The appeal to the country as it then stood contained a bitter
denunciation of Senator Lodge. What Wilson chiefly saw in a
Republican victory was himself at the mercy of the man he hated
worst, the Massachusetts Senator. Mr. McCormick thought that if the
President was going to name names he must, at least, denounce
Claude Kitchen, the Democratic leader of the House, as well as
Senator Lodge. If Mr. Wilson would ask for the reelection of those
who had been loyal, of whatever party, listing the offenders, of
both parties, including Mr. Lodge if he must, Mr. McCormick
believed that the impression on the country would be favorable and
thus a Democratic Congress might be elected.
Being agreed, Mr. Cummings and Mr. McCormick went to the White
House and argued for a less partisan appeal. All they accomplished
was the striking of Mr. Lodge's name out of the appeal by
convincing Mr. Wilson that he could not attack the Republican
Senator while ignoring the worse offenses of Mr. Kitchen and Champ
Clark in his own party.
For the rest, the President made the appeal more purely personal
and more partisan than before. He could not get the Lodge obsession
out of his mind. He could not bring himself to ask for the election
of members of Mr. Lodge's party. The wisdom of Mr. Cummings and Mr.
McCormick was soon vindicated. The appeal with Mr.
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