The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-29
CUMMINS GETS
BACK AT SHAW
Iowa Governor Enlists for the Com
ing Reciprocity War.
STANDS BY WHAT HE SAID
RAkEs THE SECRETARY FORE
AND AFT.

TIES MONIES. Aug. Ex-Governor A.
IL B. Cummins today indicted a
scathing reply to the attack made
upon him by Secretary of the, Treasury
Shaw. who criticised him for misouot-
ing the secretary In his speech before
the Chicago reciprocity convention
Governor Cummins shows that he said
the quotations was from an editorial in
the Des Moines Daily Capital, whose
editor attended the banquet of Des
Moines bankers. where Mr.. Shaw made
the address and who is a warm SUD-
porter of the secretary. The letter
follows:
Quotes the Secretary.
Il have the honor to acknowledge
your letter of the 18th inst. IN which
you challenge a statement that 1 re-
Gently made in an address delivered be-
fore the National reciprocity conference
lows.
The secretary of the treasury in a
speech recently delivered in Des Moines
is reported as saying that the explana-
ton of the refusal OF the senate to
consider the French treaty is that it
gives everything to France and moth
ing to the United States. ] must DO
him the justice to believe that he never
read the treaty, for otherwise he has
committed a grave offense against the
proprieties of debate
Made the Statement.
The quotation is accurate. l made
the statement. You say respecting it:
9" 7 know that I did not say 1t or
anything that could be so interpreted,
but was not so sure about the report
The occasion was an informal luncheon,
and the speech was impromptu though
not eXtemporaneous
You further say:
Knowing, therefore. that you would
not violate the prOprieties of debate by
quoting me without authority as having
made a specific statement, 1 write to
you to inquire where you saw the re-
port of my speech as given in your
Chicago address. have not seen it. and
L wish TO correct the record as soon as
possible"
Glad of the Opportunity.
4 am sincerely gratified to know that
you deny having made the statement.
for il was impossible for me to recon-
Gle II with the truth: and 1 am not less
gratified TO be given the opportunity
to advise you of IVY authority for inn
putting the sentiment TO you. You may
be against the French treaty and I
may be for II, but you can no more af-
ford to mislead the public concerning
its provisions than I can afford to
miSrepresent the statements you
make TO justify the inaction of the SEN
ate.
You are quite right in determining
that both OF US have had too long an
experience In the trial of cases TO be-
lteve that any substantial victory can
be won either through any falsehood or
passive suppression of the truth. T.
therefore, promptly give you my auth
GRITTY for stating you were reported as
saying in your speech at Des Moines
that the senate failed to approve the
French treaty because it gave France
everything and the United States moth
ing.
Gives His Authority.
I'm the Des Moines Capital of Satur-
day, May 81, 1905 (the day after your
speech), you will find a long editorial
entitled Secretary Shaw 1t deals
wholly with your speech of the day be-
fore. / quote that part of it upon which
l relied in my address at Chicago:
In his own original way he drove
home certain facts that will be remem-
bered. He exposed the proposed French
treaty in all it's deformities, demon
strating that we were offering France
a tremendous bargain and getting
practically nothing in return
If this be not a sufficient basis for
the statement that I made in Chicago,
I have yet to learn the meaning of the
cOmmonest words of my mother tongue.
Lafayette Young, the editor of the Des
Moines Capital was present at the
luncheon and heard your speech. He
is your political friend and ally. He
is in sympathy with your views He
IS himself a speaker of wonderful pow
er, and knows what words mean. He
writes constantly concerning the tariff
and reciprocity, and could not have
been mistaken with respect to the trend
and conclusion OF your argument.
Some Sarcasm.
When he wrote in his vivid and
striking way that you exposed the pro-
posed French treaty in all it's deform-
tiles, demonstrating that we were Of
fering France a tremendous bargain
and getting nothing in return. it was
not possible for me to doubt that YOU
said what he had imputed to you. I
know that he could easiI-r have mis-
understood me. but il is incredible that
he should misunderstand you.
Following your example, I will hand
a copy Of my reply to the newspapers
at the time mail the letter. With high
regard. ! am
Yours very truly.
80 AT.RERT r CrITMMTNG