wish to be remembered.
RHODES TO MYERS, Seal Harbor, September 18, 1920.
My dear George: I received duly your valued favor of 31 ult, the
contents of wh. I imparted to Mrs. Mark
Hanna & Miss Phelps.
Prohibition has turned out as I
expected. You remember when you
and your brother capitalists favored it
because you thought you
could have enough to drink for
yourselves, who used it in modera-
tion, and yet cut off the supply from
your employees who were
inclined to use alcoholic drink to
excess. You now find that will
not work. Your private stock is nearly
exhausted and you feel the
pangs of thirst. You ought to have
remembered that the saloon
is the club of the proletariat and it
would not do to abolish the
saloon and allow capitalists, like
yourself, all that you wanted to
drink. You have tried to make men good
by act of Congress and
have failed. Your only course now is to
see that your member of
Congress will vote to modify or abolish
the Volstead Act. Let the
XVIII amendment remain, a melancholy
example of the puissance
of the Constitution like the XV and part
of the XIV; but not en-
forced. Why indeed should it be when the
XV and part of the
XIV are not?
"Have you heard the news from
Maine"? Harding will un-
doubtedly be elected President as the
trend in this State show[s]
how disgusted voters are with a
Democratic admr. and desire a
change! I hope that he may carry Ohio.
Let me have your opinion
on that point. We return to Boston on
Oct 4 so when next you
write you had better address me at 392
Beacon St.
Mr. Root is the ablest man in public
life and we shall not do
amiss if we follow him implicitly. He is
a great lawyer and the
3 David Z. Norton, Cleveland banker and
iron ore merchant.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 371
greatest Secretary of State since Daniel
Webster. How pleasant it
is to have such a man alongside of
Woodrow Wilson, who had a
great opportunity but missed it! After
his stroke of paralysis he
shd. have resigned as the President of
the French Republic1 is
going to do.
I hear on all sides that you are
prosperous and running a big
shop. I rejoice at your prosperity and
hope that you are a reactionary
and want the good old times of
Hanna-McKinley back again. Our
civilization is of course declining but
I hope for a Republican
admr. of eight years so that in the
decline of my life I shall have
a little solace as I gaze upon a little
check to the dying world.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, September
20, 1920.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: Yours of the 18th just rec'd. While I appre-
ciate your good natured chaffing about
my having departed from
the path of righteousness and voted for
prohibition, and I beg to
assure you its one of the best things
for the Negro, as my friend
E. H. Baker often uses this
phrase--"It would be damn funny if it
was not so serious"--I am honest
enough to admit there is a serious
side to it and that I am not the only
one that "cut off his nose to
spite his face." I am writing you
by return mail, because about
two weeks ago, I sent you a marked copy
of the P. D. containing
an announcement of the death of Philip
Rhodes McCurdy. I was
awfully interested in Phil, and was
largely responsible for Phil's
cutting out the booze and trying to make
a man of himself. True
he did not marry in his class--others
have made the same mistake--
but at the time he did marry any woman
in his class or immediate
circle of the family would have been
foolish to take a chance with
Phil at that time. What he wanted most
when he married was
sympathy and this good woman, who nursed
his Grandmother, gave
him sympathy. When a fellow is down and
out a kick makes no
impression on his anatomy or his
feelings. Sympathy does and there
1 Paul Deschanel.
372
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
was no wonder the boy fell for it. He
did well after his marriage.
He appealed to his Uncle Robert, but
"W. C." could find nothing
other than a job at the Mines and this
Phil refused. Ira Bassett of
Bassett, Presley & Train gave him a
position. Mr Bassett was a
friend of Phil's Father. Phil stayed
there until he entered business
with an analytical chemist and he and another young man
bought out
the business upon the death of the head
of the concern. When the
World's War broke out, Phil promptly
entered the Service and
made a good looking soldier. I had seen
but little of him since the
Armistice. I did hear that he had took
to drink again, also that it
figured in his demise, but I am reliably
informed by a Mr Grasselli,
that there was no truth in the rumor,
Malcolm McBride informing
him to the contrary and that Phil died
with Neuritis. I further
heard that he was about to accept a good
position with one of the
Big Steel Corporation[s]. I have much satisfaction
in knowing that
I stuck to him through thick and thin
and that he paid me every
dollar back that he ever borrowed. Phil
was honorable. May he rest
in peace.
The Ohio Campaign is just starting; it
is really too early to
prognosticate. I thank you for the honor
[you] did me in reading
my letter to Mrs M A Hanna. She is not
familiar with the relations
that existed between Uncle Mark and
myself. Had he lived, he
would have done something substantial
for me, as he told Mr
Horace Andrews he was going to do
someday. I finally begged out
of Dan one of Uncle Mark's canes, and
this I treasure highly. I
served Mr Hanna because I loved him and
even though I put my
head in the door of the Ohio
Penitentiary to make him U. S. Senator,
I would do the same thing again, could
the opportunity again
present itself.
RHODES TO MYERS, Seal Harbor, September
23, 1920.
My dear George: I have your valued favor of 20th. I did receive
the P. D. with the notice of Philip
McCurdy's death but did not
know that it was from you. My efficient
maid, with the idea of
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 373
sparing the old man trouble, took off
the wrapper when I should
have seen otherwise your characteristic
calligraphy and duly ac-
knowledged it. I had heard previously
of Philip's death through a
telegram from Lucia McBride to Mrs.
Hanna. You may congratulate
yourself, among your many good
services, of having been a service
to Philip and the details of his
history (except his marriage) were
unknown to me until yr. letter. You are
quite right to look upon
the bright side and not believe in his
relapse. People are apt to
infer that without any foundation as
was probably so in this case.
I am very glad to know that you own up
your mistakes in regard
to favoring Prohibition. Prohibition
will never prohibit. If so, it
might be a good thing as you say, for
the negro.
You make it impossible for me to read
your letter to Mrs. Hanna
from the remark you make in regard to
the first election of Senator
Hanna. But did you do anything but to
insure the vote for him
of a colored gentleman who was senator
or representative from
Cuyahoga Co. and do you not put it down
as too great a fault?
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, October 27, 1920.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: I am sending to you under separate cover
The Tippecanoe Hanna Day Edition. While
the speeches are in-
teresting they adduce nothing new. To
me I see an indication how-
ever of Mr Hanna's worth and
"greatness" being more appreciated
as time passes, and for this reason I
commend the speeches for
your perusal.
Well the election is upon us, and I
suppose that you are anxious
to hear something from Ohio. My opinion
of Harding has not
changed since his nomination and his
wobbling attitude upon The
League of Nations seems to justify that
opinion. I shall vote for
him and the straight ticket, except
local Judicial, on which I shall
vote for two democrats-Judge's [sic]
Addams & Levine-both
exceptional men and men who have made
good Judges.1 Such ex-
1 Judge George S. Addams of the juvenile
court, and Judge Manuel Levine of the
court of common pleas, both of whom were
reelected.
374
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
ceptional men, that I regret to see them
in the Democratic Party
Harding will carry Ohio, but not as big
as some claim, 150,OO0
My private guess is about 75,000.2 This
difference [is] based upon
the fool action of Rep Nat'l Chairman
Hays3 having injected into
the campaign the "race issue."
The democrats, without Nationa
issues, first grabbed the "Slush
fund." This was a poker [that] hi
at both ends. When Hays issued
instructions for heavy registration
of Negro women upon the first day, to
deter white women from
registering in the border States, he
made a Burchard break--"Rum
Romanism & Rebellion."4 Present
indications from this alone, gives
the democrats the advantage in Md. West
Va Kentucky and Mo
Davis, Rep candidate for Governor in
Ohio, a very likable fellow,
three times Mayor of Cleveland, is in
grave danger.5 The Bedford
O. Bank robbery,6 did by
crooks that the Davis administration
failed to turn up, is, as an eleventh
hour sensation, doing Davis
much harm. The Women's vote is largely
against him because of
his wide open policy of running the City
as Mayor of Clev'd. How-
ever should Harding carry Ohio by
150,000 or more, he will pull
Davis through. Our local Legislative
ticket may be split and Cuya-
hoga Co have a mixed delegation in the
next General Assembly.
This will not injure Willis, Rep for U.
S. Senate, because as you
know, the nomination and election is now
by popular vote.7 Willis
in addition to the Republican vote
(undivided) will have the Dry
support and this means many democratic
women. The W.C.T.U.
Harding is here today & tonight. Cox
has been here, but gained no
ground. To sum the whole matter up I
would say that Ohio is
reasonably safe for Harding &
Willis, but doubtful for Davis.
2 Actually Harding polled about 400,000
more votes in Ohio than Cox!
3 Will Hays.
4 During the 1884 campaign the Rev.
Samuel D. Burchard of New York, speaking
in behalf of Blaine, identified the
Democratic party with "rum, Romanism, and re-
bellion." When Blaine did not
disassociate himself from this sentiment, Catholic
voters were outraged, and Blaine lost
New York (and with it the presidency) by
a small margin.
5 Harry L. Davis defeated his Democratic
opponent, A. V. Donahey, by slightly
over 100,000 votes.
6 On October 21, 1920, the Bedford branch of the Cleveland Trust Company
was
robbed of over $60,000 by a band of
eight robbers. The men were soon captured and
the money recovered.
7 Willis defeated W. A. Julian by a margin only slightly less than
Harding's over
Cox.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 375
I have a friend in Boston that I am
anxious for you to meet, a
very learned and remarkable man, a
graduate of Harvard, a past
master as an orator and writer, and a
great admirer of you. For
many years he was the pastor of The
Unitarian Church here, con-
sequently he knows many of the good
people here, and all that you
would remember. He was a member of all
of our leading clubs
and identified with ever[y] movement for
better civic conditions.
He left here for a greater field of
usefulness, and now has charge
of the American Unitarian Assn at 25
Beacon St. His residence is
beyond yours--Dr Minot Simon. Please
write him to call upon you
or will you stop into his office by
appointment to see him? What
we have lost Boston has gained by his
removal.
I dont quite understand you when you say
in your last letter
regarding mine of Sept 20th "that
you make it impossible for me
to read the letter to Mrs Hanna."
It was not written with any in-
tention upon my part to have you do so.
What I did in serving Mr
Hanna was of my own volition, from the
time [of] my vote in the
Ohio Delegation at Minneapolis Rep Nat'l
Convention, which
brought the Hanna-McKinley organization
into being (and I can
truthfully say without any
remuneration), down to his passing. I
would do it again under like
circumstances. Mr Hanna had con-
fidence in me, because he knew that I
was honest and did not want
any preferment from his hands or Mr
McKinley. Aside from the
Clifford episode to which you refer, my
transactions for and with
Mr Hanna were confidential and lie
buried with him for all time.
Selah.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, January 12,
1921.
Dear George: Your letter of Oct 27 shd have had a speedier answer
but many things have interfered to
prevent proper attention to my
correspondence. Just now I am confined
to the house by a hard cold
and am endeavoring to make up some
arrears.
A friend of mine in Oxford, now 86, who
took much interest in
the slavery conflict & Civil War,
writes to me "What is the worth
376
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
of a book which has just appeared in
England called The Childrer
of the Slaves by Stephen Graham?1 It
purports to give an account
of the present negroes in America &
their relations to the Whites.
The Spectator (wh. was on the side of
the North during the Civ.
War) writes of it with alarm and gives
an account of hostility
between blacks and whites."2
I meant ere this to have gone to see
your friend Dr. Minot Simon
& was just writing him a note saying
I would do myself the honor
of calling upon him when I happened to
look in the newspaper
and see that a Unitarian drive was on
hand and I suspected that for
a while he would be very busy.
Therefore I did not call & soon
thereafter I went to Washington for a
visit to my sister of a week.
But I will put down his name and
perhaps I shall meet him at
some gathering. I certainly would do so
were I as punctilious as
formerly but I have given up many clubs
and ceased to be a regular
attendant at others. If my wife were
only well we should have
Dr. Minot here to luncheon or dinner.
I was in Washington for a week and met
many distinguished
people. Pity was expressed for
President Wilson and so much is
expected of President-elect Harding
that he would be a superman
if he did one half of the good that was
expected from him. It
is not difficult to see that should we
have another war, civilization
will go: perhaps it cannot stand the
influence of this one.
I am told that Cleveland is growing
fast and despite present
dullness is very prosperous. I hope
that some of the prosperity has
hit you.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, February 10, 1921.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: I have yours of Jan 12th and immediately
went in quest of the book, that your
Oxford friend called your
attention to. The enclosed postal shows
the result. I have read and
1 Stephen Graham, The Children of the
Slaves (London, 1920).
2 Spectator, CXXV (1920), 703-705. The friend was Albert Venn Dicey,
an
English political scientist, whose
letter to Rhodes of December 12, 1920, Rhodes
has paraphrased in this letter.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 377
reread portions of the "Soul of
John Brown" by Graham.1 I have
two copies and have friends busy reading
the same. It is the best
presentation of [the] Negroes cause yet
given to the world and
had it an audience it would be another
Uncle Tom's Cabin. The
country and conditions are not as ripe
in behalf of the Negroe's
cause as it was when Harriet Beecher
Stowe gave to the World
Uncle Tom's Cabin. The unsettled state
of affairs, aftermath of
the late "World's War,"
demands the entire time and attention of
the best and greatest minds of the whole
world. Your fear of
civilization not being able to withstand
the influence of the late
war is well grounded, evidenced very
forcibly by the enclosure from
the P. D. of yesterday, an excerpt from
Lloyd George's speech.2
Also by Briand's3 insistent
demand for full reparation. I trust when
these great problems are on the way of
adjustment that the Negro
will then be given consideration.
Graham's analysis of the situation
and his remedy--Parallel achievement,
equal opportunity, equality
before the law and tolerance--is the
only solution and the one for
which the Negro will contend. Talmadge4
years ago advocated
justice--This is the sum of Graham's view. The book is well worth
anyone's time to read. I am personally
acquainted with nearly every-
one he mentions. His information is
first hand and along the line
that I recommended you, when you were
covering "The Recon-
struction Period." Graham
associated with and lived with the people
of whom he has written--his information
cannot be gainsaid and
he has presented it none too strong. The
clashes between the races,
which we all deplore, will occur and no
one can predict where it
[sic] will break out. For instance, a year or more ago I
received
authentic information that the I.W.W.
were staging the next race-
riot at Akron. I immediately got in
touch with Gov Cox--whose
reply I have--and as there was a labor
dispute at Canton, Gov
Cox in ordering out the Militia, sent
them to Akron instead of
Massil[l]on, which as you know is nearer
Canton. The I.W.W.
1 Stephen Graham, The Soul of John
Brown (New York, 1920). This was the
American edition of The Children of
the Slaves.
2 Lloyd George had addressed the Welsh
National Liberal Council, defending the
coalition government and his Irish
policy.
3 Aristide Briand, the French premier.
4 Myers is probably referring to the
Brooklyn preacher Thomas De Witt Talmadge,
who was a frequent lecturer in
Cleveland.
378
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
were overawed and there was no
race-riot. Our danger here is
great. By reason of the exodus, our
Negro population has increased
from 8484, 1910 census, to 34474 for
1920. Through lack of em-
ployment about 5000 have returned to the
South, but just so soon
as the industries start up there will be
another influx. Many of the
Negroes are of the lowest and shiftless
class from when [sic] they
came. We here "to the manor [sic]
born", so to speak, are doing
all we can to assimulate [sic] them.
Our greatest task is to get them
to see themselves from a northern,
inste[a]d of a southern stand-
point and leave their old condition and
customs back in the South.
Speaking in the vernacular--to quit
being a southern darkey. A
large proportion of our crimes are
committed by the low ones and
shiftless, our Workhouse and Jail being
full. They range from
crap-shooters to murderers, two having
recently been electrocuted.
Where Cleveland was once free from race
prejudice, it is now any-
thing but that, but with all of this we
do not despair. The Negroes
are a church going people--the only
liberty they had during their
slavery--consequently, with an
intelligent and improved moral min-
istry we are accomplishing wonders, and
will do more through our
fraternal and beneficial, also Welfare
organizations. Give the negro
an equal opportunity to work, equality
before the law, and he will
work out his own salvation. I would
recommend that you get
Graham's book and read it. I have been
told that it was reviewed
by The New Republic.
I regret that you have not seen Rev
Minot Simon, and am again
renewing the request that you call upon
him. His drive is now un-
doubtedly over and there is no danger of
his asking you to con-
tribute. In fact he would not have done
so with the "drive" on.
Kindly call upon him. I sent you the
P.D. containing an account of
H. M. Hanna's death. I regret that it
was not a better written
article. Now[a]days the reporters on the
various papers are young
men, who know nothing of the old days or
old citizens, and seldom
have anything right. I will venture to
say there is but one newspaper
man in Cleveland that knows you--Mr E.
H. Baker--or could write
a readable article about your History.
Mr D. Z. Norton was in
yesterday and inquired about the health
of you and Mrs Rhodes.
He desires to be remembered to both of
you. I am proud to re-
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 379
port that even though conditions are
sub normal, I am showing a
gain of $10. per day over the
corresponding period of a year ago.
For your edification I am breaking my
rule by telling you that my
gross receipts for 1920 was $67325.80,
my income tax $1617.35.
This will surprise you and is far
beyond your expectations when
you gentlemen started me in business.
[P.S.] I am enclosing a clipping about
an unpublished Lincoln
letter.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, March 12, 1921.
My dear George: I duly rec'd yr. letter of 10th ult. and return
herewith p/c and clipping. I have often
heard that story about
Lincoln. I wish it were well
authenticated but the remark is
thoroughly like Lincoln and I think the
setting goes to confirm it.
I knew of it when I wrote about Lincoln
but, if I remember correctly,
did not include it in my
characterization. But I have finished with
that period of history and shall not
return to it. Also I have done
with Reconstruction & the negro and
despite your high recom-
mendation shall not read "The Soul
of John Brown." With I hope
better virtue than Pontius Pilate I can
say "What I have written,
I have written." I am ready to be
taken issue with but I shall let
all controversies pass without taking
part therein. I regret that you
think there is prospect of a race war
but I am not very much sur-
prised as the negro cannot look with
equanimity on the attempt of
a rigorous enforcement of the XVIII
amendment while nothing
whatever is done toward the enforcement
of Sect 2 of the XIV and
of the whole of the XV.
I did read on your account John P.
Green's book which he sent
to me and in which he gives you an
honorable notice that I was
glad to read.1 I also wrote Mr. Green
in regard to it, although I
1 John P. Green, a Negro lawyer and
politician prominent in Cleveland, had printed
privately a book of reminiscences
entitled, Fact Stranger than Fiction: Seventy-five
Years of a Busy Life with
Reminiscences of Many Great and Good Men and Women
(Cleveland, 1920). The reference in this
work to Myers calls him "a very able and
influential colored American, high in
the esteem of both the President [i.e., McKinley]
and Senator Hanna" (p. 268).
380 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
did begrudge the time, as I desire to
put in my hours and eyesight
in the completion of my History to
1909. It is slow work as I think
what I called bronchitis was an attack
of old-fashioned grip, so
weak and incapable of great exertion
either mental or physical do
I find myself. But I presume with the
approach of Spring and more
of outdoors all this will pass away.
The best thing in the midst of gloom,
with which I am en-
vironed, is your report of your gross
receipts and of your Income
Tax. You are mistaken, I think, in your
notion that I put up any
money to start you in business. I did
say some good words to Mr.
Holden but as my Father used to say
"Talk is cheap." It strikes me
that your income tax is high and your
reflection cannot be pleasant
if you think some of it was wasted. But
it was all right our going
into the war vs. Germany.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, March 15,
1921.
My dear Mr Rhodes: Yours of the 12th duly received. I am making
early reply to acquaint you of the
unfortunate accident to Mrs. D. Z.
Norton, who with other ladies were
calling on Mrs C. W. Wason.
As they were leaving Mrs Norton turned
back to say something to
Mrs Wason, she lost her balance and
fell down the stone steps,
breaking her collar bone and several
ribs. One of my Chiropodist-
Manicures attended her Sunday A. M.
last and found her sitting
up and very cheerful. They are still at
the Euclid Ave Home (No
7301). Mr Norton as you know is a
patron of mine. A few years
ago, he bought the home of the late
Horace Andrews at Mentor
and he also has a Winter home at Camden
S. C. I sent to you the
P. D. containing an account of H. M.
Hanna's death. I have not
waited on Howard since, though I had a
man out to his home two
weeks ago Sunday. Howard and Leonard
together with the heads
of the M. A. Hanna Co were the guest of
former Secy of State
(Ohio), (who has made a great deal of
money in the Ore Business)
to Hardings Inauguration and an elegant
dinner (of which you no
doubt read) at The Willard. Mrs Leonard
Hanna has removed
MYERS-RHODES
CORRESPONDENCE 381
from her
Euclid Ave residence (built by Staniforth [sic] White) to
the Wade Park
allotment, having purchased Harry Bingham's com-
modious and
palatial home. Mr Bingham has removed to New York
City. In my
allusion to you gentlemen who helped me start into
business my
Ledger shows that the following gentlemen assisted
me as follows
L. C. Hanna $50
R. R. Rhodes 25
Jas. Rhodes 25
Wm Chisholm 25 400.00
H. R. Groff 25 1600.00 L. E. Holden
Tom L.
Johnson 25
$2000.00
A. L. Johnson 25
H. S. Blossom 200
At the end of
the first year I was $300.00 in debt and sought your
endorsement
of a note at the Cleveland Nat'l Bank. You said that
you made it a
practice to endorse no paper, but cheerfully offerred
[sic] to loan me the whole or any part of the amount. A. L.
Johnson
endorsed the
note, which I paid in full in 180 days. This was and
is the only
paper I ever had in any Bank. Of course in the stress
of the busy
life that you have led and in the goodness of your
heart and
liberality toward me during the period that I shaved you
at 906
Euclid, such a little kindness to you (but a great big one
to me) is
easily forgotten. Suffice to say that I paid every one of
you gentlemen
and through my successful conduct of business and
integrity I
held the confidence and esteem of all who have passed
to their
reward, and I trust yourself. My income tax was not over-
paid; last
year it was $934.00, and at that time, I went over to the
Internal
Revenue Office and had one of the chief deputies go over
every item
with me and arrive to [sic] an accurate conclusion. I
find those
fellows (friends), when they see you are on the level,
pretty square
men to deal with. As you know I have to make [a]
separate
return of each employee who earns $1000 or over, and
this entails
considerable work.
Hon John P.
Green was so elated over your reading his book and
the beautiful
comment you made, especially to his write up of Mr
382 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
John D. Rockefeller,1 that he called me
up and read it to me over
the phone. He was likewise pleased that
you retained the book and
sent him a check for the same.
Personally I considered the book a
beautifully written story of an
extraordinary bad boy, an over frank
account of helping guilty clients to
evade justice (and this a breach
of legal ettiquette [sic]), an
inaccurate account of some political
happen[ing]s (where I know the facts),
but replete with tributes
and gratefulness to friends and
deserving people-even including
Mr John D. Rockefeller, the greatest
humanitarian and philan-
thropist of this or any other age.
As to the Soul of John Brown, it bears
but little if any on Re-
construction but is the nearest account
of the present day Negro,
his accomplishments, his persecution,
and his lack of resentment
thereto, but shows there is a growing
feeling of resentment and
hatred toward the whites, for which
they are wholly responsible.
It is well worth reading and luminating
to anyone. I recently showed
it to Dr Minot Simon, who was here on a
brief visit. He lives at
the Charlesworth Hotel-535 Beacon St. I
hope that sometime in
taking your "constitutional"
that you will drop in to see him. To
one as busy as you are, his
acquaintance will be a diversion and
time well spent. He was considered one
of the best pulpit orators
Cleveland ever had. I regret to hear of
your continued indisposition,
but like you feel that the balmy days
of Spring and Nature's
awakening will again bring you renewed
energy. Though at your
age, you must not expect to do as much
work as you did 30 yrs
ago and not feel the effects therefrom.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, April 15, 1921.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: The enclosure from the P. D. of this date
partly answers your query in your
valued favor of March 25th.1
I know nothing about the exchange value
of the stocks composing
1 Green devoted a chapter in his book
(pp. 210-222) to his recollections of
Rockefeller.
1 This letter is not in the Myers
papers. The clipping refers to the rise in value
of the stock of the Cleveland Union
Trust Company.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 383
the Union Trust Co in its organization.
Mr Norton vouchsafed no
information to my query. I presume
however, this you obtained in
the stockholders notice of
consolidation, the same as I did when
the Superior Savings and Trust Co
consolidated with the Central
National Bank. We went in on a stock
value of $250 and to each
share of stock was given 1/2 a share, as
well as a cash dividend
before the consolidation. The new stock
is now held at $260.
You are partly right in your conjecture.
I am 61; aside from
the handicap of the badly broken leg, I
feel the same as I did at
40. Nature still asserts itself, not
quite so often as in former years,
but with equal pleasure. Therefore I am
prone to measure others
by myself. I walk a great deal, eat
heartily and so far have been
able to take a drink whenever I felt
like doing so. Of course you
were always of a settled nature. You
played but little when here and
I presume less after your removal to
Boston. Anyway its a favorite
saying with many that a man is as old as
he makes himself feel.
I know of no organic trouble that you
have and you should still
feel young. Perhaps our mutual friend Dr
Cushing, in writing his
contemplated life of Osler, may be able
to give you some pointers
on rejuvenation of life. Mrs Norton
continues to improve, slowly
but surely. Mr D. Z. is now at Camden S.
C. I regret exceedingly
to hear of Mrs Rhodes' continued
illness. I sincerely trust that she
is showing some indication of
improvement. Please be kind enough
to convey my best regards and hope for a
speedy recovery. I hope
that she has not forgotten the George
that use[d] to shave you
every morning and who "did the
heavy work," in the early days
of your famous, world wide know[n]
History.
Well we have the Presidents Message.
Aside from his Foreign
policy, we have him as he has always
been known, a high pro-
tectionist, friendly to labor and an
advocate of equality before the
law for all. Karr's summary herein
enclosed seems to state the
reception of the message as everyone I
have talk[ed] with aside
from a few chronic kickers in our City
Club, and some deep dyed
in the wool Wilsonians.2 Harding
is a man possessing the courage
of his convictions. He is afraid of no
one, a gentleman to the manor
2 Upon taking office, Harding called
congress into special session. His message was
delivered on April 12, 1921.
384 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
born and a politician of the old
Foraker school, well skilled in the
intricacies of the game. Unlike
McKinley who would put his ear
to the ground before action, Harding is
frank to friends and foes
alike. As a newspaper man, he does not
rank with Cox,3 though
styled a good editor. My support of
Wood makes me persona-
non-grata, but what to hell. Barber
business beats politics. I hope
ere this Dr Simon has called. He is a
most excellent scholarly
gentleman, and when you call a man a
gentleman, you have said
it all. I have read with much interest
Mr Lansing's book.4 To some
it was nothing new, but to us of the
proletariat, it is a revelation.
Of course I knew that Mr Wilson aspired
to the Presidency of the
League of Nations (So informed by P.D.
Correspondents), but
its hard to realize that a man of his
intelligence obsessed with such
an idea, would resort to the means used
and revealed by Mr Lansing
to gain such distinction. Like Caesar,
he crossed the rubicon and
now as Grover Cleveland said he will be
relegated to a stage of
innocus-disquitude (I may have spelled
this wrong). I dont believe
it will pay you to waste the time in
reading it. Upon the whole
Mr Harding has a well balanced
Cabinet-Daugherty & Hays5
being weak spots. Information I could
give, backed by Uncle Mark's
letter marked personal and
confidential, Herrick and Dick being
familiar with the transaction, would
have prevented Daugherty's
confirmation. Hughes, Hoover, Weeks and
Denby6 are high spots.
RHODES TO MYERS, Seal Harbor, June 11, 1921.
Dear George: Your valued favor was duly received. I sent a polite
note to your friend Dr. Simon and
received thereto a courteous
reply. Dr. Simon was one of the 24
nominated for Harvard Over-
seers. At First there is a mail ballot
at which the most favored 12
are chosen out of the 24. On account of
your recommendation I
3 Harding was the owner-editor of the Marion
Star; Cox operated the Dayton Daily
News and other Ohio papers.
4 Robert Lansing, The Peace
Conference: A Personal Narrative (Boston, 1921).
5 Daugherty was attorney general, Will
Hays postmaster general.
6 Hughes was secretary of state, Herbert
Hoover secretary of commerce, John W.
Weeks secretary of war, and Edwin Denby
secretary of the navy.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 385
voted for Dr. Simon and am sorry that
he was not chosen out of
the 24 but it was hardly possible that
he should have been as he
was a newcomer. Had he been and had I
been at Commencement
it would have given me great pleasure
to cast a ballot there for
him. But the fact of having been placed
on the ballot at all, evi-
dences that he is au fait with
the Unitarian big-wigs of Boston; and
strange as it may seem to you the
Unitarian Church is a social power
in Boston. Fifty years ago it was
unquestionably the swell church
and did you desire to be a swell
Bostonian you must affiliate in
some way with the Unitarians. Since
that time under the leadership
largely of Phillips Brooks1 the
Episcopal Church has disputed this
swell supremacy and, were I to classify
swelldom, in Boston I should
hesitate between the two.
My wife and I have been here over a
fortnight and the weather
has been superb. At first only Mrs Mark
Hanna and Miss Phelps
were here but one by one people are
beginning to arrive. Dr. and
Mrs Edward Dunburn2 came
today and this morning I saw Mrs.
Damrosch3 on the road. I was
at Jellison's Barber shop in Bar
Harbor Tuesday but Lemuel had not yet
arrived, much to my dis-
appointment, but he was due next day.
I cannot discuss politics with you as I
am a poor reader of the
newspapers and I am just now more
interested in the second
Roosevelt administration4 than
I am with present affairs. I regret
much that I cannot have a free talk
with you regarding Roosevelt,
Hanna and others.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, July 26, 1921.
My dear Mr Rhodes: Your very welcome favor of June 11th was
duly rec'd. Learning therefrom how busy
you are with your writings
1 Phillips Brooks, pastor of Trinity
Church, Boston, from 1869 to 1891 and
Episcopal bishop of Massachusetts,
1891-93.
2 This name is not clear in the
manuscript.
3 Probably Mrs. Walter Damrosch, the wife of the conductor.
4 Rhodes at this time was working on his The McKinley and Roosevelt Ad-
ministrations.
386 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
I have refrained from intruding upon
your time, especially so when
with a little of interest to write. I
take it from Press dispatches you
have noted the departure of "our
own myron" for his post at Paris.1
Laurence Norton accompanied him as one
of his secrataries [sic].
Cleveland is pursuing the even tenor of
its way, with no disturbance
upon the "town plat" by
reason of his departure. Mr Herrick really
has some lovable traits-notably his
love for himself-and his love
to hear the sound of his own voice. Of
course at long range, his
Press Bureau has its troubles in
working over time. Regardless of
our likes and dislikes, Myron made a
good record at Paris and de-
served all the praise and recognition
given him upon his return.
Whether he is big enough to grapple
with the big questions and
problems attendant to the
Reconstruction at hand, it awaits to be
seen. He has my best and sincere wishes
for success. Our mutual
friend Prexy Thwing of Western Reserve,
after 30 yrs or more
of good services, has seen fit to
tender his resignation. Many regret
to see him leave (I among them), but
some of them believe that
he had outlived his usefulness and that
Western Reserve needs a
younger and more active man. Dr Thwing
and I are and have been
warm friends for years. With me (of the
old Hanna School) "the
King can do no wrong"-I regret to
see him go. He is a warm
friend of yours. The dear Doctor has
one commendable trait, being
one of the few men who can put his hand
in your own pocket (so
to speak), take your money and make you
thank him for doing so.
L. C. Hanna use[d] to call him
everything "in the calender". [sic]
Success to him wherever he may go. I am
pleased to learn of the
courtesy you extended to my friend Dr
Simon. He is appreciative
and has a host of friends here.
The lastist furor crossing the
firmament of "Public events", is
the Mirrors of Washington,2 the
anonymous publication "panning"
the leaders of today. Speaking in the
vernacular, "panning" is now
the word for criticism. I shall send in
an order for it. I read Mr
Lansing's book with much interest, as
did others. The matter
1 Myron T. Herrick, who had been very
popular in France while ambassador from
1912 to 1914, was reappointed to the
post by Harding.
2 Clinton Wallace Gilbert, The
Mirrors of Washington (New York, 1921). This
book, a collection of sketches of
leading politicians, was published anonymously
and created a great stir.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 387
handled was a little heavy for me, but I
do think if what he says
about Mr Wilson's personal treatment of
himself and other mem-
bers of the Peace Commission from the U.
S. be true, that Mr
Wilson was indeed obssessed [sic] with
the Big I. Mr Harding has
done remarkably well--disappointed his
enemies and surprised his
most ardent admirers. He has found out
however that "the mountain
(Congress) would not come to him, so he
has had to go to the
mountain," the same as every great
President has done. His side-
tracking of the Bonus Bill3 meets
the commendation of all. The
Country needs and must have relief from
taxation. It is the para-
mount issue. The Tariff next and the
Funding of Allies debt to us.
It's only the politician that is pushing
the Bonus and that for his
own aggrandizement. Business with me
until July 1st was ahead of
last year. Since, with many patron's [sic]
away and the shrinkage
of money among those at home, we are
getting our bumps. I can
stand it, having saved when the deluge
was upon us; aside from
this I have no debts. I trust that you
are well and that Mrs Rhodes'
health is greatly improved through
"beneficent nature" at Seal
Harbor. Please remember me kindly to
her. Mr D. Z. Norton desires
to be remembered to both of you.
RHODES
TO MYERS, Seal Harbor, September 24, 1921.
My dear George: Yours of July 26 was duly received and I find
that your comments on Mr. Herrick and Pres.
Harding are just.
You see the French wanted Mr. Herrick as
he had rendered him-
self popular by stopping in Paris when
the French gov't and the
other embassies fled. Herrick showed
much courage as his house
was near being bombed a number of times.
While he desired the
English mission, still that to France
must be looked upon as a
reward of merit; and it may be that a
seasoned diplomatist, one
3 Harding opposed the passage of a bill
providing for the payment of a bonus to
veterans of the World War. His stand
(based on the need for economy in government)
delayed the passage of the bonus bill
until 1922, and then his veto prevented any
action until after his death. In 1924 a
somewhat different measure was enacted over
President Coolidge's veto.
388 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
who knew French well, for example like
Henry White, would be
able better to cope with questions that
arise. Still, however, the
important subject has been transferred
to Washington and no men
in the world will be fitter to cope
with it than these whom the Pres.
has named: Hughes, Lodge, Root &
Underwood, with the President
himself in the background.1 Let us hope
that something will be
accomplished although international
jealousies are difficult to over-
come. I understand for instance that
there is great friction between
England & France and I have looked
upon those two countries as
the bulwark of civilization. But
nothing seems to go aright and
those will be nearest the truth who
regard the world as going to
the demnition bow-wows. But if anything
can save us it will be
such a Republican administration as we
now have which seems to
hit it right in nearly every respect.
We are closing a beautiful summer in
which the weather has
been almost perfect. Once in a while we
have a bad day and then
again it comes off fine. My wife has
improved during our stop of
four months here. We return to Boston
early next month. Daniel
and his family went ten days ago and he
wrote that he has gained
12 pounds during his stay here. From
the way my clothes button I
must have increased in weight also but
when I went to the Express
Office the other day to get weighed I
found it closed and therefore
I shall not be able to determine until
I arrive at home. Therefore
we are all doing pretty well in health
but financially I wish that
matters might improve. I hear that
Cleveland is hit pretty bad
with stoppage of works and men out of
employment.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, November 7, 1921.
My Dear Friend: Yours of Sept 24th duly received and as usual
read with pleasure and benefit. I agree
with you that President
Harding seems to possess the faculty of
doing the right thing at
1 The Washington Disarmament Conference
had been called to meet in November
1921. The United States delegates were
Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes,
Elihu Root, and Senators Lodge of
Massachusetts and Oscar W. Underwood of
Alabama.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 389
he right time. Even his southern speech
upon the race question.1
While many of my race do not agree with
his views or share my
ipproval of his speech, I was
particularly pleased with the sug-
gestion "to be the best black man
possible and to quit imitating
white people." Equal opportunity,
equal civil and political rights,
is all that sensible and self respecting
Negroes are asking and de-
manding. As you know I was for Gen Wood,
but like the or-
ganization in which I received my
training, I bowed to the will of
the majority, accepted the verdict of
the Party in convention as-
sembled and voted for Mr Harding. So far
I see no reason to
regret that vote. Soon we will have the
great Council in session.
As my people of the South in the cruel
days of slavery turned to
the North Star as their only hope for
liberty, so is the eyes of the
whole world turned toward Washington,
for a realization of
the doctrine espoused by the Meek and
Lowly Nazarene. "Peace
on earth good will to mankind." Let
us join in prayer that, that hope
may be realized.
The grim monster has again swept his
scythe into your family
and taken Dan R. Hanna. I believe there
is an old maxim which
says, "Speak only kind words of the
dead," and while Dan may
have done some things that we did not
like, even personal injustice
to me, I bear him no ill will. Rest to
his ashes and Peace to his Soul.
While I did not write to Mr Herrick,
congratulating him upon
his escape, I spoke to Parmaly,2 his
son. Laurence Norton is Mr
Herrick's Sec'y and it seems almost a
miracle that he did not open
the package containing the
"bomb." I sincerely hope that the
perpatrator [sic] will be
apprehended.3 Sometime ago you said, "It
appeared that the Universe had forgotten
its Maker." Many times
since have I recalled this. The whole
world and everyone in it
seems to be turned topsy turvey. Nation
against Nation, Friend
against friend and Families divided against
themselves. To me
there is not enough God in the world and
I quite agree with you.
1 Harding spoke on the Negro question at
Birmingham, Alabama, on October 26,
1921, supporting political and economic
(but not necessarily social) equality for
Negroes.
2 Parmely Herrick.
3 Herrick's valet, Lawrence Blanchard,
was wounded by a bomb concealed in a
package intended for Ambassador Herrick.
The atrocity was supposed to have been
the work of French communists protesting
against the conviction of Sacco and Vanzetti.
390
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Tomorrow we have our Municipal election.
Seven candidates for
Mayor, and all seven combined would not
make one good Mayor
The country is suffering from a plethora
of little big men. We have
but few big men nowadays, though Mr
Harding has the best
rounded Cabinet and Supreme Court that
we have ever had in
our day. Daugherty whom we know well, to
our surprise, is making
good. Congress being to[o] largely of
the Presidents party is
unweildy [sic] and will give Mr
Harding much trouble if he con-
tinues his policy of hands off. He will
have to use Wilsonian tactics
if he wishes to accomplish his
programme. Congress, like the big
parties, needs a Boss. Someone who can
tell them where to get off.
Penrose is not the influence that he was
and Mr Lodge hardly seems
able to hold his party as he did under
Wilson. Of course Mr Hughes
will be the dominant figure in the
Conference and seconded by the
well chosen three. Our allies will find
they have a far different
proposition than they had at Versailles.
I am glad to learn of the
improvement of the whole family this
past Summer, and I can
find no better place to use the words of
Rip Van Winkle--May
you live long and prosper.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, December 27,
1921.
My dear George: Yours of Nov 7 was duly received since which
time I have lost my sister Mrs. Hanna1
to whom I was devotedly
attached and of whom I have seen much
during the past years.
Her death has affected me profoundly and
it does not seem real.
It seems as if we were already begining
to plan for our stop at
Seal Harbor next summer as when the
corner turned of the new
year we began to think of next summer.
The death was unexpected
to me as I had had cheering indications
from Washington and the
sad news itself I read in the newspaper
on Friday morning. I com-
menced immediately to prepare to go to
the funeral in Cleveland
when Lucia McBride came in and insisted
persistently that I should
not go to which were joined the
entreaties of my wife lest I should
1 Mrs. Hanna died on November 17, 1921.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 391
take cold in the sleeping-car and have
another attack of bronchitis.
Much to my grief I gave up the project
as I would have liked to
pay the last rites to her whom I loved
so much.
My wife, I am glad to say, is better
than she was one year ago.
She improved much during the summer at
Seal Harbor and her
improvement has gone on since our
return to Boston.
I have finished the last of my History
which extends to March 4
1909 and shall publish the volume in
the autumn.2 I shall write
no more. I began on my literary life in
1885 and when this volume
is published shall have had 37 years of
it and shall attain the age
of 74. Sir George Trevelan3 [sic]
wrote to Theodore Roosevelt
that he knew of no good serious book
written in English after the
writer had passed 70 and I am following
pretty nearly his ad-
vice. Dr. Weir Mitchell, who desired me
to write the Life of
Washington,4 said, however,
if I continued on contemporary history
I must take the next steamer to Europe.
Perhaps I shall be in Europe
when this volume appears as Europe
seems to be getting over her
stirring-up a bit.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, January 17, 1922.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: Yours of recent date dwelling largely and
feelingly upon the death of your
estimable Sister, Mrs M. A. Hanna,
was duly received. Death is always sad
and admonishes us that
we too sooner or later must answer the
summons. While there is
great divergence of opinion among many
learned men about the
mysteries of the "great
beyond," all agree that there is a "Supreme
Being." I am willing to grant to
each and everyone the right to
their opinion, but so far as I am
concerned I am following the
teachings of those I loved most dearly,
Mother and Father, and as
2 The McKinley and Roosevelt
Administrations (New York, 1922).
3 George Otto Trevelyan, the English
historian, a good friend of both Rhodes and
Roosevelt.
4 Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell, physician and
writer of poetry and fiction. His interest
in Washington resulted from the fact
that he had used the first president as a
character in some of his historical novels.
392
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
it is our greatest desire to be with
those we love I am endeavoring
each day to live my religion "in
their way," the great Methodist
Church. If they were right through Gods
help I intend to be, if
they were wrong I shall be content to be
with them. Mrs Hanna
was a good, big, charitable woman and
while here in Cleveland
did much for humanity. She was of the
"Salt of the Earth" and
very kind to me, especially in my
appeals for the worthy poor and
the Home for Aged Colored People.
Everyone here was shocked at
her death and all of your old friends
deeply sympathize with you,
in your bereavement, and fervently join
in prayer that She receives
the reward to which she is justly
entitled. "Rest to her ashes, Peace
to her soul." S. T. Everett1 was
buried yesterday--a varied career
and one best to envelope with [the]
"mantle of charity."
I congratulate you upon the finish of
your History. It has been
a long time since I did the heavy. And
as you must know feel proud
of my labor. Thirty four years of hard
ernest [sic] work in behalf
of humanity justly entitles anyone to a
well earned rest. I sincerely
hope that Providence may spare you for a
long long time, that
you may receive the just reward from
humanity for the many sac-
rifices made to give them an unbiased
history of the period that you
have covered. May your shadow never grow
less. I am very gratified
to learn that Mrs Rhodes has improved in
help [sic] and I think
your conclusion of a European tour a
fitting climax to your great
accomplishment. Even though you say
nothing about seeking a
nullification of the XVIII Amendment for
the time being. Sorry
that I can't join you, and more sorry
that you cannot ship me a few
cases of the "Nectar fit for the
Gods".
I note with amusement Gompers attempt to
resurrect the dry
bones of Mr Wilson from the political
graveyard.2 Egotist as Mr
Wilson is, he could have rehabilitated
himself to some extent, had
he been big enough to say that he was
willing to abide by the will
of the majority, and to time for
vindication.
The association of Nations bids fair to
go through, and despite
1 Sylvester T. Everett of Cleveland, an
early business associate of Mark Hanna.
2 Speaking at Washington's National
Theater at the launching of the campaign
for the Woodrow Wilson Foundation,
Gompers said, "Woodrow Wilson is coming
back."
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 393
Japanese and French objections3--wholly
political to gain some
point-Disarmament will be accomplished.
The Irish question good
is settled,4 and the Dyer
Anti-Lynching Bill to be enacted this
week5 all portend to a
reestablishment of Peaceful and Normal con-
ditions. Civilization has had an awful
shake-up. There was a time
when the whole world trembled and as you
said we could not
withstand another World War. There seems
to be an awakening
to the fact and the disposition to get
together. Harding has done
well so far, but he sadly needs a strong
man, as was Mr Hanna,
to help him with Congress. I know the
"holier than thou" tactics
of some of our Senators in the Newberry
case amused you. Newberry
is either a grandson or nephew of Mr T.
P. Handy whom you knew,
and is a pretty decent gentleman. While
you failed to state the date
of your sailing, I bespeak for you a
safe and pleasant voyage and
trust that you and Mrs Rhodes will be
greatly benefitted by the trip.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, January 24, 1922.
Dear Mr Rhodes: I am enclosing a note rec'd this A. M. from Hon
Newton D. Baker formerly Secy of War. As
I have written you
before, Mr Baker is an ardent admirer of
yours and a great student
of your "History." Without any
violation of the ethics of propriety,
I sent to Mr Baker (through his law
partner, another admirer)
your letter, to read of your conclusion
to write no more.1 In re-
3 The naval limitation treaty, signed on
February 6, 1922, at the Washington
Disarmament Conference, established
maximum capital ship tonnages for the United
States and Great Britain at 525,000
tons, for Japan at 315,000 tons, and for France
and Italy at 175,000 tons. The Japanese
had sought equality with the British and
Americans, and France also objected to
her quota, seeking an authorization for
500,000 tons.
4 The Dail Eireann on January 7, 1922,
accepted the treaty signed by Irish and
British representatives the previous
December which granted southern Ireland dominion
status as the Irish Free State.
5 The anti-lynching bill sponsored by
Congressman Leonidas C. Dyer would have
required the states to make every
reasonable effort to prevent lynchings or pay heavy
fines that would be turned over to the
victims' families. Participation in lynchings
was to be punishable by life
imprisonment. The Dyer bill passed the house of repre-
sentatives on January 26, 1922, but was
pigeonholed in the senate judiciary committee.
1 Rhodes's letter of December 27, 1921.
394
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
turning the same Mr Baker sent the
enclosure, and it being, as it
is, an expression from the heart of one
proud of your accomplish-
ment, and full of sympathy, I trust it
will be as pleasing as it is
to me. Kindly keep it.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, February 7, 1922.
Dear Mr Rhodes: The enclosed editorial from the Plain Dealer of
this date is very commendatory of the
achievements of the Peace
Conference, and bears out the forecast I
made of the Conference
in my last letter. Editorials of this
nature will go far toward in-
fluencing the action of the Senate. Of
course, the "irreconcilables"
will have their say and make much noise.
Let us hope for humanity's
sake, that their noise will be like
"the frogs in the farmers pond"
when the role [sic] for
ratification is taken. Mr Harding has done
well so far, even though he lacks
capacity. How much he will
listen to his Cabinet or be influenced
by their judgement it is hard
[to] foresee or predict. The strong man,
Mr Hughes, is capable of
maneuvering the Treaties through the
Senate, if Mr Harding will
permit. How much influence Mr Lodge
retains is problematical
since the death of Knox and Penrose.1
Does not the deaths of these
two Senators, establish a record? (The
first time in History that
any State lost both Senators through
death while in office and both
of the new Senators holding office by
virtue of appointment).2
Mr and Mrs D. Z. Norton are making the
African Tourist Trip
and will visit Mr Laurence Norton at
Paris before they return. I
told him that I would advise you. So if
perchance you sail before
their return you can reach them through
Laurence at The Embassy.
J. B. Savage your old landlord on Euclid
passed away yesterday.
1 Senator Philander C. Knox of
Pennsylvania died on October 12, 1921; Senator
Boies Penrose of the same state, on
December 21, 1921.
2 This event was not as unusual as Myers
supposed. But the Pennsylvania case was
especially remarkable for the fact that
William E. Crow, appointed to fill Knox's
seat, also died before an election could
be held. Thus, within the space of ten months,
the governor appointed three senators.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 395
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, April 10,
1922.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: Yours of March 19th1 duly received and as
usual read with much interest. As I predicted Mr Hughes
was
successful in having his Treaties
approved by the Senate and Mr
Harding wisely refraihed from trying to
force favorable action by
the Senate. Borah, Johnson, et al, like
the "farmers load of frogs"
shot their wad and when the votes were
counted, had about as
many as the farmer had frogs.2 Personally
I regard Mr Hughes as
the strongest man in the administration.
The democrats under and
by Mr Wilson's direction, will give
Senator Lodge the fight of his
life, in their effort to vindicate Mr
Wilson. Mr Lodge will win out
because he will have the people with
him--not because he is Mr
Lodge, but because the people, the C.
P., like to be on the winning
side.3 No one likes to tie to
a dead one, and Democracy--
Wilsonian democracy--is dead. The
Republicans will lose a good
many Districts next Fall. This is to be
expected and the fool action
of non construction upon the part of the
House, will be responsible
for the same.4 The Rep
majority is to[o] unwieldy for beneficial
Party results. We may lose a few
Senators--especially through their
inability to Newberryize their campaign.
If memory serves me right,
I think that the first lavish use of
money was in the H. B. Payne
Senatorial campaign. Of course, we used
some little in the 1897-98
campaign in Ohio, but that was
justifiable. We had to fight the
devil with his own medicine and we
licked him--hence the justi-
fication. Sen Newberry is a nephew of Mr
T. P. Handy the veteran
deceased Cleveland banker. Mr Lodge and
his friends will have to
1 This letter is not in the Myers
papers.
2 All the Washington treaties were
easily ratified. The isolationists, led by Borah
and Johnson, directed their greatest
efforts against the four-power treaty, which ob-
ligated the United States, Great
Britain, France, and Japan to "consult" among them-
selves if another power threatened any
one of them, yet it was approved by a vote
of 67 to 27.
3 In the 1922 Massachusetts senatorial
election Lodge defeated William A. Gaston,
a Boston banker, by a narrow margin.
4 Myers is evidently referring to the
refusal of the house committee on the census
to report a bill providing for the
reapportionment of congressional districts. Myers
was particularly interested in the
question because of the effort of Massachusetts con-
gressman George H. Tinkham to add to the
bill a provision reducing the repre-
sentation of states that did not permit
unrestricted voting by Negroes.
396
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
spend some money but it too will be
justifiable because of Mr
Wilson's interference. In Ohio, no one
aside from Burton appears
to be strong enough to defeat Pommerane.5
He has made good and
is far and above the strongest man Ohio
has had since Mr Hanna.
Big business has confidence in Pommerane
and will support him.
We have as many Gubertorial [sic] Candidates
as we have days in
the week, including a colored man, Henry
Clay Smith.6 Ohio will
go Rep this Fall, but as I said above
there is grave danger about
the Senatorship. The business outlook is
fair, despite the coal strike
and industrial unrest. 1922 bids fair to
be the year for America
to again find herself, through everyone
getting all discord and
unrest out of their system. There is
plenty of money in the country,
but little demand for commodities.
Rumored here that some of
our Steel Mills are going to start up
after Easter.
Well I suppose that you are very busy
preparing and getting
ready for your contemplated trip.
Through Mr Pollack and Miss
Phelps who was visiting at the Pollack
home, I learn that you will
sail May 15th. I trust that Mrs Rhodes
has fully recovered from
the attack of "grip." I had a
good dose of it and had to recourse
to John Barley Corn toddies. I found it
very efficatious [sic] and
regret the day to see his final passing.
I know that you will cer-
tainly welcome the hour when you cross
the 3 mile limit. I certainly
would like to be around. Tourist[s] from
Cuba and other moist
and fertile Island[s] bring back such
glowing accounts of good
times spent and good fellowship enjoyed
that it makes one sick
and weary of this arid waste. Beer &
Light wines will get a big
vote in Ohio. Sometimes I stop and think
what might have been
had the U. S. spent 1/10 of the money,
backed up with an or-
ganization like it has to enforce the
18th Amendment, upon the
enforcement of the 14th & 15th
amendment[s]. Together with my
people I join in saying, O! Lord how
long. I wish you and Mrs
Rhodes good health, a pleasant and
helpful trip and through
God's goodness a safe and happy return.
5 Actually, the Republican candidate for
the senatorship was Simeon D. Fess. He
defeated Atlee Pomerene by about 50,000
votes.
6 The Republican candidates for the
gubernatorial nomination in 1922, in addition
to Smith, were Carmi A. Thompson,
Charles L. Knight, Harvey C. Smith, Homer C.
Durand, Rupert D. Beetham, and D. W.
Williams. Thompson won the nomination,
but lost the election to Democrat A. V.
Donahey.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 397
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, May 6, 1922.
My dear George: I have your valued favor of 10th ult which I
have carefully read. My wife and I
expect to sail on May 31 for
Havre; how long we shall be away remains
yet to be decided.
Senator Lodge will be reelected Senator
this autumn although
many aspiring Democrats are willing to
take the chance of beating
him. There was a lavish use of money by
Senator Payne to get the
Democratic nomination for Senator when
the Democrats had the
legislature. This weakened his influence
in the Senate for his
count[r]y and party. I am surprised to
hear you "used some little"
in the campaign of 1897-98. I had
supposed that all of Uncle Mark's
employment of money was justifiable. You
will have [to] go further
back in history to know of the lavish
use of money before Senator
Payne. You must study Senator Seward's
trials in New York,1 the
Barnum-English contest for the
Democratic nomination in Conn.,2
Brice's unblushing attempt in your own
State,3 Pendleton's do.4 and
so on. One thing about Payne's was that
it was open. But as you
well know the use of money to be
justifiable must be secret, you
must not let your left hand know what
the right hand doeth. I am
sorry about Senator Newberry, who is a
gentleman. He was badly
deceived and his eagerness to be Senator
caused him to make an
awkward use of money. Nevertheless he is
a great burden for the
party to carry, and I could wish we did
not have it.
You are quite right; it is silly to
enforce the XVIII amendment
while the second section of the XIV and
the XV remain a dead
letter. Keep harping on that string and
line up all of the colored
voters. How ridiculous it is so long as
the XVIII is on the statute-
book it must be enforced while no regard
is paid to the 2d sect.
of the XIV and the XV. The difference is
a majority of the voters
1 In 1854 William H. Seward won
reelection to the senate from New York by
"shrewd subterranean work"
among the Know-Nothing element in the state legislature.
2 James Edward English and William Henry
Barnum sought the Democratic nomi-
nation for senator from Connecticut in 1876. Barnum
won, and was elected to the
office.
3 Calvin Stewart Brice, Ohio lawyer and
railroad man, was elected to the senate
in 1890.
4 George Hunt Pendleton, Democratic
candidate for vice president in 1864, was
elected to the senate from Ohio in 1878.
398
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
favor such action, including of course
3/4 of the women, who ]
think are for the XVIII.
There will be no difference in my
drinking habits when I cross
the 3 mile limit except that I shall
imbibe milder fluids. I shall
be glad to get a whack again at my
favorite wines and leave off
spirits and mineral water.
Morality seems to be going down hill
fast & we must give to the
fanatics sincerity in the attempt to
check the tendency by Prohibition.
Did they think straight and see clear
they would know that their
darling prohibition only accelerated the
pace. I suspect our civili-
zation will go. It is so based on
European that any attempt to revive
it will be hopeless. So stick to your
John Barley Corn but beware
of wood alcohol. You had better drink
"honest water that ne'er
yet left a man in the mire."
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, May 22,
1922.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: Your very interesting favor of the 6th was
duly received and I shall follow your
advice relative to the 14th &
15th amendments as against the 18th.
Like you, I know that public
sentiment can set aside the enforcement
of law, no matter how
righteous it may be, and the only way to
create sentiment against
the 18th Amendment is to enforce it as
some of these moral fana-
tics are endeavoring to do. When it
becomes sufficiently odious
then the proletariat will arise in their
might and smite it as David
did the Philistines. How much liquor
figured in the Ind and Penna
results I have been unable to determine,
but I have learned that
the better and thinking colored people
supported Sen New, but
the rank and file went to Mr Beveridge1
as a rebuke to Mr Harding,
who so far has given us but little
recognition. The Ohio Negro
is up in arms, but has not decided which
way to turn. If Walter
Brown,2 a former close friend
[of] Mr Roosevelt, enters the race
1 Albert J. Beveridge defeated Harry S.
New for the Republican senatorial nomi-
nation in Indiana in 1922, but lost the
election to Democrat Samuel M. Ralston.
2 Walter
F. Brown of Toledo, a former candidate for the Republican senatorial
nomination.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 399
against Mr Fess, Brown will get the
Negro vote. Whether Mr
Brown or anyone, aside from Mr Burton,
who has declined to be a
candidate, can defeat Mr Pommerane, is
largely problematical. Sen
Pommerane is strong with the Business
men and manufacturers. I
don't know how he stands with the
farmers, who as you know cut
quite a figure in Ohio politics, but I
do know that should Sen
Pommerane declare for the Dyer Bill
(Anti-Lynch & Mob law)
that he will secure a large following
from the colored people, es-
pecially the Methodist & Baptist.
Personally I can't see at this time,
how they. are going to beat Sen
Pommerane. I suppose you have
read of the Daugherty expose;3 this
was nothing new to me. Sen
Dick told me about it at the time it
occurred, how Daugherty had
imposed upon Mr Taft & etc. Of
course you know how Daugherty
imposed upon Uncle Mark in the campaign
of 1897-98, to the tune
of $7,500 which he claimed as a retainer
fee. Strange part about it,
neither Uncle Mark nor Our committee,
(State Ex Com) retained
him. Uncle Mark said pay the ----- -----
----- and let him
go. I still have Uncle Mark's letter
verifying this. Daugherty will
not quit and I don't think that Harding
will ask him to. Pinchot's
comeback4 has set the Old
Guard to thinking. They have no Penrose
to fall back on now. Penrose was to
Penna what Uncle Mark was
to the Republican Party and neither of
them left a successor. I read
with much interest the article on
Penrose in the Mirrors of
Washington.5 He was a Harvard
man. Well, while you are away I
shall keep the "home fires
burning" and if anything of unusual in-
terest developes [sic] send it to
you. As I said in my previous letter,
you and Mrs Rhodes have my best wishes
and prayers for a safe
journey and a happy return. This time
above all others, you should
feel freer and have a better time
because you have done with your
labor. I hope at some time to hear from
you and trust that
Providence will be kind to both of you.
3 Attorney General Daugherty was accused
by Michigan Congressman Roy 0.
Woodruff of holding up the prosecution
of cases involving frauds in war contracts.
The most important case involved the
Lincoln Motor Company, charged with re-
ceiving overpayments exceeding nine
million dollars.
4 Gifford Pinchot had just won the
Republican gubernatorial nomination in
Pennsylvania.
5 Mirrors of Washington, 229-245.
400
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, February 16,
1923.
My dear Mr. Rhodes: I am writing to thank you for the last
"volume", "The McKinley
and Roosevelt Administrations", and to
assure you of my grateful appreciation
of the most gracious ac-
knowledgment that "I have given
your [sic] useful suggestions".1
Entering the national political arena in
1892 as an alternate dele-
gate from the 21st Ohio Congressional
District, but serving as a
delegate in the Republican National
Convention of 1892, held at
Minneapolis, Minn., and my vote in the
Ohio Delegation meeting
bringing the McKinley-Hanna organization
into being over the
existing Foraker-Bushnell organization
by a vote of 23 to 22,
brought me to the attention of both
Governor McKinley and Mr.
Hanna in a more personal way than my
previous thirteen years
acquaintance. From then until the death
of both, I enjoyed perhaps
a closer unbroken personal and
confidential relation with Mr.
Hanna, than was accorded to but few. As
you know, I knew Mr.
Hanna; there was a mutuality of feeling
existing between us, es-
pecially in the pre-convention campaign
of 1896, and as you also
know, I did no little in assisting Mr.
Hanna in bringing about
McKinley's nomination at St. Louis.
I served Mr. Hanna because I loved him
and the lure of the game.
The services rendered in the Ohio
Senatorial contest of 1897-98,
would be gladly rendered again could
history repeat itself.
Both Mr. Hanna as a friend, and Mr. McKinley
as President,
repeatedly offered and desired to take
care of me politically, but
fortunately being in a business that was
far more remunerative than
any position that either would have
given me, I declined. The too
short political career of both,
justified my conclusion to stick to
business, and I voluntarily retired from
the game after Mr. Hanna
died.
This association and experience makes
this last volume of no little
import and interest to me.
Having given you my conception of Mr.
Hanna in criticism of
Croly's Life of M. A. Hanna, and fully
appreciating the difference
between biography and history, I am
particularly pleased with your
1 In a brief statement in the last
volume of his History (p. 309), Rhodes said,
"I am indebted to George A. Myers
of Cleveland for useful suggestions."
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 401
tribute to his worth.2 You
have, in a more concrete way, accorded
to Mr. Hanna the place he will fill in
history. No gush, no coloring,
no exaggerating, but in plain unbiased,
unvarnished and undeniable
facts, given to him the credit which was
justly his in the McKinley
campaigns, the building of the Panama
Canal and his relation to
Labor and Capital. While, as you say, he
was no scholar, he pos-
sessed remarkable mentality coupled with
his lack of fear, honesty
of purpose and faith in himself and his
methods, [which] made
him a giant in his era and the dominant
figure in the Republican
Party.
You will remember the exceptions I took
to Thayer's scurrilous
allusion to Mr. Hanna in his Life and
Letters of John Hay and in
which you concurred and I can only add
to what you have said, that
Mr. Hanna being a shrewd business man,
possessing a keen insight
coupled with consumate [sic] tact
and political sagacity, applied the
organizing methods of business to the
politics of his day, and was
successful.
Mr. Hanna was the ideal
"Boss", he never failed a friend nor
hesitated to punish an enemy; being of
the old order, he had little
use for Civil Service and believed to
the victor belonged the spoils.
You have been most gracious to Senator
Foraker and viewed
solely from a historians standpoint, as
you have, will send his name
down through the annals of time as a
real statesman, the Foraker
Act3 contributing largely.
Foraker was a likeable man, with a host
of friends and possessed
many beautiful traits, but as he once
said to me of Senator Chas.
Dick, "He would not stay
hitched", neither would he. He gave Mr.
Hanna no little concern. Mr. Hanna in
many ways endeavored to
gain his confidence and friendship, but
damn him, as Uncle Mark
said to me of his duplicity, incidental
to and after the Ohio State
Convention of 19034 (upon my furnishing
the evidence), "It will
be fight from this out".
2 Rhodes began The McKinley and Roosevelt
Administrations with a sketch of
Hanna (pp. 1-11).
3 The Foraker act of 1900 established
civil government in Puerto Rico.
4 In 1903 Hanna hesitated to endorse
Theodore Roosevelt's bid for renomination,
but did not wish to take a definite
stand on the subject. By precipitating the issue,
Foraker made Hanna's position untenable,
and the Ohio Republican convention of
1903 endorsed Roosevelt for president.
402
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Mr. Hanna died, and Roosevelt, after
using him against Hanna,
turned upon Foraker. The Standard Oil
letters contributing to his
undoing,5 though to every
negro, Foraker's defense of the 25th U. S.
Infantry in the Brownsville affair6
endeared him to their hearts,
and at the mention of his name, all
reverently bow.
You are very kind to John Hay. Clearly a
past master as a
diplomat, and with but few equals in
statecraft, he has left his
"imprint in the sands of
time". Hay to me was petulant and un-
approachable by the proletariat. I knew
him in the days of the old
Weddell Barber Shop. He was very
exacting in the service desired
and a hard man to wait upon. I had
little use for him and saw but
little of him after his removal to
Washington.
It is very amusing to read some of
Kohlsaat's contributions to
The Saturday Evening Post, in which he
appropriates the glory for
the Gold plank of 1896.7 This is
fallacious and misleading and I
am inclined to your version. I was
there, and from personal knowl-
edge would concede the honor to Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge.
Kohlsaat did help McKinley financially
in conjunction with Mr.
Hanna and Mr. Myron T. Herrick,8 but
he is too ambiguous in his
rash vaporings about McKinley and
Roosevelt submitting all of
their speeches to him before delivery. I
fear that as my friend
Elbert Hubbard used to say, "that
he takes himself too damn
serious".
I first met Major McKinley in the early
80's, when he was in
Congress. He was always the same and a
very lovable man. As the
acquaintance between him and Mr. Hanna
ripened, I got to see much
5 During the 1908 campaign certain
letters written to Foraker by John D. Archbold
of the Standard Oil Company were
published which showed that Foraker had been in
the Standard's employ, and that Archbold
had loaned Foraker $50,000.
6 In 1906 President Roosevelt had caused
three companies of Negro troops to be
dishonorably discharged for rioting in
Brownsville, Texas, despite the fact that it
was impossible to prove which, if any,
of these soldiers had taken part in the riot.
Foraker made a national issue of his
action, and pretty effectively demonstrated that
the soldiers had been innocent.
7 H. H. Kohlsaat wrote a series of reminiscent
articles in the Saturday Evening
Post, which he later published under the title, From
McKinley to Harding (New
York, 1923). Among many other things, he
claimed he had written the important
plank of the 1896 Republican convention
that committed the party to the gold
standard.
8 The failure of a friend whose notes he
had endorsed bankrupted McKinley in
1893, threatening to end his promising
political career. A group of friends, including
those named here, raised the money
necessary to pay McKinley's debts.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 403
of him and was one of the delegates to
the Ohio State Convention
that nominated him for Governor of Ohio.
As a member of the Ohio
Delegation of 1892 at Minneapolis, of
which he was chairman, I
voted with the said delegation over his
protest, to nominate him
for the Presidency. I also voted for his
renomination as an alternate
delegate at large from Ohio in the
Philadelphia Convention of 1900.
As you know, I rendered Mr. Hanna much
assistance in reaching
and dealing with the prominent leaders
of my people in the South,
prior to and incidental to the St. Louis
Convention of 1896. As
I have previously stated, after his
nomination McKinley came per-
sonally and offered me anything that I
desired, within reason. I
declined, with the request that he make
good every promise he had
given, and he did. Of course, as you
know, Mr. Hanna made no
promises, hence many from the South took
my word and received
their reward.
You have made more of McKinley than
Olcott. Reading after
you, one is prone to regard McKinley,
for his record and achieve-
ments, as one of the few notable
presidents. Of course, it was an
open secret that McKinley did not want
to "war" with Spain, neither
did "Uncle Mark". It was
forced upon him and he made the most
of it, and happily for us, it was
brought to a short conclusion.
McKinley was honest, though he seemed to
lack decision; con-
trary to Uncle Mark's rough brusque way,
McKinley could say
"no" in such a gracious manner
that one almost felt like thanking
him for saying it. Utterly free from any
tendency to give offense, a
real christian gentleman, that to know
him as I did, was to love,
and I heartily concur in all the good
things you have said of him
and his administration.
Like you, I think that Roosevelt studied
hard to be like Wash-
ington and Lincoln and sought to emulate
them. He became a
great big man, "an actionist".
Though evading personal acquain-
tance, I really admired the man for his
sincerity and honesty. His
mind once made up, was like the law of
the Medes and Persians,
unchangeable. He did not love Hanna,
because he feared him, and
by the same token, though saner in the
abstract, could see no good
in Wilson because he envied him to the
extent of being fearful
404
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
that Wilson, with a greater mentality,
receiving credit due him for
his "Fourteen Points", would
supersede him in the annals of time.
Wilson's action in forcing the Adamson
law down the throats of
Congress and jamming it to
constitutionality through the U. S.
Supreme Court, together with his conduct
in concluding the Ver-
sailles Treaty, and his advocacy of the
League of Nations, will, as
at present, cause future generations to
revere the memory of
Roosevelt far longer, but unjustly best.
I like your commendation of Mr. John D.
Rockefeller. Few are
willing to concede him his justly earned
position in history. While
some of his transactions, perhaps, could
not withstand the search-
light of publicity today, he got away
with them, amassed enormous
wealth and has done and [is] still doing
a world of good along
educational and philanthropic lines for
humanity. As an appendage
to what you have said, I would add that
he has the milk of human
kindness in his heart and the world is
better off for his having
lived. May his shadow never grow less.
In conclusion, permit me to say that I
have endeavored to give
you commendation for the good things you
have said of those
with whom it was my good fortune to come
in close touch and
confidential personal contact, and I
wish to add that this last
volume, which I shall reread with the
same eagerness for light and
truth as I did at first, appeals to me
more than any of the previous.
I congratulate you upon the finish of
your life's work and it is my
sincere wish that An All Wise Providence
will extend you a long
and happy life. Of course much of this
happy life depends upon
your stay abroad. Here we are still in
the throes of a hypocritical
enforcement of the 18th Amendment, which
your friend Nicholas
Murray Butler says, "Can no more be
enforced than the 14th and
15th Amendments".
I am enclosing some clippings from the
Cleveland papers anent
your work, and one other, which I hope
will be of interest. I sin-
cerely hope that the health of Mrs.
Rhodes is much improved and
that she may be permanently benefited by
the change of scene. You
have earned a long rest and I know ere
this, have begun to feel its
benefits. I certainly envy you of the
privilege at pleasure to regale
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 405
yourself with the Sparkling Vintage and
good old honest Hague &
Hague [sic]. If I remember
a'right, you preferred the "still wine"
and a little Cognac....9
RHODES TO MYERS, Nice, France, March 11,
1923.
My dear George: I was delighted to get your long letter with its
analysis of the characters I have
treated in my last volume. I thank
you very much for this as I know that
few of my readers have so
true an appreciation of what I have
tried to set forth.
I suspect that I feel a little strain of
writing these twelve volumes
although I had an able assistant in
doing the heavy work for them.
First my eyes succumbed but I came
across a clever oculist who
averred that I had overworked the eyes
and that they needed rest.
Then I had the "flu" was in
the house for 12 days but luckily
only in bed for one. Again I had a
clever practitioner who got me
through as well as one of my Boston
friends could. But I am not
yet boasting as I may still have a
relapse.
I am sorry to have put so much personal
matter in this letter
but it is to explain why I do not
discuss some of the matters with
you which you have so ably set forth.
9 This letter of Myers was
typewritten, hence the change in punctuation and
paragraphing.
The OHIO HISTORICAL Quarterly
VOLUME 64 * NUMBER 4 * OCTOBER 1955
The Correspondence of George
A. Myers
and James Ford Rhodes, 1910-1923-IV
Edited by JOHN A. GARRATY
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, May 22, 1920.*
Dear George: I have yr. two valued favors of Apr. 30 and May 12,
the latter enclosing two editorials
from the P. D. which I have
read with great interest. Senator Lodge
is a very able man. The
contest has been between him and the
President. The President
has had a stroke of paralysis: the
Senator has gained two pounds.
Naturally every man who comprehends the
game should be on the
side of the Senator; therefore the
ratification of the Treaty and
the League of Nations with the Lodge
reservations should be the
platform of men who hope to save
civilization from the wreck
which threatens it. I do not understand
what you mean when you
write, "Were Senator Lodge free
from the plutocracy influence".
He is 70 years old, too old to run for
President; he occupies a more
enviable position in being leader of
the Senate and leader of the
Republicans. These positions he has won
despite a personal un-
popularity in the Senate. He is not
liked here by the Independents,
who object to him in general1 and
especially for his attitude toward
*This is the fourth and last installment
of the Myers-Rhodes correspondence. It
has been published in successive issues of the Quarterly,
beginning with January of
this year. An extended introduction by
the editor of the letters was published with
the first installment. All four
installments will be republished in book form some-
time next year.
1 In Boston, "independent"
opposition to Lodge dated back to his refusal to bolt
the Republican ticket in 1884, when
Blaine was running for president.
363