Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-08-29
Iowa Governor Gives His Au-
thority For Criticism In
His Chicago Speech
AFE YoUNo,s EDITORIAL
lAFE
shaw's Political eaoksr and Ally Was
Responsible for Report Of What
Shaw Said at the Des Moines Meet
-cummin. Defend. Hi. State
rnene.

Des Moines, Aug. 29.-Governor
Cummins has answered Secretary
Shaw in letter in which
he not only gives his authority
for his statement regarding the secre-
tary's explanation Of the failure of the
senate to ratify the French treaty, but
also takes a sly hit at Editor Lafayette
Young of the Des Moines Capital, the
secretarys political friend and ally.
The governor, in his letter, says:
Executive Office, Des A.oines, Aug.
29.-"Mr. Secretary: have the honor
to acknowledge your letter OF the 26th
instant, in which you challe nge state-
ment that recently mad. in an ad-
dress delivered before the National
Reciprocity Conference ct Chicago
The statement is as follows:
The secretary Of the treasury, In
speech recently delivered in Des
Moines, is reported as saying that the
explanation of the refusal Of the sem
ate to consider the French treaty is
that it gives everything to France and
nothing to the United States. must
do him the justice to believe that he
never read the treaty. for otherwise
he has committed grave offense
against the proprieties of debate"
The quotation is accurate. / made
the statement. You say respecting it:
II knew that did not say it or any
thing that could be SO interpreted. but
was not SO sure about the report.
The occasion was an informal lunch
con, and the speech was impromptu.
though not extemporaneous."
You further say:
knowing, therefore, that you would
not violate the proprietfes OF debate
by quoting me without authority as
having made specific statement,
write to inquire where you saw the
report Of my speech, as given in your
Chicago address. have not seen 1t,
and wish to correct the record as soon
as possible"
am sincerely gratified to know that
you deny having made the statement,
for 1t was impossible for me to recon-
cile 1t with the truth: end am not
less gratified to bel given the oppor-
tunity to advise you Of my authority
for irnputing the sentiment to you.
You may be against the French treaty
and I may be for It; but you can no
more afford to mislead the public con-
cerning its provisions than can af-
ford to misrepresent the statements
you make to justify the inaction Of the
senate.
You are quite right In reminding me
that both Of us have had too long an
experience in the trial of cases to be-
lieve that any substantial victory can
be won either through active false
hood or passive suppression Of the
truth. I therefore promptly give you
my authority for stating that 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 nothing.
In the Des Moines Capital Of Satur-
day, May 81, 1905 (the day after your
speech here), you will find a long edi-
torial entitled Secretary Shaw" 1t
deals wholly with your speech Of the
day before I quote that part Of 1t
,,pon which 1 relied in my address at
Chicago:
"In his own original way he drove
home certain facts that will be re-
membered. He exposed the proposed
French treaty in all its deformity, de-
monstrating that we were offering
France a tremendous bargain and get
ting practically nothing. in return"
If this be not sufficient basis for
the statement that made in Chicago,
I have vet 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
power, 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 ar
gument. When he wrote in his vivid
and striking way that you exposed
the proposed French treaty in all Its
deformity, demonstrating that we were
offering France tremendous bargain
and getting practically nothing in re-
turn" 1t was not possible for me to
doubt that you had ss-fd what he i'm
puted to you know that he could
easily misunderstood me, but 1t is in
credible that he should misunderstood
you.
Following your example, viii hand
copy of my reply to the newspapers
at the time mall this letter.
With high regard, am
Yours very truly.
ALBERT B. CUMMINS.
Hon. Leslie NJ Shaw, Secretary of the
Treasury, Washington, D. c.
~------
At Dubuque Next Year.
Joliet ILL.,, Aug. 2}.-The business
session Of the National Griegerbund
closed today Dubuque was chosen as
the next meeting place. OFFICERS were
elected