Woodrow Wilson As I Know Him | Page 6

evidence of unfriendliness or hostility to myself as the humble
spokesman of the Fifth Ward. When I stood up to speak I realized that I
had to "play up" to the spirit of generosity which is always latent in a
crowd such as I was addressing. I believe I won, although my candidate,
unfortunately, lost. My Irish buoyancy and good nature brought me
over the line. I felt that the audience in the gallery and the delegates on
the floor were with me, but unfortunately for my cause, the boss, who
was always the dominating influence of the Convention, was against
me, and so we lost in the spirited fight we made. In this first skirmish
of my political career I made up my mind to meet defeat with good
grace and, if possible, smilingly, and no sore spot or resentment over
our defeat ever showed itself in my attitude toward the men who saw fit
to oppose us. Evidently, the boss and his friends appreciated this
attitude, for it was reported to me shortly after the Convention that I
was to be given recognition and by the boss's orders would soon be
placed on the eligible list for future consideration in connection with a
place on the legislative ticket.
One lesson I learned was not to be embittered by defeat. Since then I
have seen too many cases of men so disgruntled at being worsted in
their first battles that their political careers ended when they should
have been just beginning.

CHAPTER III
MY FIRST MEETING WITH THE POLITICAL BOSS

After serving my apprenticeship as a ward worker, devoted friends
from my home ward urged my name upon the Democratic leader, Mr.
Robert Davis, for a place upon the Democratic legislative ticket for
Hudson County. I had grown to have a deep regard and affection for
this fine old fellow. While he was a boss in every sense, maintaining
close relations with the Public Service Corporations of the state, he had
an engaging human side. He never pretended nor deceived. With his
friends he was open, frank, generous, and honourable in all his dealings,
and especially kind to and considerate of the young men who became
part of his working force. With his political enemies he was fair and
decent. Many a time during a legislative session, when I was a member
of the House of Assembly, word would come to us of the boss's desire
that we should support this or that bill, behind which certain corporate
interests lay. The orders, however, were clean and without a threat of
any kind. He took no unfair advantage and made no reprisals when we
failed to carry out his desires.
While a member of the New Jersey Legislature, the name of Woodrow
Wilson began to be first discussed in the political world of New Jersey.
It came about in this way: By reason of the normal Republican majority
of the state the nomination by the Legislature in those days of a
Democratic candidate for the United States senatorship was a mere
compliment, a courtesy, a very meagre one indeed, and was generally
paid to the old war horses of democracy like James E. Martine, of
Plainfield, New Jersey; but the appearance of the doughty Colonel
Harvey on the scene, at the 1907 session of the New Jersey Legislature,
gave a new turn to this custom. A request was made by Colonel Harvey
and diplomatically conveyed by his friends to the Democratic members
of the Legislature, that the honorary nomination for the United States
senatorship at this session of the Legislature should be given to
President Wilson of Princeton. It may be added that I learned years
afterward that Mr. Wilson was not a party to Colonel Harvey's plans;
that once he even sent a friend as an emissary to explain to the Colonel
that Mr. Wilson did not believe that the use of his name in connection
with political office was a service to him or to Princeton University.
The suggestion that Woodrow Wilson be given the nomination was

hotly resented by young men like myself in the Legislature. Frankly, I
led the opposition to the man I was afterward to serve for eleven years
in the capacity of private secretary. The basis of my opposition to Mr.
Wilson for this empty honour was the rumour that had been
industriously circulated in the state House and elsewhere, that there was,
as Mr. Dooley says, "a plan afoot" by the big interests of New Jersey
and New York to nominate Woodrow Wilson for the senatorship and
then nominate him for governor of the state as a preliminary start for
the Presidency. I remember now, with the deepest chagrin and regret,
having bitterly assailed Woodrow Wilson's candidacy in a Democratic
caucus which I