Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-29
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON TALKS
Seys He is Reasonably Confident of Sue.
cess-An Alleged Misfit Letter.

Representative W. L. Wilson of West vir-
ginia was in the city short time today. He is
in the midst of a very hot campaign and ran
over to Washington for a few hours on bust
ness.
"There is no truth" he said to STAR re-
porter who met him on the street, .'in the
statement made at the republican head
quarters that $1,000 has been sent to my dis
trict by the democratic committee to help my
election. Tho fact is that the committee
have sent but $500 into the district
to help paw the ordinary expenses of the
campaign. That is all the financial assistance
l have had from them. / feel reasonably con-
tident of success. If the vote 10 got out there
Is no doubt OF the democrats having jority.
But the republicans are making tremendous
effort to defeat me, and are not stopping at
anything they think will aid them in the effort.
My district is oyerrun with government en-
ployes who are doing ali the political work they
can. 1 do not see where Commits
sioner of Internal Revenue Mason could
put man in the district that
he has not done it. They are as hard at work
against me as they can be. Wherever one Of
the revenue agents is needed for campaign
work he is ordered and gets his So day while
working on the campaign. He had one man
stationed to watch a single barrel Of whisky
for one hundred days at 80 day, so he could
be where he could do campaign work"
LETTER OF COMMISSIONER MASON.
In this connection Mr.. Wilson showed q STAR
reporter letter addressed to Mr.. ]. E. Hall
by Commissioner Mason. The Mr. Hall to
whom it was addressed is a friend Of Mr. Will
son and presumably the letter was intended for
Mr.. NJ. +. Hall, the postmaster at PhilIippi
and editor of the republican newspaper.
1t is marked personal and is as follows: eff
it has not occurred to you suggest that you
write very strong article for this weeks Re
publican attacking Wilson vigorously on his
pension record. He lodged tho vote on the
last pension bill Say that If he does not feel in
terest enough in old soldiers of his district to
vote on a bill that was most important to them,
in fact the most important pension bill ever
before Congress; then the old soldiers Of the
District should take enough interest in him to
see that he is not returned to Congress; that
they should make it a personal matter to see that
no vote of a soldier or the friend of soldier
is cast for Wilson. In addition to this it would
be well to say, possibly in another paragraph,
that this pension bill was the most important
measure before the last session of Congress:
treasury, and will continue to do so
for many years, aud that with so important
bill on its passage Wilson should
have had courage enough to have voted one
way or the other; that the people are tired of
sending men to Congress who decline to vote
they will lose some of their friends that they
now propose to send men there who have at
least the courage of their convictions and who
will not dodge a vote. Truly yours,
JOHN W. MASON"
COMMENTING ON THIS LETTER,
Mr.. Wilson said:
"Mason's confidential letter to republican
papers in my district that lodged the vote on
the pension bill Is false, as he perfectly well
knew. The conference report was sprung on
the House without notice and rushed through
under previous question. was absent in Mis-
souri, and the Congressional Record shows that
l was paired with Gen. Grosvenor, who was
absent In Ohio. More than fifty republi-
cans were likewise absent and
paired, including the two Taylors
of Ohio, Browne Of Indiana. Thompson of
Ohio, Bouteile and Dingle of Maine, Cutcheon
of Michigan, Peters of Kansas and others of
prominence; also Atkinson of West Virginia
Mason would never accuse these of lodging
this vote, but is suggesting this anonymous
attack on me when he thought it was too late
in the campaign to catch up with the false
hood. Elkins' statement Of my vote in his
fair. AS to several he suggests the
false or suppresses the true SO as to
completely dlstort them. As specimen
he charges me with voting against tho original
package law when he knew that voted with a
majority OF my colleagues of both parties for
the house substitute i'll my judgment wiser
and moro effective bill than the one passed.
call attention to the fact that all these attacks
are reserved until it is too late in the cam aign
for me to catch up with them and expose their
falseness."