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The Commoner.
5
LUARY 2, 1912
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This New Light on Harvey -Wilson
Controversy
n.'MHK
- j ni
e Washington correspondent for the New
World .throws what ho calls new light on
arvev-Wilson incident in this way: Be-
ftDitho Kentucky editor got into the limelight
il ,n?New York World, in a dispatch from Wash
ington, revealed the fact that Col. Harvey had
bh spending week-end down on the old Vir
ginia! farm of Thomas F. Ryan, and that that
thad brought about the meeting in New
STORY OF THE CONFERENCE
ile Col. Watterson will not confirm or
here is what is known to have happened
lie conference in the Manhattan club: Col.
tterson and Col. Harvey were present when
piJP'ernor Wilson entered. In the early course
" 'oxjtne conversation, it was suggestea uy mr.
: aiterson, not by Mr. Harvey (but entirely with
Mrl$ Harvey's knowledge, consent and, in fact,
v'atfcis instigation) well, anyhow it was sug-
. 'giititd by Col. Watterson that the Princeton
:aljiini, while undoubtedly a fine lot of men,
coulfr not be expected to finance a campaign for
tK?presidency. That being admitted, Mr. Wat-
.,, ttrlion (still with the knowledge and well-wishes
" qtSpol. Harvey) suggested a meeting with
k4$$dttias F. Ryan.
M$t. this point Governor Wilson buttoned his
, ; eq; preparatory to a frigid departure. It was
u.at$this point, also that Col. Harvey, noting the
.. gjjrmptoms of denial, rose to his feet and asked:
""j&!$jj&nd, Governor, do you also think that our
i(a((Wtrnfir's wefit v Riinnorr. in mirt.lntr vouy
e governor said that he thought just that.
WLi -nri.. i i.i - t. c .v ...
'pmitted the Ryan incident.
'"int conversations with friends of the south
(fHors and statesmen, however, Col. Watterson
EaSQIbeen most frank. Three incidents came
t&re the climax:
irst Col. Harvey went to Ryan's farm, in
ion county, Virginia, and there talked over
candidacy of Governor Wilson. Ryan ex
sed a desire to take part in the coming
ocratic campaign, and a preference for Wil
because of the fact that he is a native of
iCfe Old Dominion. Col. Harvey talked elo
qttfcntly of Governor Wilson. Mr. Ryan, becom-
u:Wimi.' euthusiastic, declared that he would an
nounce himself for Wilson, pull off his coat, roll
ittlfflP
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'WBL
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nrtf his sleeves, open his purse and work
foe him. The enthusiasm of Mr. Ryan, counled
;Swih the statement that he would announce
himself for Mr. Wilson, frightened Col. Harvey,
virho threw ud his hands and exclaimed:
ylflg'Don't you do it. If you were to announce
tJWTQT wnson you woum iciu mm politically. Mr.
gStjran agreed to. curb his feelings and remain
OTmet.
Second Five days before the memorable
eeting of Wilson, Harvey and Watterson in
rw York, Col. Harvey visited Washington and
Liked to a number of congressmen of Wilson's
aspects. To several representatives of the
Louse he said he had been in Virginia and had
!!jvisitwith Thomas F. Ryan, who, he said, was
r Woodrow Wilson for the presidency.
Ihese congressmen marvelled at the Harvey
pgory about Ryan. They wondered if Mr. Wil
son's booster had lost his mind.
Third This was followed by the meeting in
few York where the break came. Messrs. Wat-
Jrson and Harvey invited Mr. Wilson over to
ihe office of Thomas F. Ryan, who, it was ex-
rtained. was desirous of financing the Wilson
Campaign. This suggestion Mr. Wilson resented.
rHe said that he would not go to see Ryan or
Htave anything to do with him. He told Messrs.
BVatterson and Harvey that the support of Ryan
rould hurt him. Whereupon Mr. Harvey asked
M he (Mr. Wilson) thought the support of Har-
irs Weekly was hurting him and Mr. Wilson
tnswered in the affirmative.
WOW IT IS BETWEEN SENATOR TILLMAN
AND MR. WATTERSON
The following Associated Press dispatches are
Bif-explanatory: Washington, Jan. 26. In
vest in the controversy between Woodrow
iRnison, Colonel George Harvey and Colonel
Kenry Watterson over Mr. Wilson's aspirations
r the presidential nomination was revived to-
light when Colonel Watterson gave out corres-
mdence that had. passed between himself and
mator B. R. Tillman of South Carolina yes
terday and today. The correspondence, in which
the name of Thomas F. Ryan of New York
figures, is as follows:
"Washington, D. C, Jan. 25, 1912. My Dear
Sir: Referring to tho so-called 'Harvoy-Watter-son
incident,' I And you quoted by tho news
papers of this morning to the following effect:
'I had given Henry Watterson credit for more
sense than to try to "foist off a story like this,
with the material facts concealed.' Tho man
who makes a public "statement with tho 'ma
terial facts concealed is little other than a
scoundrel. I have the right, therefore, to de
mand of you upon what warrant of authority
you make this serious accusation of me and to
ask a reply through my friend, the Hon. Swagar
Sherley of Kentucky. With great respect,
"HENRY WATTERSON."
RESPONSE OF TILLMAN
Washington, January 2G, 1912. My Dear
Sir: In your note of January 25, handed
me by the Hon. Swagar Sherley, you call my
attention to an interview which I had given out
in reference to the Harvoy-Watterson-Wilson
incident, in which I say: 'I had given Henry
Watterson credit for more sense than to try to
foist off a story like this with the material
facts concealed.'
"You demand to know '-upon what warrant of
authority you make this serious accusation
against me.'
"In your statement to the press you described
in detail the rupture between Governor Wilson
and Colonel Harvey, but said nothing as to what
caused it. All the leading papers of the coun
try seem to know why Governor Wilson 'severed
relations with Colonel Harvey, and you, as a
leading newspaper man and self-confesssed ex
pert groomer of presidential candidates, must
have known . at the time your statement was
published. I very properly concluded that you
knew the reasons for the rupture, and when
you made public the manner in which it oc
curred, without giving the causes, you were un
questionably concealing the material facts. Very
respectfully yours, B. R. TILLMAN."
WATTERSON'S SECOND LETTER
"Washington, D. C, Jan. 2G, 1912. My Dear
Sir: I have never pretended to be a groomer
of presidential candidates, expert or otherwise,
but I desire your good opinion and wrote with
that, as well as the truth of this matter, in mind.
"I am with you, senator, in wishing a demo
cratic and not a pseudo-republican for our presi
dential nominee. It was no less from a sense
of party justice than of justice between man
and man that I made the statement to which
upon a total misapprehension of the facts you
take exception.
"I have been aware for nearly a week that
recognized spokesmen for Governor Wilson were
industriously circulating the story that the real
reason wny Governor Wilson broke with Col.
Harvey was that Col. Harvey tried to bring Mr.
Thomas F. Ryan to the governor's campaign.
But until you gave credence to the story it could
not be invested with any responsible authority.
Its origin was mysterious, its circulation sur
reptitious. Consequently there has been up to
this time nothing either to deny or to recognize.
"Now, senator, I know, of my own knowledge,
that story is a lie made out of tho whole cloth.
If any person ventures to question this asser
tion, I have in my possession proof conclusive
which I hold myself ready to place before your
honest and truth-seeking mind.
I do not accuse Governor Wilson of origi
nating or circulating this invention, manufac
tured to make a hero of him at the expense of
the friend who has most effectually served him.
I do not assume that he is aware of the dastardly
work being done by his alleged agents, but tho
fact remains that Governor Wilson knows as
well as I do that the story is false.. He may or
not feel that he owes an obligation to Colonel
Harvey. That is a matter of which he must be
the judge. But I do insist that he owes it to
his own honor to repudiate that story and to
disavow those who are striving to Inject the
calmuny into the human mind.
"At Governor Wilson's instance I had under
taken to assist his accredited managers In rais
ing the considerable sums of money needful to
tho prosecution of his campaign, and In this
my efforts were not wholly unfruitful. A the
business procooded the name of Thomas V,
Ryan, not unnaturally, came into my mind. Ho
is a democrat. Ho is a Virginian. lie is my
friend; Knowing him to bo a disinterested man,
having no axo to grind, I hoped tlast I might
induce him to help out what I believed to be a
worthy cause. Governor WilHon'tf'jmanagors
were delighted with tho suggestion. Colonel
Harvey had nothing whatever to do with it, and
as far as I am aware, knew nothing whatover
about it.
"Throughout this unhappy affair I havo been
an unwilling witness in its consequences sotno
what of. an innocent bystandor having been,
up to tho hour of tho Harvey incident, a sincere
believer in Governor Wilson. He is a man of
ability. In some ways ho might provo a candi
date of availability, but I fear that if ho becamo
our president we might discover all too late that
he possesses personal peculiarities which would
provo disastrous. Wo want in the White house
a man of broad mind, as well as polished in
tellect, of heart grateful and kind, no leas than
daring. I remain with great respect, your
obedient servant, HENRY WATTERSON."
"Hon. B. R. Tillman."
DENIAL FROM WILSON
Now York, Jan. 2G. Governor Woodrow
Wilson, on his departure for Boston on tho
midnight express tonight, made the following
statement in reference to the Wattorson-TIllnian
correspondence, given out in Washington.
"So far as I am concerned, tho statement
that Colonel Watterson was requeued to assist
in raising money in my behalf, it is absolutely
without foundation. Neither I, nor anyone
authorized to represent mo ever made any such
request of him."
New York, Jan. 2G. Colonel Georgo Ilarvoy
declined to comment tonight on tho correspon
dence made public by Col. Henry Watterson in
regard to the former's rupture with Governor
Wilson.
MR. McCOMB'S STATEMENT
Now York, Jan. 27. Suggestions by Colonel
Watterson that ho solicited a contribution to
the Woodrow Wilson campaign fund from
Thomas F. Ryan was met with declarations by
William McCombs, Governor Wilson's campaign
manager, that Mr. Ryan's money could not bo
accepted, as "such contributions wore not within
the spirit of the Woodrow Wilson campaign,"
Mr. McCombs declared in a statoment made
public here tonight. Ills statoment follows:
"I have read the correspondence interchanged
between Colonel Watterson and Senator Till
man which appeared in this morning's papers.
I had thought that Colonel Watterson's state
ment of several days ago itself entirely disposed
of the incident. I so stated in an interview a
day or so afterwards. I have made no state
ments with reference to it since that time. Since
beginning the campaign for Governor Wilson,
which I have managed, I have received all of the
contributions made to it. I assume responsi
bility for them and I know all their sources.
They have uniformly been made by people who
had no interest except the consummation of the
ideas which he represents. Not one of them ex
pects any other return. Any communication
which has been had between myself and Colonel
Watterson regarding campaign funds has taken
place in personal interviews between him and
myself. There have been two interviews, only.
"I intensely dislike to make a public state
ment of a private conversation and regret very
much that Colonel Watterson has forced mo to
do so. In October of last year I had a general
conversation on presidential politics with Col.
Watterson at the Waldorf, where ho was stop
ping. In the course of that conversation ho
gave it as his opinion that a large amount of
money would be needed, and volunteered tho
suggestion that he would go and see his friend,
Thomas F. Ryan, and that he was sure he could
Induce him to make a very large contribution
to tho campaign.
"I said to him that we could not take Mr.
Ryan's money and that such contributions were
not within the spirit of the Woodrow Wilson
campaign. His reply was:
" 'I have been in politics fifty years, and I
know that money and not patriotism counts in
a presidential campaign.'
"I repeated to Colonel Watterson that we
could not take the money. Early in December
I met him again and ho renewed the discus
sion of a Ryan contribution. I made the same
answer to him that I made before.
"I heard nothing further from Col. Watter
son on the subject and thought no more of the
rutin i-awikMirWiitg.-g-t' fi-ij'.. t:
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