The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-03
Writes Some Nasty
Things About the
Newspapers.
WON'T RUN FOR PRESIDENT.
Thinks. Abuse Of Alger Due
to New York Poll
ticians.

Detroit, July 2.-Gov. Pingree tonight
dispatched letter to Secretary Alger,
brought out by criticisms of the Sec
rotary and the numerous comments re-
Gently published concerning the agree
ment made by the governor to support
secretary Alger in his campaign for
the United States senatorship. The let
ter is as follows:
My Dear General: 1 subscribe to a
clipping bureaus and have, with the
past few days been receiving large
numbers of clippings from newspapers
published in every part of the country
containing. what purports to be an in
terview with me, in which criticisms
OF the present administration are put
IN my mouth. l am astonished at the
circulation and credence which this al
legged interview has received. l would
not take cogniZance of it We're it not
for the fact that it seems to have been
so widely circulated, and also for the
reason that there are many people who
have yet to learn that what is termed
political news and opinions are as I'M
reliable, inaccurate and prejudiced as
the newspaper ingenuity and cunning
can make them
1T did not seem to me necessary to
deny the interview l would not now
give 1t any thought whatever were it
not for the fact that it is made the
basis of a petty and mean-spiriteG at
tack upon you, which is, however, but
a natural product of small calibre in
tellects.
1.-THE interview to which 1 have re-
ferred is pure fabrication. There is
not a single sentence in it which was
spoken by me. 1t is the invention of q
reporter who may or may not have
been acting under instructions from
his chief
II have at different times expressed
my opinion of the necessity for the
war in the Philippines. have, in COM
mon with thousands of others in the
country, disapproved of it, and have
had no hesitation in giving my views
whenever l have been asked for them.
1 voted for Mckinley, and 1 have had
no cause whatever to regret it. If he
is a candidate again, l will take pleas
ure in giving him my support.
'It has always seemed to me that
the criticism by New York newspapers
of the management of the war depart
ment has amounted to condemnation
not only of the president, but of the en-
tire cabinet 1t is well known that no
important step is taken without the
concurrence, or at least the advice, of
the president and the cabinet. 1 am
we'll satisfied that the attack upon the
war department is nothing but a cum
ningly conceived plot to create a vacan-
oxy rf, ha Nv York TAn1itiNi 10 n
Already the New York papers are dis
cussing the distribution of the patron
age of the department. The other pa
pers in the country have simply re-
peated what the New York newspapers
have said OF course, it is not surpris-
ing that Senator McMillin and his me
too Senator Burrows have Joined in
the contemplate scheme to discredit
and defame the war department.
Insofar as the alleged alliance with
you Is concerned 1 can freely and
frankly say that none has been made.
AS you are already aware, / simply
proffered you my support in your can
didacy for senator, and only wanted
to know whether you were in favor of
an amendment to the constitution
permitting the election of senators by
direct vote of the people. / was glad
to be advised by you that you favored
the restriction Of trusts but neither
of these things was made the condition
Of my support. In common with
thousands of other Michigan people,
merely offered to assist you.
IF anything, l have profited by ii
politically, because the American peo-
pie detest cowardly methods of fight
ing.
THE language that is attributed to
me in the false interview in which ]
Il TT
ministration, should have condemned
the interview as fabrication at once.
But even more absurd is the statement
made by the press that am an avowed
candidate for president at the next ma
tional convention, that you have
made an alliance with me, and that
therefore, you have practically de-
cIared your opposition to President Nc
Kinley and should retire from his cab
met.
"Of course such statement is toe
silly to be entitled to serious attention
1t is sufficient to say to you that
have not and never did entertain the
remotest intention of becoming a can
didate for the presidency. The story is
only another invention of Michigan
newspapers.
Il think the time is not far distant
when public opinion will compel news
papers 10 De talr and decent in their
treatment of men in public life Until
it does, 1 am convinced that the Only
course to pursue is to ignore their ma
licious attacks. Attempts to correct
their reports only result in provoking
more liberal outpouring of editorial
venom. After all, 1t is well to remem-
Der that newspaper represents the
opinion of only one man, and tina. that
opinion is usually influenced by every
motive except desire to do full jus
tice. The time is not far distant when
the people will awake to this fact and
when they do, there will be radical
change in the policy of conducting the
newspapers of the country, and espe-
cially in their treatment of public men
"Regretting If the unwarrantabie lib
critics taken with my name have caused
YOU any embarrassment / am.
Yours very sincerely,
"Hazen S. Pingree."