The OHIO HISTORICAL Quarterly
VOLUME 64 * NUMBER 3 * JULY 1955
The Correspondence of George A.
Myers
and James Ford Rhodes,
1910-1923-III
Edited by JOHN A. GARRATY
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, March
16, 1917.*
My Dear Mr Rhodes: I was awful glad to receive your favor of the
5th.1 It is indeed a source of much
pleasure to receive a letter from
you and its very considerate for you to
write me as you do. I know
that you are a very busy man and the
demands upon you from a
social standpoint something great. Yet
amidst it all, you find time
to remember your old true and tried
friend. You speak of being
social standpoint something great. Yet
amidst it all, you find time
I was 58 on the day your letter was
written and aside from the
effects of my accident2 I
feel and am as good as I was at 40. In
the words of Rip Van Winkle-"May
you live long and prosper."
Upon the topics which you write I can
truly say "That these
are the times that tries [sic] men's
souls," and further add that no
one can tell what tomorrow will bring
forth. Tonight Cleveland is
staggered by the U. S. Supreme Court
holding the infamous
*This is the third installment of the
Myers-Rhodes correspondence, the first having
appeared in the January issue, pages
1-29, and the second in the April issue, pages
125-167. An extended introduction by the
editor of the letters was published with
the first installment.
1 This letter is not in the Myers
papers.
2 In the spring of 1904 Myers fell down
an elevator shaft in the home of W. P.
Southworth, one of his customers. His
right leg was broken in sixteen places and
his left foot was badly smashed. He was
unable to get around freely for two years
after this accident, and his leg was
never very straight in later years. He was able
to walk without a limp, however. The
"effects" of which he writes consisted of con-
siderable stiffness and discomfort
whenever the weather changed. I am indebted for
this information to Mrs. Dorothy Myers Grantham.
239
240
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Adamson Law valid. The consensus of
opinion among my patrons
seems the same as the view of Judge Day:3
"The deprivation of
the railroad's property without due
process of law." Of course
the socialistic members of the Court
(recent additions) are with
the majority.4 Personally
knowing Clarke as I do, I think he was
afraid that his former associates were
expecting him to side with
the Rail Roads and he went against them
thinking it the proper
thing to do, in order to curry favor
with the proletariat. He was
formerly general counsel for the Nickle
Plate R.R. Mr. Herbert
Terrell's old road. Regarding your
inquiry about the sentiment
in Cleveland, of course as you know this
is now a foreign City,
about every nationality under the Sun,
and to write the real senti-
ment is a job beyond the power of
anyone. Upon the surface there
appears much inertia, but there are many
of our good thinking
and wise citizens that feel that the
foreigners, if put to the acid
test, will stand by the President. Many
of these foreigners, and
the solid Catholic vote, voted for Mr
Wilson. Many of the foreign
societies and organizations have come
out and pledged their alle-
giance; but whether this was done by
persuasion upon the part of
their leaders or of their own volition,
there is no means to de-
termine. The Bohemians are very
non-commital, but here the Cath-
olic Church wields a powerful influence.
The Wachter-Anzeizer5
[sic] at times has been very raw and the Faderland6 [sic]
at one
time had quite a circulation here, but
of late I have seen or heard
nothing of it. Of course we are now
looking for a declaration of
war.7 How Mr Wilson can avert
it, many are at a loss to understand,
though as an artful dodger, he has the
darkey dodger of base-balls
at various resorts bested by many miles.
The Russian overthrow of
Government, the German Retreat, the
sinking of the three Amer-
ican ships returning home, and the
Adamson Law, the shortage of
foodstuffs and of coal, all like
horrible nightmares confront Mr
3 Associate Justice William R. Day,
formerly secretary of state.
4 Myers means Clarke and Brandeis, who,
along with Holmes, McKenna, and
Chief Justice Edward D. White, made up
the majority in Wilson v. New.
5 The Cleveland Wachter and Anzeiger.
6 The Fatherland, a New York German-American periodical of some
importance.
7 Because of Germany's resumption of
unrestricted submarine warfare.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 241
Wilson and his new Administration. What
the outcome will be,
no Seer or Prophet can foretell or see.
We can only wait and hope
for the best. The American people have
made their bed by their
votes in the last Election and they must
lie down in it. The feeling
here against the twelve Senators8 is
still very bitter, though lost
sight of, by many, by reason of such
stirring subsequent events. I
doubt if any of them from the North will
ever be returned. Of
course those from the South, where
elections are a farce, will come
back if they care to and have the nerve
to face adverse public
opinion. As Americans it behooves us all
to loyally support the
President. Country first and party
second. This the colored people
of the Nation will do, despite the
mistreatment given by Mr Wilson
and the breaking of his word given to
our leaders in his first cam-
paign.9 The negro race has
never produced an anarchist nor a
traiter [sic] and 1,000,000 brave
black boys are waiting to volunteer
should their Country need them.10 I
am glad to hear your health
is now good. I sincerely wish you a
permanent recovery.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, April 5, 1917.
My dear George: I have your valued favor of 31 enclosing the
letter of Mr. Lynch. I thank Mr. Lynch
heartily for his courteous
offer, showing a politeness and candor
that some of my assailants
here have not shown. But I do not care
to see the Mss. of his article
as I shall not answer it. It is my rule
never to indulge in con-
troversies; such indulgence is a rock on
which some historians have
split. But I always correct errors of
fact.
When Mr. Lynch's article is printed, I
shall be glad to read it
8 Wilson's "little group of willful
men," who prevented the passage of a bill
authorizing the arming of merchant
ships.
9 Wilson had expressed a desire to see
"not mere grudging justice, but justice
executed with cordiality and good
feeling" done to the Negro.
10 In general, Negro volunteers were not
accepted in the early days of the war.
1 This letter is not in the Rhodes
papers.
242
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
and I will thank you or him to send it
to me. I return herewith
Mr. Lynch's letter.2
I was very glad to read your indication
of public sentiment in
Cleveland. It is highly gratifying. As
the President said, the war
is thrust upon us by Germany. Of course
everybody is back of the
President here. We are eager for war
with Germany and hope that
it will not be too long.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, April 17, 1917.
Dear George: Referring to yours of March 18 [i.e., 16], since
then
our country has declared war upon
Germany and we are in a state
of war. No doubt can exist that we were
forced into the war, as
if the German gov't. had not shown an
asininity passing compre-
hension, it might have preserved the
peace with us. Different from
a good many good people here, I see with
regret our country in
the war, but really we had no option, as
Germany forced the war
upon us. I hope that our Navy will
acquit itself creditably and that
we shall be of some assistance in the
destruction of the submarines
and in the supply of food to Great
Britain. I understand from many
sides that the best boys of the country
are going into the Navy or
the Naval Reserve. The Army does not
seem to attract so many
and I wonder whether that is because the
brave boys fancy that
the Navy will see action sooner.
Undoubtedly they are right.
It is difficult to understand the German
state of mind. Why the
Germans shd. have shown so great a lack
of humanity and such
brutality is almost incomprehensible.
Tacitus wrote centuries ago
that the Germans were Barbarians &
apparently their contact with
the French English & Italians has
given them only a veneer of
civilization. Their assumption of
superior knowledge and culture
has been a sort of bluff that imposed
upon me and perhaps on
many others. You are fortunately
situated in Clev'd. in being in
2 Lynch had written Myers (April 2,
1917) about "a number of errors and mis-
statements" in Rhodes's History.
He had written an article on the subject and sug-
gested that it be submitted to Rhodes before
publication so that Rhodes could prepare
an answer if he wished to do so.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 243
a cosmopolitan community and your
barbershop must be a centre
of news. I forget yr. motto wh. I think
Eliot [sic] Hubbard wrote
but that was for peace times. You must
get one of your customers
to give you another suitable for the
present crisis. Possibly a line or
two from Kipling will answer. When you
write let me know about
popular sentiment in Clev'd.; how the
Germans are taking it; the
attitude of the Bohemians and
Hungarians?
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, May 1, 1917.
Dear Mr Rhodes: We are living in such a fast history making epoch,
that the thoughts one may have in mind
to write about today, are
so thoroughly overshadowed by the
happenings of tomorrow, that
one scarcely knows where and how to
begin to answer such a letter
as your valued favor of April 17th. We
are at war with Germany,
and it will be no "pink tea."
The Germany of today, unbeaten
and the greatest military power of
modern times, headed by the
Kaiser, obsessed with "Divine
Power," a fanatic worse than the
"Mad Mullah,"1 is capable of
out-Heroding Herod in barbarity,
and civilization will be shocked at his
deeds, as never before. A
crazy dutchman is about the craziest
thing or mortal in the world,
and no one but the crazy-dutchman that
the Kaiser is would for
one moment undertake to fight the whole
world.
I am fair enough to concede that Mr
Wilson went to every ex-
tremity before issuing his War address
to Congress, a paper that
will ever rank as one of the best
produced by any American States-
man. Further I believe him to have been
honest in his endeavor
(though humiliating to us as a nation)
to keep us out of War,
and believing as I do, I also believe
that all partisan feeling should
be forgotten in our Americanism and
everyone, regardless of race
or nationality, should give Mr Wilson
our fullest and loyal support.
The reprehensible conduct of the
obstructionist[s] in Congress, in-
cluding our two Congressmen, Crosser
& Gordon,2 have met the
1 Mohammed ibn-Abdullah, an Arab
chieftain who harrassed British and Italian
Somaliland in the early years of the twentieth century.
2 Robert Crosser and William Gordon.
244
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
severest condemnation from everyone
this way. Many of these men,
playing politics as they are, have
mistaken the real sentiment "back
home" and will find they have
"sown to the whirlwind." Every-
where, its America first. Of course we
have a few--as all other
communities have--misguided
individuals. Personally I know that
Uncle Sam has them under surveillance,
watching every movement
of the most rabid. Cleveland now being
such a large and diversified
manufacturing centre, is heavily
guarded and the authorities are
taking no chances. As a City, we
perhaps have profited more than
any other by reason of supplying
munitions & etc. and consequently
aroused the ire and enmity not only of
Germany but of all loyal
germans in this country. Hence the
authorities are taking no
chances and their vigilance. There is
no outspoken pro German, pro
Bohemian or pro-Hungarian sentiment
now. Before the declaration
of war, these various race newspapers
were very virile and out-
spoken, since then, profuse in their
expressions of loyalty and advice
to their people. Of course I am anxious
to see the colored man
called. From the American Revolution to
the present time, the negro
as a soldier has been a very potential
figure, and though dis-
criminated against and deprived of his
manhood rights, he is willing
and will gladly shed his blood in
defense of the grand old Flag.
He is only awaiting the call. "His
not to reason why, His but to
do and die." Since starting this
letter I notice by the Evening Paper,
that The Senate have repassed the Draft
Bill. I hope there is no
restriction placed upon the enlistment
of the Negro.3
Many scions of our best families, with
whom you are acquainted,
including Bob & Clarence Norton,
Irving & Newell Bolton, have
already secured their Commissions.
Scarcely one of our best families
are left out. Our Naval Reserves have
gone, and these boys with
commissions will soon leave for Fort
Benjamin Harrison. Of course
you know Troop A saw Border Service,4
but since their muster
out, about everyone of "the
boys" have made application for
commissions.
3 The selective service act, passed on
May 18, 1917, provided for the registration
of all males between the ages of twenty-one
and thirty-one. Some 700,000 Negroes
registered under the act.
4 In Mexico.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 245
I am shaving L. C. Hanna twice a week at
his office. He is in
very poor shape from his waist down. Mr
Geo. H. Warmington5
was in last week; he is getting feeble.
Mrs Warmington early in
the Winter, fell and broke her hip. At
present writing she is hold-
ing her own, despite the handicap of her
age. From the Leader
undoubtedly you have read of the number
of good citizens that
have passed to their reward since Jan
1st. I am glad to know it is
well with you and Mrs Rhodes; you have
my sincerest wishes for
good health and a long and happy life.
In closing I am pleased to
state that I have reaped my share of the
prosperity, under this
Democratic Administration of Free trade.
While not converted, I
am selfish enough to hope that it will
"keep up" and not be affected
by the War.
RHODES TO MYERS, Briarcliff Manor, New York, May 13, 1917.
Dear George: Your very interesting & patriotic letter was duly
rec'd
while I was in New York and I had the
pleasure a week ago of
reading it to Mrs. Hanna & Miss
Phelps who, as well as they know
you, were amazed at your power of
expression. You have hit the
nail on the head when you have called
the Emperor of Germany
a "crazy Dutchman." A
Dutchman, he is not, as the inhabitants of
Holland are well-meaning people, but a
German. But we used to
call the Germans in Clevd the
"Dutch." "The 'Dutch' have carried
the sixth ward" was not uncommon,
so you are completely justified
in your appellation. I remember when we
had a German, who was
a sort of satellite and partner in
commission of ours, getting into
some strait or other and as Leonard
Hanna expressed it, he tore
about like a crazy Dutchman. The
lamentable thing is that the
Emperor has apparently the confidence
and devotion of his people,
who seem willing to follow him through.
But is it not lamentable
the state into which the world has
fallen? The Universe has got
away from its maker. As I look at it,
there is nothing but trouble
5 An old associate of Rhodes and Mark
Hanna in the firm of Rhodes and Co.
246
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
in the future. Our noble President did
well to keep us out of the
war as long as he did. Now that we are
going into it, he believe
in thorough preparation. It is wonderful
to me how he has de
veloped from the time I used to know him
as college professor
But we have gone to war and no one can
see the end of it. I ad-
mire your candor in saying that you have
prospered under the
Democratic policy of free trade. If you
were not so blind an adherent
of the g.o.p. you wd. see that a low
tariff & much direct taxation,
like the income tax, was the best policy
for the greatest number.
But I suspect that la haute finance has
got hold of you. Still do not
trust them too far. I have been ground
pretty nearly to powder
between la haute finance and the
proletariat. I like la haute finance
better because she buys paintings,
establishes libraries, pensions
professors etc. but had I my life to
live over again I shd. beware
of both; so may this be a word to the
wise.
I regret to hear such bad news of Mr.
Leonard Hanna. If you
have opportunity please give him my kind
regards as I remember
well our pleasant relations during the
years I was associated with
him in business.
Many of our Boston & Cambridge
people who abused Pres.
Wilson & were eager for war, now
that the war is on, seem loth
to pay the taxes and subscribe for the
Liberty bonds. But I told
them war is an expensive job and has got
to be paid for by the
people who have substance. I hope none
of your haute finance
friends so lack patriotism. Let me know
if the subscriptions are
large in Cleveland and if there is a
general contentment about the
tax bill. So far as my experience goes,
everybody is content to have
someone else pay the tax. Talk is cheap
and the amount of talking
& persuasion in our part of the
country is enough to drive a recluse
mad. Your letter has the proper tone and
I wish everybody was
equally patriotic. I am finishing this
May 14 & in looking over
what I have written I see that one
sentence will not parse. I am
reminded of Father Taylor who in a
fervent religious address said,
"I have lost my nominative but I am
bound for the Kingdom of
Heaven." And I hope I am.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 247
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, June 11,
1917.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: Your very welcome favor of May 13th was
duly recd and with no little pleasure
did I read of Mrs Hanna's
favorable comment upon my last letter,
which you so graciously
read to her. Truth of the matter is that
Mrs Hanna was never
apprised of the "very much
needed services" that I rendered
to Uncle Mark in the memorable campaign
of 1897 & 1898, and
without which Uncle Mark could never
have been elected as U. S.
Senator. The best evidence of this was
that when she distributed
Uncle Mark's personal effects, I did not
receive, "the rapping of
a finger's nail," so to speak.
After much importunity Dan Hanna
Sr. finally gave me one of Uncle Mark's
canes, which I still have
and treasure. However Mr Hanna did tell
Horace Andrews,1 that
some day, he was going to do something
for me, but all of us know,
that Mr Hanna died some time before he
expected. In fact he
frequently said to me: "Damn you,
if you would only take an
office I could get even with you."
I am not speaking of this at
this late day in any spirit of
reproachfulness, but her "favorable
comment" has brought this to my
mind. L. C. Hanna knows all
about it, so does Myron Herrick, who
almost got me in bad with
L. C., but after he understood it, I
received his personal commen-
dation and have his friendship to this
day.
Like Senator Harding, in normal times I
am a partisan, and in
times like these dislike to express my
partisan impressions, but I
cannot let this opportunity pass,
without criticising Mr Wilson's
inability to rise above partisanship and
surrounding [sic] himself
with a non-partisan Cabinet composed of
the ablest and most com-
petent men of the Nation, who would
gladly lay aside their partisan
feeling and give the Country their all.
Mr Wilson as you say did
well to keep us out of war as long as he
did. It was the confidence
of the American people that reelected
him, and most of the people
who voted for him still have confidence
in him--personally--but
they are fast losing confidence in the
men he has surrounded him-
1 Andrews was a friend of Hanna in the
street railway business.
248
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
self with and some of those he recently
exalted to high positions
Brandeis Clark[e] and Baker--the latter
two personal friends of
mine--highy imbued and pregnated with
socialistic proclivities. It
is indeed a sad spectacle as Harding
charges. "The American people
who have the capacity of $17,000,000,000
of bonds, are reluctant
to subscribe $2,000,000,000 because of a
lack of confidence in the
administration." Cleveland at this
writing is $8,000,000 short of
her quota of "The Liberty
Bonds," though about second or third
among the Cities subscribing. A
prominent Bank President just in
says "that the whole country is
$700,000,000 short." This too in the
face of the best campaign of advertising
ever before the American
people. I read with much interest and
commend to you for your
careful reading "Paying for war
cash down" by Albert W. Atwood
in The Saturday Evening Post of June 9,
1917. If you have not or
cannot secure a copy of the same I will
be pleased to send you the
one I have. I will send it anyway and
when you are through with
it, consign the same to your
waste-basket. So thoroughly does
Atwood cover every point, that I shall
make no attempt to quote
him or comment upon what he says, other
than his treatment of
the income tax; [it] is as if you
had written the same. Business
must not be throttled but encouraged;
tax its proceeds, but do not
make it punitive; if you do, you stop
the wheels of industry and
we will have idle mines, smokeless
stacks and cargoeless [sic]
hulls, the same as we had in 1893.
Already we are beginning to
feel the effects of retrenchment in the
East and we expect a dull
Summer. The commercial men had but few
sales in the Spring trip,
the Storekeepers do not know where
"they are at." Bad weather
and injudicious remarks relative to
economy from the White House
have caused many to be alarmed. Capital,
the elusive Goddess, is
just as timid today as she was when you
were in business. This
business of a foreign war is new to the
American people and no
one can foresee or foretell what the
future will bring forth. True
the English and French Embassies have
been here and left their
experiences, that we as a people may not
make the mistakes they did,
but as I previously stated a lack of
confidence is growing among
the people and the present H.C.L. (high
cost of living) is breeding
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 249
unrest and discontent. A bumper crop and
Federal regulation will
and can do much to relieve this tense
feeling. Recently I had a
very interesting talk with Vice
President Mr Marshall.2 A fine
cultured and very capable gentleman. I
told him "That it looked
as if the Negro like a burglar would
have to break into this war
as he did the others." This excited
his curiosity and we had a very
fine argument. So well impressed was he,
that I was told by F. P.
Prentiss and E. H. Baker of the P. D.
that he paid me a very fine
compliment in speaking at a Luncheon
given in his honor at The
Union Club. Since then the Government
has decided to open an
Officers Camp of Instruction at Des
Moines Ia for colored men.
I hope the next step will be the
formation of many Negro regi-
ments. Mr Marshall admitted the Negroes
were the best soldiers
in America. It was indeed gratifying to
me, that even with the
special proscription (If of African
descent tear off this corner) the
Negroes to a man registered. "Even
way down in Dixie land."
Well I must close, though in times like
these "that tries mens souls"
ones writing is only limited by physical
strength. Please remember
me to Mrs. Rhodes and Daniel. I
sincerely hope that you have fully
recovered your health and that you will
enjoy a pleasant Summer.
May I inquire: How is your history of
the Civil War coming on?
RHODES TO MYERS, Seal Harbor, July 31, 1917.
Dear George: I duly rec'd yrs of 11 ult. also the Sat. Eve. Post. I
read with interest Mr. Atwood's article.
He has the proper idea
anent raising money to carry on the war.
It is a relief to think of
the common sense displayed in his
article alongside the imprac-
ticability of Sidney Webb who has been
writing in the Atlantic1
advising us to beware of the pitfalls
into wh. the English have
fallen. Webb is a Socialist and Trades
Union man and sees every-
2 Thomas Riley Marshall.
1 Sidney Webb, "British Experience
for Americans," Atlantic Monthly, CXX
(1917), 14-21, 162-166.
250
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
thing from that narrow point of view.
Now the English have made
many blunders in their war and naval
policy, in the withholding
of actual damage by submarines, in their
censorship (wh. has been
silly), but their financial policy may
commend our admiration.
There is a certain amount of deception
about it but it is the de-
ception of hypocrisy sometimes
justifiable.
What you write about the President's
advisers is correct. While
Mr. Wilson is a man of towering ability
some of his cabinet leave
much to be desired. Cannot you get some
of your Democratic
friends to write to him urging a change
in the Treas. & Navy de-
partments?2 Ohio voted for him and he
ought to heed her voice.
Mr. McAdoo talks of billions as we
talked of millions during the
Civil War and Mr. Daniels judges
everybody by his habits of
drink.3 Is it not humiliating
to read of their exploits?
What do you think of our friend Mr.
Baker? I agree with you
that he is a man of principle and
ability but is he a misfit in the
War Dept.? There, great executive
ability is required. As for your
friend Justice Clarke, if the g.o.p. had
not been an ass, Hughes
would still have adorned his place on
the bench and Clarke would
have been pleading in the Ohio Courts.
Hughes was a good justice
but a wretched campaigner.
Another trouble looms up in the East St
Louis riots. If the
Trades Unions are determined to put down
the colored people a
calamity will come. I have felt that the
arrogance and tyranny of
the Trades Unions should be checked but
I did not want it done
by the colored people, partaking of a
resemblance to a race war.
I felt that it should be done under the
form of law, made by white
men assisted by colored voters. Did you
not think well of Roosevelt
when he attacked Gompers on the New York
platform?4 Don't
you think it is a pity Mr. R. is not
President and why would not
2 William G. McAdoo, secretary of the
treasury, and Josephus Daniels, secretary of
the navy.
3 Daniels had abolished the officers'
wine mess aboard all naval vessels.
4 Mob violence in East St. Louis,
Illinois, in the summer of 1917 had resulted
from the introduction of non-union Negro
workers into the area. In a speech at
Carnegie Hall on July 6 Roosevelt had criticized
organized labor for attempting to
force anyone to join a union. Samuel Gompers, president
of the American Federation
of Labor, had discussed the riots at the same meeting.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 251
Pres. Wilson let him go to France ?5
The outlook is very dark. Our
success in the war is menaced by
mal-administration and, with our
mis-management, the hope of
civilization is gone. Organize your
colored people so that you may be a
power when the break-up
comes. Your young men will learn the
art of war and can be guided
by the counsel of your older heads.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, November 21, 1917.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: I am writing to acknowledge and thank you
for your History of the Civil War,
1861-1865, received yesterday.
I have had only time to read the first
40 pages, hence cannot make
any comment, other than to say, that it
is in your usual bold and
lucid style of writing. So that he who
reads may understand. I
shall give it all of my spare time
until I can read and thoroughly
digest it and then will write you
again. I have called Dr Thwing's1
attention to it, also Judge D. C.
Westenhaver (U. S. Dist Court)2
who is an ardent admirer of yours and
possesses all of your writings.
I intend to give it much advertising to
my friends and patrons. By
the way this reminds me that Bishop W.
A. Leonard3 said, in
speaking of you some little time ago,
that Mrs M. A. Hanna
promised him a De Luxe Edition of your
History, but he presumed
it had slipped her memory. I shall with
pleasure show this History
to him.
Referring to your letter acknowledging
the receipt of The Journals
of Negro History containing Mr Lynch's
article and your short
comment,4 I beg to say that
I have read and re-read Mr Lynch's
5 Roosevelt had asked permission to
raise a division to fight in France but had
been turned down by Wilson.
1 Charles Franklin Thwing, president of
Western Reserve University.
2 David C. Westenhaver, formerly Newton
D. Baker's law partner.
3 William Andrew Leonard, Protestant
Episcopal bishop of Ohio.
4 This letter is not in the Myers
papers. Lynch's article, "Some Historical Errors
of James Ford Rhodes," Journal
of Negro History, II (1917), 345-368, had first been
submitted to the American Historical
Review and the American Political Science
Review.
252
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
article with much care. As is the custom
of most editors, the editor
of the "Journal"5 after
accepting the article of Mr Lynch and
agreeing to publish the same in full,
cut it one half. This to the
chagrin of Mr Lynch, who says he may yet
publish it in pamphlet
form. The editor cut everything that did
not have a direct bearing
on your work. Uncle Mark complaining of
the length of letters
written him by the "brethern,"
once said "George they are to
vorbose [sic]." Perhaps the editor entertained the same opinion of
Mr Lynch's article in its entirety. I
did not see the original, hence
I could make no comment of the same.
Reading the published part,
I have to say that Mr Lynch, the
past-master of the "Queen's
English" that he is, uses it
unsparingly in expressing his diametrical
views in such a manner as to carry
conviction to those who have
not read your History and therefore
[are] not conversant with the
other side. There are always two sides
and no two people ever see
each side alike. As I once said to you,
I think one of your mis-
takes was made in not seeing and talking
with the prominent
Negro participants that I could have put
you in touch with, as I
did Uncle Mark, who used them to an
advantage in the pre-
campaign of 1896. Of course you must
understand that Uncle Mark
expounded and practiced the doctrine, in
which my Negro friends
firmly believed. Though I believe that I
could have had them de-
liver the goods to you without
recompense. If everything that Mr
Lynch says be true, and I know him to be
honest and truthful--he
personally contributed $500.00 to Uncle
Mark's Senatorial Cam-
paign fund, so did the brethern [sic]
from Louisiana, their's was a
return of some of the "filthy
lucre," but Mr Lynch's was a clean,
free will offerring [sic], of his own hard earned money--he has
certainly undermined much of your
authority. Of course as I under-
stand Mr Lynch, he does not say that you
are untruthful, but he
does discredit the various authorities
that you quote, and claims
from your own statement, that you are
bias [sic]. As you say when
one is associated with a work for an
indefinite period, it narrows
their vision. I have frequently heard my
Grand Father say of the
elder Booth,6 and they were
boyhood chums, there were times the
5 Carter Woodson.
6 Junius Brutus Booth.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 253
acters [sic] playing with him,
had to flee for their lives, especially
in the fencing scenes. He really
beli[e]ved himself to be the char-
acters he portrayed. I don't know as I
ever told you but the elder
Booth was a hard drinker and often
played when full. Continued
association with any thing or project
is prone to narrow anyone's
vision and they become pessimistic. I
am anxious to hear what you
say, when you shall have read and
digested Mr Lynch's article.
Well the War goes on and on, and no one
can foresee its end.
I think Mr Wilson is doing as well as
anyone. Perhaps your friend
Mr Roosevelt would be more aggressive
and with it more effective.
But Mr Wilson is doing well. He is a
great big man. The one blot
on the escutheon [sic] like
MacBeth's blood (The Scripps episode)7
will not off. It figured materially in
our late election-Baker's or-
ganization was routed tooth and nail.
Even the Drys came near
carrying Ohio. The Wets had 1137
[majority] in over 1,100,000
votes.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, November 22,
1917.
Dear George: I have at last been able to give Mr Lynch's article a
thorough investigation and sifting. I
congratulate myself that he
found no inaccuracy of importance and
the consideration of the
article gives me a higher idea of my
correctness of statement. I
could shelter myself under "it was
said" for one apparent in-
accuracy but out of regard to you I am
giving Mr. Lynch the benefit
of the doubt and in the next edition of
vol. VII will appear two
corrections credited to him and his
article.
Mr. Lynch's memory does not appear to
be good of his con-
versation with you which begins his
article. You certainly could not
have said that I misrepresented Mr.
Hanna in my History when I
never spoke of him at all. My History
ends in 1877 and Mr.
Hanna had not come upon the public
stage. I have alluded to him
in two magazine articles but only in
complimentary words.
7 This reference concerns a controversy
resulting from the exemption from the
draft of James G. Scripps of the Scripps
newspaper chain.
254
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
In a spirit of fairness I have subjected
Mr. Lynch's article to an
expert whose report I here enclose. When
you and Mr. Lynch have
finished with it kindly return same to
me as also the magazine wh.
I forward by the same post; this
magazine has my notes and the
expert's in it.
The difference between Mr. Lynch and me
is the point of view.
I am quite familiar with his point of
view and the criticism of
my account is entirely familiar to me.
It has been given to me by
President Roosevelt, Tho. W. Higginson,
Moorfield Storey1 and
many others. It is the old story of two
warriors fighting about the
shield--one saying it was golden, the
other silver because they
looked at it from two different sides.
The discussion will probably
go on to the crack of doom.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, January 8,
1918.
Dear Mr Rhodes: I am enclosing Mr Lynch's letter of Dec 12th,
which is self explanatory, and (as he
styles it) his rejoinder.1 There
is no question of Mr Lynch's honesty;
neither the purity of his
motive in giving to you his personal
experience and knowledge of
events that transpired during this very
important period in the
history of our Country and in which he
figured most prominently.
A friend of mine recently said,
"That history is always written from
the viewpoint of the stronger side, that
is to say, the side which
ultimately prevails." This being
self evident, and as you style it
in your history, "The restoration
of home rule," consequently was
written from that side and not the side
with which Mr Lynch is
familiar and was identified with, and
which went under. Hence
1 Thomas Wentworth Higginson and
Moorfield Storey of Boston were ardent cham-
pions of Negro rights.
1 Lynch's reply to Rhodes's criticisms
were forwarded to Rhodes at Lynch's request.
Lynch suggested that Rhodes publish the
two documents, and said that he would do
so if Rhodes did not. "I think when
Mr. Rhodes shall have read what I have written
he will make a few more corrections in
his historical work if he wants it to be of
any value and service as a historical
reference work covering the Reconstruction
period," Lynch wrote.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 255
the thought occurs to me, that perhaps
Mr Lynch's statements may
be right after all when compared with
some of the authority that
you quote, which was written while
flushed with victory and as a
natural sequence painted the other
fellow and his methods a little
blacker than either was. However I am
satisfied that with your
usual fairness, that after reading Mr
Lynch's rejoinder and you find
anything new or of merit, that you will
use the same in your new
edition. I am free to say, that had I
written Mr Lynch's rejoinder
I would have been less verbose and less
virile and not confounded
the happenings of today with those of
yesterday. Of course in this
day of intense color prejudice, race
discrimination and persecution,
particularly in the South, it is hard
for any colored man to discuss
a public question without interjecting
this question. You cannot
fully appreciate this because you have
never been discriminated
against. I do not perhaps feel it so
much as some by reason of a
wide and beneficial acquaintance, but it
has been brought home to
me on many occasions. This I speak of as
an explanation of Mr
Lynch's verbosity and interjecting of
race issues of today. I trust
however that this correspondence may be
a source of pleasure and
enlight[en]ment and that you will accept
Mr Lynch's writings in the
same fairness of spirit that he has
endeavored to use in presenting
his side of the question. Personally I
feel benefited and highly
honored to have been the means to bring
out these statements of
facts, which I hope may be handed down
to future generations
through the medium of your
"History," and I thank you for the
honor.
I sincerely hope that you and Mrs Rhodes
have perfect health
and wish you both a Happy New Year. I am
glad that Secy Baker's
letter was pleasing to you. He is an
ardent admirer of yours and with
much pleasure we have talked of your
writings. We have been close
friends for years, I having supported
him for Mayor. Some day I
hope that you two will meet. I have been
the means of interesting
many of my friends in your new History
and have heard much
favorable comment upon it. Please
preserve Mr Lynch's MSS as he
may wish to have it. I have just
finished shaving your old business
associate Mr Geo H. Warmington; he
desires to be remembered
256
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
to you and Mrs Rhodes. Mrs Warmington
fell on Jan 7 1917, a
year ago yesterday, and has been down in
bed ever since. Mr
Warmington is well. L. C. Hanna whom I
shaved this A.M. at his
residence continues to fail; while he is
now up and about, its very
easy to perceive that he is slipping.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, January 16,
1918.
Dear George: I duly rec'd yr. letter of 8 enclosing Col. Lynch's
letter of Dec 12 and his type-written screed
which I have read with
great care. I decline to continue the
controversy further. In fact I
do not believe in controversies &
this is only the second one in wh.
I have ever engaged and I entered into
this only out of consideration
for yourself. I believe with Huxley
"Controversy always tends to
degenerate into quarreling, to swerve
from the great issue of what
is right and what is wrong to the very
small question of who is
right and who is wrong." Col. Lynch
will have attracted the at-
tention of historical students as you
will see by the brief allusion
in Amer. Historical Review for Jan 1918
wh. I herewith enclose.
You need make no apology to me for the
"lambasting" wh. Mr.
Lynch has attempted to give me as I am
used to it having, as I
wrote you, I think encountered similar
criticisms from President
Roosevelt, Colonel T. W. Higginson and
Moorefield [sic] Storey.
I am through with the Reconstruction
era. To paraphrase Daniel
Webster, there the volumes stand. I will
end by a citation from
Huxley: "The most acute and learned
of historians cannot remedy
the imperfections of his sources of
information; nor can the most
impartial wholly escape the influence of
the 'personal equation'
generated by his temperament and by his
education."
I thank you for the information about
Mr. Warmington & Mr.
L. C. Hanna. My wife and I are pretty
well considering the cold
weather, the lack of coal, sugar and
flour but we are disconsolate
and discouraged at the progress of the
war.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 257
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, February 18,
1918.
Dear Mr Rhodes: I thank you for the article from The Boston
Herald of the 18th., giving the account
of the presentation of a
beautiful loving cup to Mr Story.1 This
is but another manisfestation
[sic] of the Negroes feelings of gratitude to his friends and
bene-
factors. Mr Story has labored long and
faithfully in the Negroes
cause and with no little degree of
success. His recent contribution
which resulted in the United States
Supreme Court declaring un-
constitutional and void the
"Segregation Law" of Kentucky is his
greatest achievement.2 Mr
Story is right when he says that this
Country cannot consistently fight to
make the world safe for democ-
racy while it continues to burn Negroes
at the stake. I am as loyal
as anyone and believe that President
Wilson should be given a
"free rein," but his silence
in the face of these horrible actrocities
at times nearly freezes the loyal marrow
in the Negroe's backbone
and causes him to exclaim "O, Lord
how long." I believe in
making the world safe for humanity and
beginning at home. It
has been said that the Negroe was afraid
to die. Houston dis-
approves [sic] this and I fear,
yes regret to say, that there will be
more Houston's.3 Fighting as
he already is on the "Western front"
and rubbing elbows with the civilization
of the old world, returning
to this Country flushed with the fruits
of victory, the Negro will
not submit to the atrocities and
indignities of the past and present
in silence. The South knows this, the
North knows this and the
whole world will know it, unless the
Negro who fought for his
freedom and is now fighting for the
liberty of enjoying his manhood
rights, (and) is not accorded this
privilege in common with other
1 On February 14, 1918, at a meeting in
Faneuil Hall, the Boston Literary and
Historical Society presented Moorfield
Storey with a loving cup in recognition of his
work in behalf of Negro rights. The
account sent by Rhodes was from the Boston
Herald of February 15, not, as Myers writes, February 18.
2 In Buchanan v. Warley (245 U.S. 60) Storey successfully argued
against the
constitutionality of an ordinance of the
city of Louisville, Kentucky, that made it
illegal for a Negro to buy or move into
a house in a block in which the majority of
residents were white.
3 In August 1917 Negro soldiers of the 24th Infantry rioted in Houston,
Texas,
where a camp was being constructed. Twelve whites were
killed. As a result, thirteen
of the soldiers were hanged and
forty-one sentenced to life imprisonment.
258
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
people. The Negro in this war is unlike
the Negro in the Civil
War. He is an educated Negro and will
assimulate the customs of
those he is associated with, and as Sir
Harry Johnston4 says, he
will be a new Negro in the new world:
Long live Moorfield Story
and his colaborers. May their shadow
never grow less.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, April 24, 1918.
Dear George: I recd yrs of 231 this afternoon and send to you
hereinwith the article called for. Pls
send it to Hon. J. R. Lynch
with my compliments, ask him to keep it
as long as necessary and
return it to you. I thank you heartily
for your offer of copies of the
Magazine2 which I decline
with profuse thanks. I have the other
article and I remember the revision. For
me henceforward the
Civil War and Reconstruction are sealed
books. For the remainder
of my brief life, already feeling age
and growing infirmitive, I
shall devote my study to other subjects.
I would right [sic] more
but I am very busy indeed for the next
ten days, a number of
matters having crowded in upon me.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, May 21,
1918.
Dear Mr Rhodes: I am returning herein the article which you so
generously loaned Hon John R. Lynch
through my solicitation.
Mr Lynch writes me that he is very
grateful to you for your kindness
and begs me to convey his fullest
appreciation to you. I note care-
4 Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston, a British
explorer and expert on Africa, author
of, among many books, The Negro in
the New World (New York, 1910).
1 This letter is not in the Rhodes
papers. Lynch had asked Myers to procure for
him a copy of the criticism written by
Rhodes's "expert" about Lynch's article in
the Journal of Negro History.
2 Myers evidently offered to send Rhodes
copies of Lynch's second article, "More
About the Historical Errors of James
Ford Rhodes," Journal of Negro History, III
(1918), 139-157, in which Lynch
published the comments of Rhodes's "expert" and
his own rejoinders.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE
259
fully what you say about the Civil War
and Reconstruction. Few
there be, aside from myself and those
associated with you, can
or ever will appreciate the length of
time and the enormous amount
of energy and labor that you expended
in giving to the World this
wonderful History and your subsequent
work, The Civil War,
"which is the last word" upon
that subject, accepted by all. It has
been a source of pleasure for me to
call the attention of many to
your last production and I have been
the means of quite a few
purchasing the same. We have quite a
little Book Shop in our
Hotel. You spoke of being busy, but did
not say what you were
now writing upon. This question is
frequently asked by many who
know you as a Clevelander. I take it
that your health is exceptionally
good, inasmuch as you did not refer to
the same. I was out to
shave L. C. Hanna this A.M. He is
gradually slipping. The disease
(Locomoco-ataxia) [sic] is a slow
but sure worker. He has little
if any complication, which is greatly
in his favor, and should live
for some time. But shaving him as I
have, for over a year, I can
note his failing where those around him
daily would not. He has
wonderful rallying qualities, and is
every inch a Hanna. I said to
him this morning that it was very
pleasing to me, to have so many
as I do speak of the far sighted ability
of Senator Hanna, when he
was advocating the building up of our
Merchant Marine. What if
the Country had accepted his advice. The
whole complexion of our
World's controversy would have been
changed and this cruel and
senseless War a thing of the past. What
was Mr Roosevelt's at-
titude toward the building of a Merchant
Marine? I have forgotten.
The Sherman definition best applies to
this War and is about the
opinion of everyone. All are however
willing to place Country
above Party, and to support Mr Wilson
upon the broad principles
of Americanism, and this equally applies
to my people. Would to
God that all of the people were as loyal
as mine. The many in-
ternments from Cleveland, have pretty
near kill[e]d all "pro senti-
ment," but we have many misguided
ones at large. The Dept of
Justice have an extra large force to
work in Cleveland. This by
reason of our producing so many of the
munitions of War. There
is talk of the Gov't taking over the
Waechter [sic] & Anzeiger.
The editor and his assistant being
interned and a majority of its
260
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
stock is owned by a naturalized German
now living in Germany.
Mr Wilson is still doing as well as
anyone could do, hampered as
he was by so many not large enough for
the job. His calling such
men as Stettinius, Ryan, Schwab, and
Farrell to his assistance, is
what should have been done a year ago.1
His selection of Justice
Hughes2 is purely political
strategy and Mr Hughes was wise enough
not to decline. After the first six big
casualty lists we shall have
before 1918 ends, no one at this time
can foretell the attitude of
the American people. They are just as
apt to throw Wilson over as
they are to sustain him.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, June 3, 1918.
Dear George: I duly received yours of 21 ult. covering enclosure
and I note with pleasure the courteous
appreciation which you send
to me from Col. Lynch. I certainly could
not wish for a better ap-
preciation of my energy and industry in
writing history than from
him who did the "heavy work"
at its commencement when I was
residing in Euclid Ave.1 I am glad to
know that you have duly
1 Edward Riley Stettinius, Sr., a Morgan
partner, was chief purchasing agent in
the United States for the Allies; John
Dennis Ryan, of the Anaconda Copper Com-
pany, was director of the bureau of
aircraft production and later assistant secretary
of war; Charles M. Schwab, chairman of
the board of Bethlehem Steel, headed the
emergency fleet corporation. James
Augustine Farrell, president of the United States
Steel Corporation, was reported as
having been offered the post of director of
operations of the shipping board, but
later denied that this was the case.
2 Hughes had been asked by Wilson to
investigate the aircraft industry. His re-
port, completed in October, showed that
the aircraft procurement program was con-
fused and inefficient, but that there
had been no significant corruption in its operation.
1 In a letter to Dr. Harvey Cushing
after Rhodes's death, Myers explained this
allusion to "heavy work" as
follows: "I shaved Mr. Rhodes every morning at his
home (906 Euclid Avenue) and attended to
many affairs for him. This is a good
joke and one that he appreciated . . . .
One morning . . . I met Mr. Henry P. Card,
Mr. Rhodes' brother-in-law, who was
known as quite a wag, bearing an armful of
legal looking books which I was
returning to the Case Library for Mr. Rhodes. Mr.
Card with a twinkle in his eye said:
'Hello George, studying law?' Quickly I re-
plied no, me and my partner Jim (as we always referred
to Mr. Rhodes) are writing
a history. Jim is doing the light work
and I am doing the heavy. . . . That very
night at a dinner at Mr. A. A. Pope's,
Mr. Card (the wag) said, by the way I have
a good story on Jim. He told what I have
said above and it provoked a hearty laugh.
. . . Ever after the dinner at Mr.
Pope's, whenever there was anything to be done,
errands to run, or bills to be paid, he
would always, with a chuckle say: 'Now
George, a little more of the
heavy.'" Myers to Cushing,
February 8, 1927. Myers
Papers.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 261
talked up the history to would-be
purchasers, as owing to the general
condition of things and my finances I am
glad to get as much money
as possible from my literary work,
although any books outside of
those on the war and novels are slow of
sale at present. I am sorry
to hear so sad an account of Leonard
Hanna and sympathize with
him profoundly in his affliction. As for
me I am as well as could
be expected at three score years and
ten, the celebration of which
birthday here your Sunday Leader in its
issue of May 12 gave an
excellent appreciation.
Like you I do not remember the attitude
of Theodore Roosevelt
toward the merchant marine and cannot
now take the time to look
it up. I like to hear you speak of this
"cruel and senseless war"
which effectually characterizes it. But
I am inclined to think that
no man in public life would do as well
as Mr. Wilson as president
except Theodore Roosevelt. I rejoice
with you in his calling so
many able businessmen to assist him in
his weighty undertaking.
What do you think about Mr. Baker and
what do the people in
Cleveland say regarding Mr. Crowell2
who I suppose now is his
first assistant?
I expect to go to Seal Harbor in a week
and am somewhat busy
in getting ready. I find that with
increasing age it takes more time
and effort to do small things as I get
tired more easily, but were
it not for this cruel war I could be
reasonably happy, but the war
engrosses all thought and gives a color
to every action.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, July 25, 1918.
Dear Mr Rhodes: Mr George H. Warmington died on the 15th and
was buried on the 18th. Recalling that
he had me write you a
few years ago, relative to some mine
leasehold in the Massillon
district, I am therefore advising you of
his death, so if you are
still interested in the property, that
you may take the necessary
steps to protect your interest. The Old
Gentleman often spoke of
you, and your success in the literary
world seemed a source of much
2 Benedict
Crowell.
262
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
pleasure and gratification to him. He
never tired singing your
praises. I don't know how much of an
estate the old man left; but
as dear old Mr Groff1 once said of him
to L. E. Holden2--"Liberty,
old George is pretty snug." Mr
Groff did not misrepresent him
in the least. He was not public
spirited, neither was he known to
give to charity. He always got "one
hundred cents for his dollar."
I was fond of him because he was a fine
old man and never
charged for good advice. . . .3
Well the cruel War is still on. For the
first time, the news
appear favorable to the
"Allies;" but as the Irishman says--"It's a
long way to Tipperary." The Country
is still satisfied with Mr
Wilson's conduct of the war; in fact
there seems little to criticise.
Congress has given him full rein. In
fact far greater power than
was given to Mr Lincoln, but even with
this Mr Wilson will never
be a Mr Lincoln. I take it that your
general health has very much
improved, not having heard anything to
the contrary. Kindly re-
member me Mrs Rhodes. You have my good
wishes for a pleasant
Summer, free from the annoyance of the
Under Sea Craft.
RHODES TO MYERS, Seal Harbor, September 16, 1918.
Dear George: I am in receipt of yr. valued favor of 25 July with its
brilliant characterization of G. W. whom
I knew from boyhood.
It was agreeable to see how one of
maturer years would regard
G. W. Brought up though he had been
among lake steamers, he
seemed to have a horror of crossing the
Atlantic and although he
had both money and leisure, he never
went to Europe. Perhaps he
was wise as the Europeans have run
matters very badly bringing
on this horrible war into which we were
dragged at last. Of
course the chief culprits are William II
and his advisers and they
1 Henry R. Groff, a Cleveland
businessman, first president of the Cleveland Chamber
of Commerce.
2 Liberty E. Holden, owner of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and of the
Hollenden
Hotel.
3 At this point the editor has removed a
long passage containing Myers' comments
on certain members of the Warmington and
Hanna families.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 263
and their country must be severely
punished. There can be no
doubt now that the Germans will be badly
beaten and that will
be no more than they deserve. For my
part I am willing to make
many sacrifices in view of the great end
and I guess that we shall
be called upon to make them before we
get through.
Anent Mr. Wilson, I think he is the best
man in public life I
know for the job except Mr. Roosevelt,
who in my judgment would
have done better and would have been
guided to some extent by
the counsel of his wise friend Senator
Lodge whose intelligence
and knowledge of affairs are amazing.
The more I see of him the
more I wonder at his ability. I would
except Mr. Root were it not
for his age; and I like him too well to
see him shouldered with so
great a responsibility. Did you see the
joke in "Life." An old darkey
said he had been all his life a
Republican and had always voted
the Republican ticket but now he had
become a Wilson Democrat.
A man who could take away the railroads
from the railroad presi-
dents and give them to his son-in-law
was the man for him!1
There is no use in looking ahead save
that we are sure to beat
the Germans, but after that what? But I
believe with Hosea Bigelow
"Don't you never prophesy onless
you know" and I will not weary
you with my pessimistic thoughts, but
the German Emperor and
his advisers have hit our civilization a
blow from low and un-
worthy motives. I confess myself to
having been deceived very
often and never more so than in my
belief in his good character.
About five weeks ago Mrs. Hanna fell in
the bathroom and broke
the large bone in her leg below the
knee. She is getting on very
well however, and will be able to walk
soon. My wife and I go to
Boston in four days.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, November 14, 1918.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: I have delayed answering your very fine letter
of Sept 16th for the reason that before
I could write upon any phase
1 Wilson had appointed Secretary of the
Treasury McAdoo, who was also his son-
in-law, director-general of railroads.
264
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
of the whirling kaleidoscope of events
since its reception, that it
would be history instead of debatable
matter. Never in the history
of man has such big events moved with
such rapidity. Like the good
old sister in a Methodist love feast,
who said Brothers and Sisters
"I praise God, because its good to
be here," I thank God that I
have lived in such a "History
making Epoch." I had knowledge of
Secy Baker's Sept trip1 in advance and
its purport. The French
and Americans wanted a Winter campaign.
Baker, as I had it, went
over primarily to get the British to
keep on fighting. (The wisdom
of that is now apparent to all.) He was
further to stay there
representing the President and to
arrange for Mr Wilson to sit at
the Peace table. The N. Y.
Tribune subsequently to my information
printed the whole story, including the
proposed Cabinet changes.
Its now history--Secy Baker returned and
Mr House was sent over
to finish the job.2 The P. D.
yesterday carried the story of Mr
Wilson's ambition to sit at the Table.
Then I wanted to write you
anent Mr Wilson's letter appealing to
the Country (a loyal country)
to elect a Democrat Congress.3 It
has been truly written "That God
works in a mysterious way His wonders to
perform." Strange in-
deed it is, that every great big man
this Country ever produced,
invariably falls by some such fool
action. Charley Pettingel used to
say "That when the fool killer came
around, he would be awful
busy." My only comment is, had Mr
Wilson written one more such
letter we would have carried Cleveland
and elected Willis (Rep) in-
stead of Cox (Dem) by less than 13,000.
Mr Wilson is dead as a
political leader (through suffrage) and
will not realize or be success-
ful in electing Mr McAdoo as our next
President. In the face of such
sweeping Republican victory, the one
blot on the escutcheon being
the deplorable loss of Mr Weeks in Mass,4
all signs and omens
point to a Republican victory in 1920,
especially so, should they
1 Secretary of War Baker went to France
in September 1918 presumably to observe
the general situation and to see about
obtaining sufficient shipping to take care of
the army's rapidly expanding needs.
2 Colonel Edward M. House, Wilson's
personal representative, was at this time
in Paris negotiating with Allied leaders
about the coming Versailles Conference.
3 On October 24 Wilson had issued a statement appealing to the country to
re-
turn Democratic majorities to both
houses of congress. The "Appeal" met with
much criticism, and the Republicans
regained control of congress in the November
elections.
4 Senator John W. Weeks was defeated by
David I. Walsh.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 265
nominate Gen Pershing.5 All
factions could unite on him. Well
Ohio has gone dry by at least 18,000. I
voted the straight Re-
publican ticket and voted dry. I
believe, through personal experience,
that it will be the best thing for my
people, especially the horde of
uncouth and unlettered darkies who
recently came to us from the
South in search of their manhood
rights. They brought to us a
problem. New England was too far away
to be affected by "the
exodus." As Canada in the
Anti-bellum days was the "North Star"
to many an escaped slave, so was
Western Penn. Ohio, Ind. Mich
& Ill the "North Star of
Personal liberty" and "equal industrial
opportunity in 1916, 1917 and
1918." The severe Lake climate
caused many to leave Chicago, Detroit,
Cleveland, Toledo and
Buffalo, but enough remain to double
the former Negro population
and bring to each community so affected
a problem. Hence my
claim for prohibition, likewise the
suppression of vice and gambling.
We cannot by legislation reform or make
people good; but we can
by legislation remove many of the
causes that make people bad. I
appreciated the story of the old Negro
from Life. But Mr Wilson
could not "fool all of the people,
all of the time." Hence the great
Republican victory. We are all glad
that the War is ended and that
too with such a few fatalities in
comparison to the many Americans
sent over. I considered Emperor William
one of the greatest men
that ever lived; but his action in
defeat fails nor cannot it be com-
pared to the dignified gentlemanly
action of Robert E. Lee. I hope
to live long enough to read the full
history of this War. It should
appear within ten years, especially so
with the modern means of
compiling the data and the easy access thereto.
Does the Historian
live or is he to come?
From the enclosure I see that the
Historical Society hold their
Annual Meeting in Cleveland at the
Hollenden Dec 27 & 28.6
May we expect you and if so, can I be
of service in making reser-
vations for you or any of your personal
friends? The cuisine of
the Hollenden is unexcelled in
Cleveland and we have some ex-
cellent "Suites."
5 John J. Pershing, commander of the
American Expeditionary Force.
6 The American Historical Association was to have held its annual meeting
at
Cleveland in 1918, but on account of the
influenza epidemic of 1918-19 the meeting
was finally abandoned. The association did meet at
Cleveland the following year.
266 THE OHIO HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, Thanksgiving
Day, 1918.
My dear George: I duly received your valued favor of 14 and note
all that you say. Truly William II has
shown himself an arrant
coward but I am told that a bully always
is a coward and his con-
duct of the past war was as inhuman as
the conduct of war in the
Middle Ages. He tried to win through the
operation of terror and
brutality and was, thank Heaven,
thoroughly defeated.
It seemed to me shocking taste and bad
politics for President
Wilson to issue his Appeal to the
voters. The great Republican
victory was a true answer to his Appeal.
Probably he expects to
recoup himself by his trip abroad. If
however he has named Henry
White on the Peace Commission,1 he
has appointed a good man--
a man of knowledge, wisdom and
experience. As one of the Asso-
ciate scholars he has appointed
Professor Charles H. Haskins2
which is an excellent appointment.
Haskins came here from the
University of Wisconsin and is a true
scholar. I know that he will
do his country and University credit. He
was for a long while
Secry of the American Historical Assn.,
which meets in Cleve-
land during Holiday week. I wish indeed
that I might go to the
meeting in my native city and when a
friend of mine, William R.
Thayer, is President and makes the
presidential address.3 To my
regret however, I have become too old
and infirm to make such
trips. The Association has not met in
Cleveland since 1897 when I
was a vigorous attendant. Senator Hanna
made an excellent speech
at the Stillman House luncheon and a
number of us had an ex-
cellent dinner at his house. It was the
week of his fight in the
legislature against McKisson4 in
which you may remember you
assisted Senator Hanna to obtain his
election. Tell me, have you a
copy of the Life of Mark Hanna by
Herbert Croly? I ask because
1 Henry White, a diplomat of great
experience, was the only Republican member
of the peace commission appointed by
Wilson.
2 Charles Homer Haskins, professor of European history and dean of the
graduate
school at Harvard, headed the division
on western Europe of the American dele-
gation at the Versailles conference.
3 Thayer's address, "Vagaries of
Historians," undelivered because of the influenza
epidemic, was published in the American
Historical Review for January 1919 and in
the Annual Report of the A. H. A.
for 1918.
4 Robert E. McKisson.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 267
I want to ask you about Croly's
treatment of this same election. I
am sorry to say that the Macmillan Co.
have let the book go out
of print. As they are my publishers I
have taken the liberty of
letting them know what I think of their
action without first com-
municating with me. I should like very
much to see Mr. Plattner5
and Dr Thw[i]ng and regret that I
cannot go to Cleveland during
the meeting. I regret much to hear that
you and General Dick are
"booming" General Pershing
for the presidency. Don't you re-
member Grant who was a great general,
and a much greater general
than Pershing, who however made in the
words of one of his
supporters "a pretty poor
President." What is the matter with
Theodore Roosevelt? He made a good
President once and will do
so again. He is a man of intelligence,
wisdom and experience.
And so you voted dry!! I suppose you
are like a prominent
Southern Senator, a strong
prohibitionist in the Senate who was ob-
served to drink all that was offered at
dinner at Sec. McAdoo's
table and to whom a brother Senator
said: "Why Senator I thought
you were a prohibitionist."
"So I am," was the reply, "but I am
not a teetotaller." This called to
mind the story of a Mr. Beard,6
a noted Republican politician in days
in Mass. when Mass. was
dry, and who was observed in a bar-room
(that was not public)
taking a big drink of whiskey.
"Why Mr. Beard I thought you were
a prohibitionist." "So I
am," was the reply, "but I am not a damn
fool prohibitionist."
What do you think of McAdoo's
resignation?7
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, March 21,
1919.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: I have delayed answering your last letter
because of the rapidity that events
have shifted since the signing
of the armistice. One can hardly form
an intelligent opinion upon
5 Samuel Ball Platner, professor of
Latin at Western Reserve University.
6 Alanson
W. Beard.
7 McAdoo had resigned as secretary of
the treasury, but not as director-general of
railroads.
268
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
any happening before it is past history
or shoved into the discard.
We naturally expected chaos incidental
to demobilization, there
be[ing] no precedents to guide the
Administration and because of
the calibre of the men that Mr
Wilson--through partisanship--
called to his assistance. The great
minds and great business men of
the nation are, as a rule, not
identified with Mr Wilson's party.
The best evidence of this, is shown in
poor business methods in
handling the War, and the difference of
opinion with Mr Wilson
upon his constitution governing the
League of Nations. Even the
much abused proletariat desire a League
of Nations or a League of
Anything that will keep us out of War.
Mr Wilson was elected
upon his "keeping us out of
War." Of this we hear nothing now,
but the fact remains that last Winter he
kept us out of nearly
everything with his "less
days"1 (Les Miserables) and he is now
keeping us out of an intelligent
comprehension of his League of
Nations. Mr Taft, to the contrary
nowithstanding, is like a cat fish
high and dry on the sand with the tide
out. Mr Taft would like
the "Nomination" or a place
upon the Supreme Bench through
Mr Wilson.2 Mr Taft hails
from Ohio, where we play politics
365 days in the year. The people have
had enough of Mr Taft.
General Leonard Wood3 has a
host of admirers, despite the fact
that my long haired friend of Summit
County is grooming General
Pershing. I have not seen Dick for six
months and can vouchsafe
no information of his Pershing boom.
Dick is astute as a political
manager for others under guidance. Returning
soldiers do not speak
of Pershing in a way to enhance his
popularity and I have heard
several times had the War lasted a
little longer he would have
been displaced. I read in the Press of
yesterday a very interesting
account of the debate between Sen Lodge
and Dr Lowell.4 It was
certainly a gentlemens debate,
participated in by gentlemen and
luminating in its conduct and
information. No Tom Johnson vs
Burton methods about it. I would liked
to have read the whole de-
bate, but as you know the Press supports
Wilson because Wilson
1 This refers to such things as the
"wheatless Mondays" and "meatless Tuesdays"
instituted to save food during the war.
2 Taft was a strong, and despite Myers a
sincere, supporter of the League of Nations.
3 General Wood was a leading candidate for the Republican presidential
nomination.
4 On March 19 Lodge and President A.
Lawrence Lowell of Harvard had debated
the League of Nations issue at Symphony
Hall in Boston.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 269
exempted Scripp's Boy5 from
going to War. Please let me have your
opinion upon the League of Nations.
Cleveland is growing fast. Never was
there so much business
and so many evidences of prosperity.
There is a lull now because
Congress failed the Deficiency Bill.6
So many here had munition
contracts and need the money for
continual operation. Many are
out of work. Navigation is opening up
and this will furnish em-
ployment for many. Vessell [sic] owners
in the shop claim there
is no tonnage in sight to speak
of--though they expect a good
season. We have had the most remarkable
Winter of all time. No
ice in the lake to speak of and no snow
to shovel. It was a God
send because of a lack of coal. Now coal
is plentiful. In fact every-
thing seems to be. You seemed to enjoy
poking fun at me because
I voted dry. I am like one of the
gentlemen you [mentioned]. No
damn fool prohibitionist. I take at
least one drink a day and have
enough laid away to "prolong the
agony" for several years. Not for
friends but for my own consumption. I
favored prohibition for the
other fellow--some of my employees--and
this is the secret of the
Prohibition victory. Employers of labor
combined in their support
and financed the campaign. I trust that
you and Mrs Rhodes are
well and escaped the "flu". We
lost many good people here and
the flu is very prevalent at this
writing. I have many inquiries
about you from your friends. I have not
seen Mr L. C. Hanna for
four weeks, at that time he was flat on
his back. He is in very bad
shape. I shaved L. C. Jr at Noon, he
said nothing about his father,
neither did I. If you came here now, you
would be as a stranger
in a strange land.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, March 27, 1919.
Dear George: I am in due receipt of the Plain Dealer from you
giving me the sad, though not unexpected
intelligence of L. C.
Hanna's death. He has been a great
sufferer and perhaps it is as
5 The Cleveland Press had been
founded by Edward Wyllis Scripps, head of the
great Scripps newspaper chain. See above, letter of
November 21, 1917, note 7.
6 In order to force the calling of a
special session.
270
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
well that finally death has released him
from his sufferings. He
was a man of many virtues and I am glad
to know that my recol-
lections of him are when he was strong
physically as well as
mentally.
I own receipt also this morning of some
clippings connected with
L. C. Hanna; also of your letter of
March 21 to which it will give
me pleasure to reply in due time.
[P.S.] As you seemed to be interested
therein I posted to you the
speeches of Senator Lodge and President
Lowell in the celebrated
debate.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, March 31,
1919.
Dear Mr Rhodes: I am writing to thank you for the copy of the
Lodge-Lowell Debate. I shall read it
with much interest, as I am
trying to secure a full comprehension of
the League of Nations.
After reading the ably presented ideas
of Mr Root1 in the P. D.
of this date, more is it to be regretted
that Mr Wilson was not
more of an American than a politician,
and did not ask the advice
of such men as Mr Root, Mr Knox2 and
Senator Lodge. I hope
for America's sake a non-fulfilment of
the Scripture, "He that
exalted himself shall be abased."
Mr Wilson has done admirably
well. But Mr Wilson does not know it
all; neither is all of
America's brains in the Democratic
Party. Nine-tenths of the people
are for a League of any kind that will
"keep us out of war." Hence
Mr Wilson's hold upon the masses.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, May 7, 1919.
Dear Mr Rhodes: I sent you the P. D. of Monday, containing an
1 In a letter to Will Hays, Root had
come out in support of the League of Nations,
but offered six amendments designed to
protect American interests.
2 Philander Chase Knox, of Pennsylvania.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 271
article by Paul Bellamy, an aftermath of
the May 1st riot.1 Un-
fortunately I was in the midst of it at
Erie & Prospect. The sight
is beyond any discriptive [sic] power
I possess; consequently I can
give no better account than what
appeared in the daily Papers,
and this I presume you have read. The
concern after a careful
diagnosis is no little, and much anxiety
is rife. This despite news-
papers, et al, who like the "boy
whistling through the woods," are
endeavoring to create the impression
that the spirit of bolshevism
has been clubbed out of these former
socialist[s]. No one ever heard
of a reformed socialist. The only good
socialist, like an Indian, is
a "dead one." As Bellamy
points out, you have got to begin at
the beginning. The immigrant as a rule
is not a very desirable
quantity. Take the Southern Negro and
give him the same oppor-
tunity, clothed with his manhood rights,
as is clothed the immi-
grant, and he will make ten to one, a
better citizen. Negroes are
neither Socialist, Anarchist nor
Bolshevist. Despite the denial of
their manhood rights, discriminated
against, tortured and burned
at the stake, the race has never
produced a traitor to the "Flag."
Nor have they staged a red flag
procession as disgraced the streets
of this fair City on May 1st. Had it not
been for the prompt and
efficient manner with which the Police
handled this riot, we would
have had an Armenian massacre here, so
wrought up was the
populace. This feeling is becoming more
bitter every day. This,
with a corresponding feeling upon the
other side, and their fol-
lowers are legion, augurs no good. Our
City Council, by ordinance
on Monday night, prohibits unlicensed
parades and the public dis-
play of the Red flag. This is strictly a
foreign City and unless the
Federation of labor is big enough to
rise up and denounce the
attempted May 1st Celebration, its
objects and promoters, there is
trouble ahead.
This is May 7th, the Third2 Anniversary
of the sinking of the
Lusitania. Whether the event has been
mentioned at the Peace
Table, we have no means of knowing. If
not, and due reparation
1 On May 1, 1919, there had been a clash
in Cleveland between the police and
parading radicals carrying red flags.
Paul Bellamy, a Plain Dealer reporter, was later
editor of that paper.
2 It
was actually, of course, the fourth anniversary, since the Lusitania was
sunk
in 1915.
272
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
has not been exacted by Mr Wilson, I
hope that the ghost of
those departed victims will rise up and
confront him as did those
slain by Richard III. I trust now with
the amended League before
us, that I will soon have your valued
opinion upon the same.
General Wood seems to be gaining here as
a Presidential pos-
sibility. This because of his
unannounced position upon the Tariff,
and it should make him equally as strong
in New England. I hope
that you and Mrs Rhodes are well and
have been. I know that you
will soon be off to Seal Harbor and I
trust for a pleansant [sic],
quiet and agreeable Summer.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, May 11, 1919.
Dear George: I have yr. valued favor of 7, also the newspaper.
I do not wonder that you were worried at
the uprising in Cleve-
land. It is a symptom of what I
predicted when the great war broke
out in 1914--that the war would be
destructive of civilization.
How little that pigmy, the German
Emperor, knew what he was
starting! And yet I have heard him held
up as a man of great
ability, superior to Roosevelt! You are
quite right in your idea of
an active socialist. Socialism in the
form of Bolshevism is very at-
tractive to the mass who mistakenly
think it is a way to ease their
burdens. They ought to indict the human
race not society. "God
made the best world he could and when
'twas done he said 'twas
good. I differ for one." Still I
thought we were safe this year
against Bolshevism in this country on
account of the promise of
large crops at good prices: these will
make the agricultural classes
supporters of law and order. But after
this year the city supporters
of Bolshevism may realize your dire
pessimistic forebodings. Your
remarks in regard to the negro are wise
and I shall send your
letter to my friend Mr. Storey who will
be gratified at such a
pronouncement.
From a former letter I am glad to see
that you have joined the
ranks of the capitalists. You believe in
prohibition for your em-
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 273
ploye's [sic] but not for
yourself, having laid in a large supply
against the drought which is promised
July 1st.
How you, a disciple of "Uncle
Mark," can advocate Genl. Wood
for the presidency passes my
comprehension. You knew that
"Uncle Mark" had no
confidence in him whatever. If you must
have a general why do not you as a
Cleveland man join in the
New England acclaim of Gen'l Edwards?1
It seems to an obscure
person like myself that a civilian
would be better. Hoover would
be the man were he a Republican but I
fear he is not. If not Hoover
then Nicholas Murray Butler Pres. of
Columbia Univ. If Mr.
Wilson ran again we should have pitted
against him a college presi-
dent. Of course I leave out Mr. Root on
account of age but he
would make an excellent Secr'y of State
in a Republican adminis-
tration. Is Mr. Taft popular out your
way? Some here are advo-
cating him.
It seems to me that the Treaty of Peace
with the League of
Nations should be ratified by the
Senate. I fear Senator Lodge is
making a bad leader of the Republicans.2
When you think of his
leadership how you must sigh for the
wisdom of "Uncle Mark."
Let us make the issue next year on
something beside the League.
I fear that issue will beat us and we
must try to turn out this
extravagant administration. The
President is the best man in it but
he has called around him incompetent
men. Still the country did
a great thing in the European war. I
figure it cost about a billion
and a half more than it ought to but
think of the grand result!
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, October 28, 1919.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: I have delayed answering your last letter
which was rec'd some time ago, because
about every time I con-
cluded to write about some happening or
other, the events of the
next day or two would upset everything
I had in mind. The his-
1 General Clarence Edwards, commander of
the 26th (Yankee) Division in France,
had been born in Cleveland.
2 Lodge was demanding strong amendments
or reservations as the price of ratifying
the league covenant.
274
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
torian who shall write of the period
1916 to 1920 will find it the
most gigantic task ever confronted by
any writer, in securing ac-
curate data, by reason of the immense
amount of reading--for
instance, the proceedings of the Peace
Conference and the attend-
ing discussion apertaining [sic] to
the ratification of the Peace
Treaty, with its rider The League of
Nations. This alone will take
almost the life of any historian to
accurately cover. The life of Mr
Wilson will be another gigantic task.
Poor Mr Wilson sowed to
the wind in the enactment of The Adamson
Law and the jamming
of it through the U. S. Supreme Court.
He is now reaping the
whirlwind wind [sic]. His letter
to the Coal Miners, a most ex-
cellent document, timely, forceful and
with the right ring, indi-
cates that he has his back to the wall.1
Mr Gary was gracious
enough to refrain from making his
confidential talk with the Presi-
dent public, at the Round-Table. Had not
the Round-Table Con-
ference been called the Steel Strike
(which was lost before it was
called) would now be a thing of the
past. The Round Table
breathed a spark of life into it, but it
died aborning.2 Here in
Cleveland with the most men out, there
has been little violence.
Cleveland is now a foreign born
population City. It is not the
Cleveland that you knew. Everything
change[d] and changed con-
ditions to govern the change. All of the
gentlemen that you knew
and were associated with have crossed
the "Divide." It is a dif-
ferent Cleveland than Sen Hanna knew.
Everything here is hustle
and bustle. Everyone for himself. The
Americanization Society has
its hands full. Our Socialist[s] went
over "body and soul" to the
Bolshevist[s]. The public reception
given them on May Day has
simply awed them for the time being. We
have Margolis, Foster,
Fitzpatrick and all.3 Its a
source of much satisfaction to me, that
1 The great steel strike of 1919 was at
this time at its height. When the coal
miners threatened to join the walkout,
Wilson announced that since the United States
was still technically at war, a coal
strike would be illegal.
2 Wilson
had called a national industrial conference (at which Elbert H. Gary,
chairman of the board of the United
States Steel Corporation, was one of the delegates
supposedly representing the public!),
which broke up without accomplishing anything.
3 Jacob Margolis, a Pittsburgh lawyer,
who testified before a senate committee in-
vestigating the strike and who later was
disbarred for alleged revolutionary activities;
William Z. Foster, secretary-treasurer
of the National Committee for Organizing Iron
and Steel Workers, the force behind the
steel strike; John Fitzpatrick, acting chair-
man of the committee.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 275
the Negro, with all of the persecution
and discrimination that he
is subjected to and unjustly so, he is a
loyal citizen. He has been
tampered with, since and before the war,
but he is still loyal to
the "Old Flag." As a people he
is against the League of nations,
because of its lack of racial equality
before the law.4
By many here Mr Wilson's last trip was
regarded as a failure
and many thought his illness an excuse
to call it off.5 There is no
denial that he has been a very sick man.
Baker of the Plain Dealer
is my authority. I haven't seen Secy
Baker for some little time,
but just so soon as I can read your new
"History from Hayes to
McKinley"6 I shall write
to him, calling his attention to it. He is
an ardent admirer of yours and has
everything that you have
written. Please accept my thanks for the
copy rec'd this P.M. I
shall read it with interest and write
you about it. I trust that you
and Mrs Rhodes are well and that you
spent a pleasant Summer.
We are doing a wonderful busines,
limited only by lack of space.
I have 28 employees. No unionist.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, November 21,
1919.
Dear Mr Rhodes: I am enclosing Mr Taft's prepared article from
Phila Public Ledger and an editorial
from The Plain Dealer,1 Both
[self] explanatory. Mr Taft gives a very
careful diagnosis, ac-
ceptable and approved by many. The P. D.
editorial bristles with
partisan politics and is acceptable only
to the rankest partisan. As
4 A racial equality clause, proposed by
the Japanese, had not been incorporated
into the covenant.
5 In an attempt to rally support for the
league, Wilson had undertaken a tour of
the West. His collapse at Pueblo,
Colorado, on September 25 forced the termination
of the tour.
6 Rhodes's History of the United States from Hayes to McKinley,
1877-1896 (New
York, 1919) had just been published.
1 The senate had just failed to ratify
the Versailles treaty, containing the covenant
of the League of Nations. In his article,
without agreeing with the position of Lodge
and the reservationists, Taft argued
that Wilson should bear the main responsibility
for the defeat of his treaty because he
refused to compromise with the Republican
mild reservationists. The Plain Dealer
also criticized the Democratic administration,
but placed the chief blame on the
Republican senators.
276
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
I wrote some little time ago, most
people want a pact of
some kind. The present League pact
gained nothing by publicity.
Like Free Silver the more one studied
it, the less acceptable it was.
The Western trip of Mr Wilson was more
than the fifty-fifty break
the P. D. editorial tries to jolly
itself with believing. I doubt if Mr
[Wilson] got as good as 40 to 60 against
him. Perhaps Mr Wilson
contemplates laying it before his new
Round Table.2 From their
person[n]el I fail to find the
representatives that could bind either
Capital or Labor. I am optimistic enough
to feel that early in the
new Session, there will be some middle
ground found upon which
all will agree and the treaty, as Mr
Taft suggest[s], be ratified.
Will it be possible for you to attend
the meeting of the Historical
Society? I am reading Vol VIII. The
Balti[more] R R. riot is very
familiar. I perhaps could have given you
personal experience as
our Shop was just around the corner from
The 6th Md. Regt.--
Col Stricker Jenkins commanding--and I
was on the ground when
the first volley was fired, but I wasn't
there after that.3
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, February 14,
1920.
My dear George: I have delayed a reply to yours of Oct 28, 1919
as long as you did to mine but not on
the lex talionis principle;
with increasing age and infirmity I can
only do half as much as I
used to, hence a delay of affairs that
ought to receive a proper
attention.
I have seen Mr. Thayer since his return1
and through him it
delights me to hear of your increasing
prosperity. I take it that
you have cut entirely loose from the
proletariat and are now in the
capitalistic class on which let me
congratulate you. Mr. Storey said
2 Wilson had called a second conference,
without labor representatives, which
recommended the establishment of labor
tribunals and the prohibition of strikes in
industries affected by the public interest.
3 See Myers' letter of September 24,
1912.
1 From the meeting of the American
Historical Association in Cleveland. Thayer's
presidential address on this occasion
was "Fallacies in History."
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 277
the other evening that labor had become
as tyrannical as capital used
to be so I take it that you as well as
the rest of us show due humility
in the presence of our masters. Mr.
Thayer brought back a fine ac-
count of the Hotel Hollenden, of the
comfort of the rooms and the
excellence of the restaurant.
I am sorry that I did not get out to
Cleveland at the time of the
meeting of the Amer. Hist. Assn. As I am
going ahead with my
next volume I desired to talk with you
about Uncle Mark's (as you
and Pres. Roosevelt used to call him)
first election as a senator
when you went to Columbus to help along
the election in a pure
and incorrupt way. Also in general in
regard to Mr. Hanna and
President McKinley, both of whom you
knew well. I suspect that
Mr. Hanna has not been properly
appreciated in the East. His
friends were not readers of books or
Croly's "Life of H" would
have had a much larger sale. What can I
do to crack up Mr.
Hanna ? He represented the old order as
did Pres. Cleveland. Now
we are in the new order. Tell me is it
an improvement? Also I
would like to hear of some of your talks
with Frank Rockefeller
regarding his rich brother. By the way
is F. R. dead ? Did he marry
a daughter of Mr. Schofield? What things
indeed you have known!
The great question is how much should be
told?
It must be difficult for you with your
support of Mr. Baker to
sustain always his administration. Perhaps the President will
quarrel with him as he has with nearly
everyone else. In many ways
you are in an enviable position. You are
in a growing city, in a
good hotel and see most people worth
knowing who talk con-
fidentially with you. May you continue
to live long and prosper!
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, March 8, 1920.
My dear Mr. Rhodes: I have your very kind letter of February 14th,
and have read and reread it with much
pleasure. Your reference to
"increasing age and infirmity"
brings to mind the old adage, "That a
man is as old as he feels." I am
constrained to believe that the
278
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
intellectual atmosphere in which you and
others engaged in similar
work live--chronicalling [sic] events
of the past--has a tendency
to cause you to note the advancing march
of "Old Father Time"
more so than those engaged in other
affairs. In other words, from
[sic] the serious side in which you view your life and its
ever chang-
ing events, makes one old before he
reaches the noon of life.
I considered myself highly honored to
receive a call from Mr.
Thayer. It is true, as he reports, I am
doing extremely well, and
while still identified with the
proletariat, should business continue
as it is through the balance of this
present lease, and Providence
favors me with life and health, I shall
at least be able to keep the
wolf from the door in my "sere and
yellow days." Thanks to the
financial assistance and advice given me
by you and the other
gentlemen, (you the sole survivor) who
started me in business in
1888. If I have made good to your
eminent satisfaction, it is indeed
a pleasure and return for the many
sacrifices I have had to make,
and I thank you for your expression of
good will and best wishes
for continued success.
Mr. Thayer's account of treatment
received at The Hollenden is
equally pleasing to the management of
the hotel as it is to me.
I regret that I did not see more of him.
Your inability to come to the American
Historical Society was a
source of disappointment to me. Nothing
would give me greater
pleasure than to talk over with you, the
happenings of that memor-
able Ohio campaign of 1897-98, which
eventuated in Mr. Hanna's
election as U. S. Senator. While it is
true that I materially contributed
in a "pure and incorruptible"
way, with the prefix left off the incor-
ruptible, we got what we went after and
that was the whole game of
politics as practiced in the good
"Old Hanna Days." In my letter
of October 15th, 1912, criticising
Croly's life of M. A. Hanna, I
gave you my conception of uncle Mark,
gained through personal
contact as an apt pupil, trusted with
many confidential matters. If
you failed to preserve the
correspondence, I have copies, together
with your letters, and I will be pleased
to send them to you. Then
perhaps you will be in a better position
to ask the questions desired,
and I in a better position to answer
them. At that time, I spoke
without fear or favor, and can with
equal candor or frankness do
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 279
the same now. You are right in your
conclusion that Mr. Hanna is
not properly appreciated in the East. I
go farther and say in
American politics. Hence my resentment
of Thayer's allusion to
Mr. Hanna in his "Life and Letters
of John Hay."
It is further true that Mr. Hanna and
President Cleveland were
of the old order; so are we, but it is
equally true that the new order
is not an improvement upon, or over the
old. As you once said,
"The Universe seems to have
forgotten its Maker"--the new order
has entirely forgotten the traditions of
Washington, Jefferson, and
Lincoln, hence the chaotic condition now
existing, through the
practice of theory, rather than precept.
Mr. Frank Rockefeller passed to his
reward a few years ago.
There is nothing to be said of him,
other than he was the youngest
brother of John D., who with William
attended the funeral. An old
adage of Latin origin admonishes us to
speak only kind words of
the dead. May he rest in peace. He
married Miss Helen Schofield,
who with three daughters, Alice, Helen
and Anna survive. The
latter two are married.
I have not seen Secretary Baker since
the war began. While we
are personal friends, I am not an ardent
admirer or supporter. I
did vote for him for Mayor of Cleveland.
When the war began,
I had occasion to send him a lengthy
telegram, to which I received
no reply, and have not seen him since.
There is no danger of the
President quarreling with Secretary
Baker. He cannot afford to lose
him. Mr. Baker was a protogee [sic] of
Tom L. Johnson, and
Mr. Wilson's political machine is only
an enlargement of the Tom
L. Johnson machine, and methods, under
Mr. Baker's guidance.
What Talleyrand was to Napoleon, Baker
is to Wilson. Apropos
the dismissal of Mr. Lansing, I am
enclosing an excerpt from Mark
Sullivan's letter to the P. D.1 which is
quite illuminating.
I am, as you say, in an enviable
position so to speak, and do meet
much of the best thought of the day.
That I have the confidence of
many, is the result of having learned
from Uncle Mark to be a good
1 Secretary of State Lansing resigned at
Wilson's request on February 12, 1920,
presumably because the president
resented Lansing's calling of "unauthorized" cabinet
meetings during his protracted illness.
In the Plain Dealer of February 16, 1920,
Mark Sullivan criticized this action,
and pointed out that Wilson had actually been
out of sympathy with Lansing since the
end of the war.
280
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
listener. Much I have written you, from
time to time, in confidence,
could never have been wormed out of me
by anyone. I am just the
same today.
I might throw some light on McKinley at
the Minneapolis Con-
vention.2 If you remember, I was an alternate delegate, but served
as a delegate from the 21st District of
Ohio, and voted for Mc-
Kinley for President. My vote, as a
member of the delegation,
elected the McKinley-Hanna
candidate--Wm. M. Hahn--to mem-
bership on the Republican National
Committee, over Colonel Lem-
mert, the Foraker candidate, by 23 to 22
and brought the McKinley-
Hanna organization into being.3 Pledged
to Foraker to vote for
Blaine,4 I afterwards, at
Foraker's dictation, voted for McKinley,
who as presiding officer of the
convention, challenged the vote of
the Ohio Delegation.5 This
was a grandstand play. He knew what
was going on. Mr. Hanna, et al, the
night the deal was made to
support Foraker for U. S. Senator, had
McKinley leave the West
House and go to Senator Washburn's
residence to stay. This, I
know, because I had a date to shave him
that morning, and they
had to tell me where he was.6 Perhaps
some day I may have the
good fortune to see you and talk over
all of these happenings of
the past.
RHODES TO MYERS, Boston, March 26, 1920.
My dear George: Yours of 8 inst was duly rec'd and I readily found
and read yours of Oct 15, 1912 as I have
your letters carefully filed
away. You say in yrs. of Mar 8,
"the new order is not an improve-
2 The Republican national convention of
1892.
3 William M. Hahn, then chairman of the
Ohio Republican state executive com-
mittee, and W. C. Lemert. Joseph B.
Foraker, governor of Ohio and later U. S.
Senator, was, by 1892, one of Hanna's
chief rivals in Ohio Republican politics.
4 James G. Blaine of Maine, a perennial
contender for the Republican presidential
nomination in the eighties and nineties.
5 McKinley, supporting the candidacy of
President Harrison, but not voting because
he was permanent chairman of the
convention, challenged the right of his own
alternate to vote against Harrison.
6 Senator William Drew Washburn of
Minnesota.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 281
ment upon or over the old." You are
quite right in this expression
and more will come to our way of
thinking as time goes on. When
you wrote in 1912 you were unconsciously
affected by the radicalism
of the time and so probably were not as
favorable to Uncle Mark
as you would be now were you writing
with the occurrences in
Michigan1 in your mind. Do you not
remember that when the
Amendment requiring the choice of the
Senators by the people was
advocated it was said that it would do
away with corruption in the
choice of senators. Compare your
Campaign of 1897-98 with the
recent one in Michigan! What a humbug is
this Amendment en-
forcing Prohibition! For special
reasons, I am taking a lonesome
dinner at the Algonquin Club to-night
and cannot have a 1/2 bottle
of wine which I should like with my
dinner & am forced to drink
White Rock! I notice that one of the
deputies to enforce Prohibi-
tion in New York State had just served a
six years' sentence in the
penitentiary. Of course one cannot
prophesy what will be the re-
sult of all of this turmoil but I am
glad that you are prosperous
and I congratulate you on your
prosperity. It pleases me that you
still belong to the G. 0. P. I would
like to see Hoover2 nominated
on the Republican ticket. He was here
the other day but would not
talk on present politics. He discoursed
on the Labor question, tak-
ing issue with Gov. Henry Allen of
Kansas, with whom I had the
pleasure of dining at Mr. Storey's a few
weeks ago when he was
here.3 I have an idea that
the old order would go nearer toward
solving the strife between Labor &
Capital than the new but I never
expect to see the gulf completely
filled.
I had a note this morning from our
common friend Dr. Harvey
Cushing who is going to write the Life
of Sir Wm. Osler4 and de-
1 In 1918 Truman Newberry was elected to
the U. S. Senate from Michigan over
Henry Ford in a campaign marked by
lavish expenditures. The resulting scandal
eventually led to his resignation.
2 Herbert Hoover, who had made a great
reputation as food administrator and
then as supervisor of European relief
after the war, but whose politics were un-
known, was being widely mentioned as a
possible presidential candidate.
3 In an address before the Boston
Chamber of Commerce on March 24, 1920,
Hoover advocated a policy of government
encouragement of voluntary collective
bargaining in labor disputes. He opposed
a plan of Governor Allen's for an industrial
court and strict regulation by the
states, which, according to Hoover, would upset
the delicate balance of industrial
processes and destroy human rights.
4 Harvey Cushing, The Life of William
Osler (Oxford, 1925).
282
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
sired any letters I might have or
impressions I cd. give him. I can
give him some impressions as I had a
most agreeable time with Sir
William when in Oxford in 1912. Dr.
Harvey is in the front rank
of his profession, I suppose the ablest
brain surgeon in the world.
I am very glad to comply with his
request as our personal relations
are highly agreeable. They were brought
about or started by your
introducing him to me at the Hollenden
Ho[tel] B[arber] S[hop]
many years ago. This introduction Dr.
Harvey frequently refers to
with glee. I hope to meet him to-morrow
at the Saturday Club but
poor man he is so busy he does not get
out much to our Club
luncheons and dinners. This is to be
regretted as he always con-
tributes something of value. Henry L.
Higginson, who has lately
joined the majority,5 took
great pleasure in referring to the good
people Cleveland had sent to Boston by
the mention of Harvey
and me.
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, April 30,
1920.
My Dear Mr Rhodes: Yours of March 26 was duly rec'd. Perhaps
as you say, I may have been influenced
by the radicalism of the
times when I wrote you my criticism of
Croly's life of Uncle Mark.
I certainly was influenced by Croly's
misinterpretation of Mr Hanna
and if you remember, you also agreed
with me. I shall in the near
future rewrite1 of Mr Hanna
and mention a few things which may
be of interest, some of which you can
use in covering the time of
Mr Hanna's appearance upon the stage in
your new volume. The
"recent happening in Mich. to which
you refer," accounts for John-
son's phenominal run. He made it a point
to hammer upon the fact
that the same crowd that supported
Newberry, were the active
supporters of Gen Wood.2 (Sen
Newberry is a grandson of T. P.
5 Boston banker Henry Lee Higginson died
on November 14, 1919.
1 This word is not clear in the
manuscript.
2 Senator Hiram Johnson of California
was making a strong bid for the Republican
presidential nomination. Wood had heavy financial
backing for his campaign.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 283
Handy.)3 There is no
comparison of our campaign of 1897-1898
with the Newberry campaign. While Uncle
Mark, through L. C.
and Myron T. Herrick, spent much money,
there was no such sum
used. Mr Folsom is still the Bookkeeper
for the M. A. Hanna Co
and is the only person living that can
approximate the cost of The
McKinley pre-Convention campaign and of
the 1897-1898 at Co-
lumbus. (One item will be given in this
letter.) Bryan's diagnosis
of the National Primaries, "a
protest against delay in ratification
with reservations," seems to
justify the position of Senator Lodge,
which when first taken caused you to say
"That you feared Senator
Lodge was making a mistake." Were
Sen. Lodge free from the
plutocracy influence, that the
proletariat seem to think, and people
thought of him as we do, there would be
no power to stop his
nomination at Chicago and his election
next Fall. Harding is
eliminated by Ohio's result4 and
while Wood thereby has retrieved
some of the lost ground from reverses in
Ill and Mich, it is not suf-
ficient to overcome the charges of Borah
et. al.5 His selection at
Chicago (at this time) seems highly
improbable. Lowden6 has no
chance and the dark horses now are Mr
Hoover and Sen Johnson
and Old Brer Possum Taft in the
background. I rejoice much and
am exceedingly glad over H. M.
Daugherty's defeat7--1st Because
in 1897-1898 he held Mr Hanna up for
$7,500. at Columbus and
it was split three ways Daugherty 2,500
Cy Huling 2,500 & Lon
Marble 2,500 Daugherty claiming this as
a retainer's fee for him
and his associates. (Their Hotel and
Liquor bills was also paid
for by us.) Mr Hanna told me this and
Dick verified the same.
About two years ago, while in my chair,
in answer to his assertion
that he never rec'd a dollar from the
Party or out of politics I
sprung this on him. He said it was a
retainer. I said yes that's
what you told Senator Hanna, but neither
He nor our Committee
3 Truman P. Handy, an early Cleveland banker and railroad man, was
actually
Newberry's uncle, as is made clear in
later letters.
4 Though a native son, Harding was able
to obtain only thirty-nine of Ohio's
delegates. The remaining nine supported
General Wood.
5 William E. Borah, like Hiram Johnson,
was making much of the large sums
being devoted to Wood's campaign.
6 Governor
Frank Orren Lowden of Illinois was one of the leading Republican
candidates.
7 Daugherty had been defeated in the race for delegate-at-large by a Wood
man.
284
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
retained you. Tis needless to say, that
though he is in often, he has
never been in my chair since. 2nd
Because he and Fullington the
State Chairman, defeated The Beatty Bill8
in our last Genl As-
sembly, which was an amendment to Ohio's
Civil Rights law. This
caused his defeat. I help arrayed the
Negroes against him. He
knows it and I have served notice on
Fullington who intends to
stand as a candidate for State Auditor
next Fall.9 There is now
here in the process of formation a
Hoover League, hoping to
generate favorable sentiment at Chicago.
I am an[x]ious to see
how many bona fide signatures they will
get. We repudiated our
local organization in Cuyahoga Co, which
was for Harding. The
black ward ( 11th) went 2 to 1 for Wood.
Were the Primary held
over again Harding would not get a
baker's dozen in the whole
State. At present it stands Harding 39,
Wood 9.
I have been reading Thayer's Roosevelt10
with much interest.
Roosevelt with all of his ambiguity
could not have written such a
biography. I see that Thayers [sic] still
digs Uncle Mark. Tell him
that he is in error, that Senator Hanna
died in February and not
March.11 His funeral was held
on Friday Feb 19th from St Paul's
Church, Euclid & Case Ave. I am
enclosing one of the cards of
admission. I rather suspect that Mr
Thayer had a personal griev-
ance against M. A. and in this L. C.
shared my view, or that Dan's
failure to have him write the life of M.
A. is the reason that he
seems to delight in giving M. A. a dig
every time the occasion
presents itself. I can readily
understand why he digs Platt and
Quay.12 The difference
between M. A. and those two of the old
school, was that M. A. was honest and
had such great faith in his
convictions that he could not honestly
see how anyone could dis-
agree with him. Thayer dont seem to be
able to discern this. When
Bushnell, Foraker & McKisson13 helped by Quay's
money were
8 The Beatty bill, introduced in the
1919 session of the Ohio General Assembly,
outlawed discrimination against anyone
on the basis of "race, creed or color" in
"any places of public
accommodations, resort or amusement" in the state.
9 Edward M. Fullington did not run for
state auditor in 1920.
10 W. R. Thayer, Theodore Roosevelt:
An Intimate Biography (Boston, 1919).
11 Hanna died on February 15, 1904.
12 Thomas Collier Platt of New York and
Matthew Stanley Quay of Pennsylvania,
notorious Republican bosses around the
turn of the century.
13 Governor Asa Bushnell and Robert E.
McKisson, mayor of Cleveland, whose
election to that office had been opposed
by Hanna.
MYERS-RHODES CORRESPONDENCE 285
fighting Mr Hanna['s] election-he being
related to Frank DeHass
Robisonl4 who hypothecated
the stock of the old Superior St Rail-
way to J. J. Shipard--M. A. and DeHass
Robison disagreed about
this and DeHass was against M. A. for
Senator. Mr Hanna never
for a moment thought it was a dishonest
act in using money to
defeat that crowd. It was politics as
played in those days. When I
paid Clifford15 to vote for
M. A. I did not think it a dishonest act.
I was simply playing the game. No one
ever accused me of being
dishonest and M. A. was no less than I
was. Hence I claim
Thayer unjust to M. A. when he classes
M. A. with Platt and Quay.
The methods have changed as well as the
order, but that does not
say that the methods of today are an
improvement over the methods
of M. A.'s day--the recent Senatorial
Campaign in Mich for
instance. By the way the last General
Assembly of Ohio passed a
bill legalizing campaign assessment
from Corporations (in any
amount). I want to write you this
little story of M. A. Hanna.
Sitting in his office one day, with the
door open, he happened to
glance up as Wm J McKinnie16 passed
by. Hello Mark; Hello
Bill come in. What are you doing up
here? Well Mark, President
Cleveland has appointed me Collector of
Internal Revenue and I
have been all of the morning trying to
get some of my democratic
friends to go on my bonds, but without
success. Mr Hanna says
let me see that bond, signed it without
solicitation, and said, the
next time come to your friends. That
one little incident showed
M. A. in his true light. Perhaps if you
wrote to Gus Hartz c/o The
Euclid Ave Opera House he might tell
you of M. A.s benefactions
to him.l7 M. A. did not
advertise those kind of acts. Nor did he
advertise his charity. I have yet to
learn of a person (worthy)
who came away empty-handed. I speak of
these things as you
inquired, What could you do to boost M.
A. ? He believed in the
Brotherhood of Man and lived it.
14 In the nineties Robison was the vice
president of the Cleveland City Railway
Company, of which Hanna was president.
15 A colored delegate from Cuyahoga
County. This incident is discussed further
in Rhodes's letter of September 23,
1920, and Myers' letter of October 27, 1920,
which will appear in the final installment.
16 McKinnie was an old friend of Hanna, a member of a group with which
Hanna
frequently played whist.
17 Augustus F. Hartz, a former magician,
had leased the opera house from Hanna.
286
THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
MYERS TO RHODES, Cleveland, May 12,
1920.
Dear Mr Rhodes: I am enclosing a couple of Editorials from the
P. D. of May 11 & 12. "The
11th" "Shows how the mighty have
fallen." And "The 12th"
That my reference to your good friend
Senator Lodge, in connection with the
"Chicago Nomination," was
not without forethought, nor an idle
dream. Of course the Senator's
nomination is out of the question.1
There is some Hughes talk
broad-cast. Gov Cox of Ohio seemingly
(from a viewpoint in this
neck of the wood) has the Democrat
nomination "sewed up"--
Cox on a "wet" platform could
beat Hughes on a "dry one." The
Country wants "light wines and
beer." Harding and Hoover have
been dismally left "at the
post." Johnson apparently has killed off
Wood. Penrose2 with Johnson's
assistance, can come near nominat-
ing Knox. Watch that combination.
1 The Plain Dealer editorial of
May 11 warned the Democratic party that the re-
nomination of Wilson and the stressing
of his demand for ratification of the League
of Nations covenant without reservations
would lead to certain defeat in the November
election. The editorial on Lodge praised
his selection as keynoter for the Republican
national convention and pointed out that
were he younger he might well be the
presidential candidate.
2 Boies Penrose, senator from
Pennsylvania.
[The remainder of the correspondence
will appear in the next issue.]