Washington D.C. was a long way from Byhalia, Ohio in
both distance and character. For Milton Bruce Haines, it felt as if he had
traveled from the waist places of the earth to the center of the universe.
2 His party, the Republican Party, was preeminent
there. They controlled both houses of Congress, and Theodore Roosevelt was
president. Milton had been working on the staff of Sen. Joseph Benson Foraker’s
Ohio office, and the work had made him feel like he was a part of something
important for the first time in his life.
3 Even more exciting, one of his old friends from
college had just been elected to the House of Representatives from Ohio. “I
want you to serve as my personal secretary, Miltie,” he told him. How could
Milton say no to an offer like that?
4 Ralph Dayton Cole was handsome, smart and about to
join the ranks of the powerful. He was a little younger than Milton, but that
didn’t matter one iota to either of them. “This is going to be divine,” Milton
thought. “I must have died and gone to heaven!”
5 To say that Milton Haines admired and respected his
new boss would not begin to do justice to the feelings he harbored for him. In
fact, it would be more accurate to say that he came close to worshiping the
congressman.
6 “I would do just about anything for him,” Milton
thought. “We are kindred souls, and I love him with my whole heart.” Those
feelings, however, could never be expressed in words.
7 Ralph appreciated the adoration and loyalty, but it
was inevitable that he would have to disappoint his admirer from time to time.
After all, there would be many events, conferences and parties where Milton
simply could not expect to join him in attendance.
8 This fact was brought home to Milton at the very
beginning of his new adventure. Ralph would be seated with the other
congressmen for President Roosevelt’s inauguration. Milton would be standing in
front of the capital with the other staffers and throngs of the great unwashed
to witness the events of the day.
9 Still, his physical separation from the congressman
did not dampen his spirits too much. He had never witnessed such a spectacle in
his entire life. The sun was shining, and the wind seemed to be echoing the
energy of the man at the center of the event. The Stars & Stripes were
draped everywhere across the façade of the building and flapping violently back
and forth.
10 The President’s address was brief, and Milton only
heard a sentence here and there. Even so, he was awestruck by Roosevelt and
almost everything that was a part of his inauguration.
11 In the months that followed, things settled down
into a fairly predictable daily routine. He was responsible for the
Congressman’s schedule, keeping track of his correspondence, coordinating
appointments and regulating the flow of visitors in and out of his office. More
importantly, however, Milton became one of Cole’s closest and most trusted
confidants and advisers. In fact, his friend’s handling of those
responsibilities would prove to be of critical importance to the Congressman in
navigating and surviving the 59th Congress.
12 President Roosevelt had an ambitious legislative
agenda, and his Progressive admirers in Congress were anxious to see that he
got everything he wanted. Speaker Cannon, however, did not share the enthusiasm
of his younger colleagues for the President’s agenda.
13 Milton had just placed some important papers
regarding pending legislation on his boss’s desk in the House chamber when he
spotted Mr. Cannon approaching from the podium at the front. Cole was busily
discussing the proposed Hepburn Act with a group of congressmen who shared his
progressive proclivities.
14 “We’ve secured passage of the Antiquities Act. Now
we must devote all of our energy to the Hepburn Act. It is absolutely essential
to the continued growth of this country that the railroads be prevented from
charging exorbitant rates,” Cole said. “Don’t forget the legislation before us
that would regulate the purity of our food and drugs and provide for the
inspection of those horrid slaughter houses,” another added.
15 The speaker had stopped just short of the group and
was listening to the exchange. He had stopped chewing the tobacco in his mouth,
and Milton could see his face was getting flushed. It was obvious that he was
on the verge of exploding, and the secretary desperately wanted to somehow
signal the Congressman and his friends; but it was too late.
16 “I am so sick and tired of all this goddamn talk of
reform!” The speaker blurted out. “America appears to be doing just fine to
me,” he finished before turning around and heading back to the podium.
17 Milton and the congressmen were stunned, but Ralph
smiled and then began to chuckle. “He’s old school,” the Congressman reassured
his colleagues. “He’d rather have everything stay just the way it is, but he’ll
make sure it all gets done. Joe Cannon is no idiot. He sees the way the wind is
blowing.”
18 As it turned out, Representative Cole was right.
All of the pending legislation was signed into law by the President that very
summer.
19 However, Milton’s satisfaction and happiness with
the way things had worked out was short-lived. “I hope you’ll be happy for me,
Miltie,” Ralph began. “I’m going to be married soon.”
20 Milton swallowed hard and tried to conceal his
disappointment. “I’ve asked Blanche Davis to marry me, and she’s consented to
have me. Don’t look so surprised. It had to happen sooner or later. A man in my
position needs a wife.”
21 “Congratulations,” Milton almost whispered as he
forced a smile and shook his friend’s hand. “I hope that you will be very happy
together,” he lied.
22 Wishing to change the subject, Milton grasped at
another topic that had been on his mind of late. His old boss, Sen. Foraker,
was in the midst of a serious disagreement with the President over his handling
of the dishonorable discharge of some black soldiers in Brownsville Texas.
23 “Have you heard about Sen. Foraker’s remarks
regarding the Negro troops in Texas?” He asked. “Yes, a very unfortunate
affair,” the congressman replied. “It is very unfortunate that most people
automatically assume the worst about Negroes, but that is simply the way things
are old boy. We can’t change that, can we?”
24 “I agree with the senator that the President
shouldn’t have dismissed the troops,” Milton pressed. “Oh, well, there’s
nothing anybody can do about it now, is there?” Ralph snapped back in
irritation. Milton excused himself and retired to his own desk with a lump in
his throat the size of an apple.
25 The following year, President Roosevelt made plain
to everyone that he wanted his Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, to follow
him in the White House. The President seemed convinced that Taft was the man to
continue and protect his progressive agenda and secure his legacy, but
Congressman Cole wasn’t so sure.
26 Moreover, after Taft assumed the office, it became
clear to everyone (including the former president) that he did not intend to
pursue the same program as his predecessor. This threw the Republican Party
into turmoil and contributed to the fact that Congressman Cole failed to be
nominated for a fourth term.
27 After leaving Washington, the Congressman
graciously “pulled a few strings” as he phrased it and helped Milton to become
a lawyer in his own right. A few years later, Milton would be elected to office
himself as prosecutor for Union County, Ohio. Nevertheless, he would always
remember his time with the Congressman as being one of the happiest periods in
his life.
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