The Henson Journals

[115]

Tuesday, October 15th, 1912. Albany.

A bright & pleasant morning. We had to get up early in order to have our baggage ready against the transfer–man's arrival at 7 a.m.; nor were we wholly successful in our efforts. One belated portmanteau had to go with us.

The papers are full of an attempt to assassinate Roosevelt. Some maniac fired at him & succeeded in inflicting what is described as a slight wound. 'This settles the election for us'– observed gloomily a gentleman in the railway carriage. 'It's just his amazing luck'. But whatever gains he may secure, will be secured at the expense of Taft. Wilson has no reason, I should imagine, to regret an increase of Roosevelt's popularity.

Mrs Hadley was speaking of the German Emperor last night as a man who was kept in ignorance of everything that he was supposed to dislike. His newspapers are carefully selected: & his attention is directed only to what is known or believed to please him. It is difficult to imagine a more unfortunate situation for a modern Ruler. Her authority for what she said was the court officials with whom she and her husband became familiar during their stay in Berlin at the time of the Eulenburg scandals. The Emperor continued in ignorance of revelations which were creating a sensation in his Empire: he himself observed the coldness of the people, who no longer received him with their accustomed enthusiasm. Then he sought the reason: & the abominable facts were divulged by the Crown Prince.

[116] [symbol]

I reflect sadly that I have drifted into promising to speak on the Labour Question in Great Britain, next Friday, at Schenectady. It is difficult to know what best to say. One must begin by diagnosing the position; & in this connection special attention must be given to the distinctively English features in the situation e.g.

1. Our land system. The French Revolution never gave a peasant proprietor system to England: & it is probably the case that such a system could not now be established.
2. Our 'submerged tenth'. In other lands war has destroyed the poorest people. In England they survived. Our industry developed before the awakening of the social conscience. Hence the Slums.
3. Our traditions of personal liberty. Difficulty of persuading Englishmen to accept any discipline, whether of life or of work. Hence the drunkenness, and technical ignorance.
4. Our Empire – Emigration drains away the best, & leaves the worst. Excess of women in England.
5. Our popular Christianity – non–ecclesiastical, very sentimental, strongly but illogically moral.

These five conditions are distinctive of Great Britain, & they give specific character to the Labour problem in that country.

[117]

The railway runs along the bank of the Hudson, commanding an extremely noble prospect of the river & the opposite shore, where the Palisades rise abruptly like a giant rampart, the bases of which are clothed with richly–hued trees. No advertisements offended the eye on that side of the stream – a welcome change from the manifold abominations which bordered the line between New Haven & New York.

We lunched on the train unnecessarily as it turned out, for lunch had been kept waiting for us at Albany. On our arrival we were met at the station by a smart officer in uniform, the military secretary to the Governor. We were cordially welcomed by the Governor & Mrs Dix, shown to a large comfortably appointed room, a 'State room' presumably. After a second lunch – of which we partook but sparingly – we were led off by another gentleman in uniform to the Education Building, where we were bored to death for more than two hours by some very dull speeches. Then we returned to the Executive Mansion, had tea. Prof. Mrs Osborne (the orator who bored me most his wife) came to call: the lady forthwith asked us to stay with them at West Point, or rather, on the lofty shore opposite. To this suggestion I assented rather weakly, but induced thereto by a certain scepticism as to Mr Travers's power to receive us without inconvenience, – he being, as I presume, still a bachelor.

[118]

There was a large dinner party. Mr Mrs Whitelaw Reid were there. He had to run away in order to preside at one of the Inauguration meetings, but returned after starting the business. I sate next Mrs Dix, and talked mostly with her. After the departure of the guests, mine host, the Governor, had some very interesting conversation about political affairs in this country. He spoke to me with much frankness about Roosevelt, whom he had defeated in the contest for the Governorship. He thinks the attempted assassination may have great effect on the political situation, though hardly sufficient to give Roosevelt victory. He confirms the statements as to Roosevelt's bad mental condition, says that some members of R's family are at the present time in lunatick asylums. His brutal contempt of truth seems to be the outstanding feature of Roosevelt's gross egotism. But this, I urged, seemed an insufficient explanation of his admitted popularity. How was it to be reconciled with the support which he was receiving from the most religious leaders of the community? The Governor replied that Tyman Abbott, Jane Addams, the rest were all new supporters, who had no experience of his character, or his methods. This explanation rather interested than convinced me. Roosevelt remains a portent an enigma.

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