| March 5 |  |
Editor says, what if Woodrow Wilson had lost California in the 1916 Presidential Election? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the May 2012 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
| Share this Article on: |  Facebook |  Twitter |
In 1917, the President kept it short. Really, there wasn't all that much more to say. The Germans had been waging unrestricted U-Boat war for over a month. Several American ships had already been torpedoed, and in at least one case the lifeboats had been destroyed afterwards. Now, they had tried to inveigle Mexico
into war with the US, cheerfully offering her three States of the Union as reward. And their Foreign Minister had brazenly admitted as much to the world's press. "What kind of people do they think we are?".
Continues from Mr Hughes Goes To War: Part 1.
Mr Hughes Goes to War: Part 2 by Mike StoneHughes briefly recounted America's grievances, concluding. "It is no longer a matter of going to war, since for all practical purposes the war is already in progress. Nothing remains save to make formal acknowledgement of what is already the case. I therefore call upon the congress to declare , at once, that a state of war now exists between the United States and the German Empire".
In the event, it wasn't quite "at once". The House complied, but a few isolationists made a last-ditch resistance in the Senate, which didn't concur until March 8. But the time had not been wasted. Even as the Senators argued, soldiers had been assembling at the ports of the east coast, and the first troopship would sail as soon as the war resolution passed. Ironically, it was a German ship, trapped in a US port since 1914, and which Hughes had ordered seized three months before in response to the Algonquin business.
By the end of March, a US regiment was already at the western front Secretary Roosevelt sought to resign form the Cabinet,and raise a regiment of his own to fight in France. The President refused, insisting that he was needed where he was. "Do you think I wouldn't like to be where Charlie is?" He asked; (Charles Evans Hughes, Jr, had been on the "Lafayette", the first troopship to sail from New York) but we old men have our work to do right here". Privately, he had other motives, which he confided to his diary. "I'm not having that man
grandstanding it in France, playing the conquering hero when things go well,
and letting me take the ructions when they don't. If the war takes a bad turn,
I want him as deeply implicated as myself. If he thinks he can undermine me the way he did to poor Bill Taft, he has another think coming".
Roosevelt was far from pleased, but he complied, observing to Senator Lodge
"The country would not understand my resignation at such a time over such an issue". Hughes sugared the pill by arranging for all of Roosevelt's sons to go speedily to France, and promising that Quentin's bride-to-be, Flora Payne
Whitney, would be allowed to travel to Europe for their wedding. TR, meanwhile,
resigned himself to the inevitable, and worked all hours (to the point where
his faily feared for his health) to get the American Army into action. By
Christmas 1917, thanks partly to him and partly to the decisions taken by
Hughes on coming to office, there were six US Divisions in the line. By the end
of February 1918, there would be twelve.
To be continued.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© Alternate Historian, 2004-.Story Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: Politicians Source: Wikipedia Labels: Charles Evan Hughes, Woodrow Wilson, Roosevelt, World War One, World War 1. Editor says, in this article we explore a point of divergence proposed by articles on the bulletin boards 1 and 2. We also repurpose content from Wikipedia.
Mike Stone adds: just for clarification, I wrote this part on the assumption that the outgoing President Wilson has gone through with his plan to appoint Pres-Elect Hughes as Secretary of State, and then for himself and the Vice-President to resign. Thus Hughes has taken office in mid-November, avoiding the normal four-month "lame duck" period.
~ I think Hughes would have done a better job than Wilson and the war would have ended earlier.
~ Mark, for WW1 to end earlier, the US would have to get involved earlier, say six months to a year before OTL. The logistics of drafting, training, and moving that many men at the time would have required it.
~ Hughes was less of a know-it-all buttinsky, and the peace might have gone better.
~ Hughes the Republican could actually work with Congress, meaning we might even see a ratified treaty.
~ It does not follow that the war would have ended earlier and eventhat there was an Allied and Associated Powers victory if Hughes is president.
You could get a situation of the war ending in `1920, either in May or September as forcast by the British General staff.
All you get here is a 4 month advantage if Hughes becomes president in November 1916 if Wilson resigns.
But Hughes is in the same position as Wilson and cannot got to war immediately, whilst German Americans and irish Americans can campaign against him in a way they can't with Wilson.
Also like Wilson, and even more he will assume the war is nearly won and must organise from scratch to get things really going.
With Roosvedt around it is likelyy the AEF will not be trained by BAC -Alpine Troops - French veterans and will be used as a united force.
Without Wilson there will be not 14 Points, no idealistic speeches and no Wilson as a Peace Diplomat.
Therefore not negotiations with Wilson directly, and Col. House will not put Wilson's Armistice Plan to the Allies in October 1918.
Instead the Germans will get ready for continued war.
If the French and Rooseveldt shoot off their mouths about the French-Russian plan to divide Germany into eigt states, the German government has its issue for which the population will fight.
There is even the danger of Rooseveldt leading the AEF to an American defeat attacking Metz.
Equally the American army is seen as the most strong force where there must be a decisive action, LUDENDORF CHANGES HIS PLAN ANDATTACKS THERE, THERE IS NO DEFEAT OF THE SECONDB BATTLE OF THE mARNE AND THE ARTILLERY IS NOT SENT NORTH FOR A DECIISIVE BATTLE WITH THE BRITISH IN BELGIUM
Instead they break through in the centre and the 1918 offensive succeeds.
The offensive of 1919 takes place, there are American large scale casualties.
In the spring of 1920 Hughes has a problem, the war is becoming unpopular and he needs to get reelected.
Wilson is waiting in the wings with his Peace Plan.
Hughes secretly arranges an armistice and a negotiated peace on much fairer and equal terms.
© Today in Alternate History, 2013-. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
