Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1959 The ewN York Legislative Campaign Speaking of Governor Charles Evans Hughes, 1907-1910. Mary Margaret Roberts Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Roberts, Mary Margaret, "The eN w York Legislative Campaign Speaking of Governor Charles Evans Hughes, 1907-1910." (1959). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 567. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/567 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE MEW YORK LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN SPEAKING OF GOVERNOR CHARLES EVANS HUGHES, 1907-1910 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Speech by Mary Margaret Roberts B. A., Luther College, 1944 M. A., Northwestern University, 1949 August, 1959 ACKN OWLEDGMENT The writer acknowledges her indebtedness to all those who have contributed help and encouragement during the preparation of this dissertation. Particularly, she wishes to recognize the assistance of Lucile M. Roberts, Mr. and Mrs. Paul E>. Peacock, Mr, and Mrs. Thos. R. Roberts, Jr., and Mrs. Jim Bishop; the suggestions of Professor Waldo W. Braden, who was the director of the study, and of Professors Owen W. Peterson, Claude L. Shaver, John ^uffy, and F. Jay Taylor; and the cooperation of Mr. David G. Mearns of the Manuscripts Division of the Library of Congress, Mr. Robert W. Hill of the Manuscripts Division of the New York Public Library, Mr. Howard D. 'Williams of the Colgate University Archives Department, and Mr. John R. Turner Ettlinger of the Brown University -Library Special Collections section. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ACKNOWLEDGMENT ............................... ii ABSTRACT . v INTRODUCTION ................................. 1 CHAPTER I. HUGHES' QUALIFICATIONS FOR GUBERNATORIAL SPEAKING............... 25 Speech training..................... 25 Reputation. ............. 69 Speech theory and practice......... * 79 II. THE CLIMATE OF THE TIMES . 106 Antecedent trends and happenings. • . 107 The hearers— voters and politicians . 119 III. THE HUGHES IDEA OF GOVERNMENT........ 132 His values........................... 133 His conservative proposition.......... 136 His premises......................... 137 IV. THE PUBLIC SERVICE CORPORATIONS COMMISSIONS CAMPAIGN................. 162 The problem........... .. ........... 162 The bill............................. 173 The occasions..................... 176 The speeches . 181 iii WlAFl'ER PAGE V. THE ANTI-RACETRACK GAMBLING BILLS CAMPAIGN.............................218 The problem.......................... 219 The bills.............................234 The occasions........................ 240 The speeches.........................246 VI. THE DIRECT NOMINATIONS CAMPAIGN. 283 The problem. ...................... 285 The bills.............................292 The occasions...................... 296 The speeches.........................301 VII. APPRAISAL............................ 340 BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................349 AUTOBIOGRAPHY............................... 357 iv ABSTRACT This study is a rhetorical analysis of Charles Evans Hughes' three major legislative campaigns as governor of New York from 1907 to 1910. Elected as the people's champion against special interests after his successful gas and life insurance investigations of 1905 and 1906, he sought to effect the Progressive reforms he felt the citizens demanded. When he found the political leaders opposed to change, he appealed to the people for support. This study analyzes Hughes' rhetorical enterprise as exemplified by the campaigns to obtain legislation for three purposes: (l) to establish State public utilities regulation, (2) to implement anti-racetrack gambling laws, and (3) to institute direct primaries. Chapter One considers his qualifications for! leadership through speech. Chapter Two develops the climate of the times in which he spoke. Chapter Three discusses his philosophy of government, comparing and contrasting his approach with that of other Progressives. Chapters Four, Five, and Six analyze his speech methods in the respective appeals. Chapter Seven appraises his influence as a speaker. v Fifteen speeches selected for their special rhetorical and political importance form the basis for detailed analysis of the campaigns. The following factors receive special attention: the nature of the political-rhetorical problem, the provisions of the bills, the characteristics of the occasions, the arguments and evidence, the emotional and ebhical appeals, organization, style, and effect. A principal source of material for the study was the Hughes Papers deposited in the Manuscripts Division of the Library of Congress. This collection consists of Hughes' Biographical Motes, memoranda summaries of important events in Hughes' career prepared by Henry C. Beerits, documents, correspondence, yearbooks, scrapbooks, newspaper and maga­ zine articles, and an address file. Another principal source was the hew York City Public Library, which furnished the following: (l) the private papers of George C. Agnew, a sponsor of the anti-racetrack gambling bills; (2) the Hughes collection which contains what apparently constitutes the largest and most authentic file of the Governor's speeches, and correspondence and printed material on cam­ paign issues; and (3) the Fuller collection of several hundred scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings of the Chief Executive's accomplishments. Hithical proof was important in Hughes' persuasion. His antecedent reputation contributed to the confidence the people felt in him, and skillful ethical appeals in his speeches helped to reinforce his authority. His reputation repelled the party leaders, and his public repudiation of their power completed the alienation. Combining his strong ethical appeal with powerful logical and worthy emotional appeals, he obtained passage of the public utilities and anti-racetrack gambling bills; he contributed to eventual acceptance of the principle of direct nominations. He won so much support for his political philosophy of efficient, responsible, "unbossed" government carried on through enlightened public opinion that several subsequent governors in New York and outside the State found it expedient to promise to follow his example. Particularly through measures like the More­ land Act which supplied a legal basis for increased efficiency and enlarged executive responsibility, he is credited with achieving a long-range effect upon State government. While he did not produce speeches of great individual artistic merit, he did contribute a body of speeches which pre-: sented an impressive case for his idea of government. He did help to reveal the significant role speechmaking can play in the historical process. He did so by demonstrating that public opinion can influence State government when an able governor, skilled in speaking, chooses to enlighten and to appeal to the voters. v« n • INTRODUCTION Charles Evans Hughes made significant use of public address in carrying out his functions as governor of New York State from 1907 until 1910. Like many governors, he made speeches during his political campaigns for election and re-election in order to establish his qualification for office. Unlike ^any governors, he used speechmaking constantly and designedly to develop support for specific legislative reform bills and to develop appreciation for his ideals of representative government. Before he took office, Hughes announced that his speeches would constitute the chief medium for the presentation of his programs. Once in office, he customarily referred reporters to forthcoming speeches for announcements of new policies and used his frequent press conferences primarily to interpret programs already instituted. He refused to write for publication, confin­ ing what he had to say "to his public addresses or to his official communications.11 ^ Hughes announced further that his speeches and his ideas were to be his own. He surprised and annoyed the politicians when he actually did prepare his Inaugural Address and his First Message without consulting them. He surprised and pleased the voters by ■^Letter from Robert Fuller, Hughes1 Secretary, to E. J. Ridgway, New York City, March 2, 1908. 1 refusing to let any portion of the speeches "leak out" ahead of time, and by including only his own carefully-formulated recoin- o mendations rather than any boss-inspired declarations. He emphasized that no political boss, government official, or news­ paper reporter would be authorized to speak for him.^ during his 1906 campaign against William Randolph Hearst, Hughes promised the people "good government, free from taint of bossism." When machine-controlled legislators obstructed his reform program, he initiated direct rhetorical appeal to the people to force legislative acquiescence. He spoke often and at all kinds of occasions, explaining the merits of particular bills and his view of the responsibilities of the Executive, the legislators,