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I70 NATIONAL POLITICS I918-I922
I did not use the words quoted in your telegram. What I said then, which I now reaffirm and which I shall continue to declare, was substantially as follows:
First, as to the means resorted to by certain Democratic leaders to get votes I said:
"In the special election in Wisconsin, the Democratic machine leaders published advertisements, undenied by them, addressed to the soldiers at Camp Grant, as follows:
" 'To the Wisconsin soldiers at Camp Grant:
" 'Tuesday, April 2 :
" 'You are entitled to vote for United States senator from Wisconsin to succeed Senator Paul O. Husting.
" 'President Wilson, your commander in chief, desires all loyal Americans to vote for Joseph E. Davies for United States senator.
" 'Davies' election means joy at Washington and gloom at Berlin.
" 'Davies' defeat means gloom at Washington and joy at Berlin.'
"I regard this as an infamous prostitution of all patriotic proprieties and the grossest violation of the plainest civil duty worthy of the severest condemnation of all Americans. In this crisis when all patriots are striving to bring to the aid of the country's cause every resource in men and material, when thousands of Republican and Democratic boys are dying side by side, and when both political parties are loyal, such conduct is immeasurably reprehensible.
"From such actions it is evident, and I regret to say it, that these Democratic leaders will go to any lengths to carry the Senate and the House. Such unpatriotic efforts to use the war for partisan purposes must fail. Such inevitable failure was indicated by the Wisconsin result. It was further shown in the Michigan primary and will be conclusively proved in the Maine election next week. The American people will not tolerate it. This is the war of no political party. This is the people's war, and we demand that the war be kept out of partisan politics and that partisanship be kept out of the war. And what we ask from the party in power, we irrevocably pledge for ourselves."
Though Mr. Tumulty came back on September 12 with a very long letter, quoting from speeches by other Republicans which he considered partisan appeals, I made no further reply beyond the following statement to the press:
I think I have adequately answered Mr. Tumulty's reply to my retort as to his inquiry about Democratic leaders resorting to any expedient to maintain control of the government and Congress. I judge that the Washington administration must have been hard hit by the result of the Maine election. Perhaps that was one reason why Mr. Tumulty insisted on my being smoked out. I am satisfied with the situation if he is. We shall go right on doing our best to elect a win-the-war-peace-with-victory Republican Congress, and we expect to complete the job.