The Progressive Democracy of James M. Cox | Page 4

do his will, and like all men or this sort, he has been accused
of being dictatorial. Yet none denies that he gives a fair hearing and is
open to conviction on disputed issues.
He has a power of expression in a few words, portraying a whole field
of action. Tending to go into great detail in public matters, he comes to
the heart of an issue with a laconic expression that tells all there is to be
told. "I favor going in"--on the League of Nations is one. Assuring his
supporters that the proposal for separate peace with Germany was
"opening their front lines," he drew a word sketch of a gigantic contest
in which he as a general had sensed a rift in the opposition ranks and
had broken through a whole army.
Associates of Governor Cox say that he is daring because of his strong
sense of justice. The question is frequently asked by him as to whether
a proposition is fair to all sides. Readiness to trust in him as an
arbitrator has brought many issues to his desk that are not part of a
Governor's official duties. Disputes between interests and differences
among organizations, no less than capital and labor disagreements have
been left to his decision. It is an evidence of the trust in the sense of
justice in the man.
There is a notable habit in him of picking men quickly for tasks. It is
not claimed for him that he has never made mistakes in his estimate of
men, but they are comparatively rare.
Governor Cox is the only man ever nominated for President who owns
wealth--real wealth. His personal fortune is handsome. That was a point
of criticism when he began to get acquainted with the country, but it is
no longer. The reason is to be found in the fact that he has a natural
appeal that makes his associates forget money. Nor is the charge ever

seriously made that his broad sympathy is affected. When he is best
known, the wealth he owns is least often mentioned.
They do not refer to a wealthy man whose possessions are an
outstanding attribute as "Jim" or "Jimmy." Cox, the man of affairs, is
overshadowed by "Jimmy Cox."
As with all powerful leaders, no sketch would be complete if it did not
allude to a certain imperiousness that is in the man. This quality has
made foes but that was inevitable. One who has risen by his own efforts
has had the pushing impulse, of course.
It tells something of the Cox character that he has become a forceful
speaker only in the last ten years. When he first entered public life in
1908 his style in speaking lacked force and his manner was hesitating
and uncertain. A course of self- discipline and training led to constant
improvement, and while there has never been a pretense of oratorical
flight, issues and questions are discussed plainly and effectively. There
is a penchant for reducing statements to simple and understandable
terms and for stating his conviction with a measure of aggressiveness
that carries conviction.
As a candidate he has always believed that the people are entitled to the
fullest information possible and to see and hear those who seek their
suffrage.
Like Roosevelt, the more strenuous sports and recreations attract him
far more that does the swinging of the golf stick. He is an expert
marksman and has astonished military men on the rifle range by what
he can do with a gun. His ancestors were squirrel-hunters, and his sure
eye was an inheritance from them. The Governor likes to rough it in the
Northern Canadian woods, spending at leisure a couple of weeks with
only his son, James M. Jr., now a boy of 18, for his companion. He
prides himself upon his ability to cook a fish after it is caught, and to
plunge in the lake as an evidence of his swimming ability. When in
Columbus his form of exercise is walking, and younger men of
sedentary pursuits find that he can tire them.

Quitting school at an early age, Cox's education has been acquired
through much private study. He knows no language except English. His
range of reading covers a wide variety of topics, the favorite of which
are the political sciences, and outdoor life. He does not lay claim to
literary excellence or perfection of style, and is a man of serious bent of
mind, speaking only when he thinks he has a message to carry.
The name under which he has been known to the country, James
Middleton Cox, seems to be an error which only lately his friends have
corrected. In the old family Bible the name of James Monroe Cox
appears, indicative of a family admiration. The name