Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-08-29
CUMMINS' REPLY
To Letter Written Him by Secretary of
the Treasury Shaw.

Des MONIES, Ia. Aug. Ex-Governor
A. b. Cummins. today. replied to the
letter written to him by Secretary of
the treasury Leslie NJ. Shaw, who
criticised Governor Cu1nmins for mis-
quoting the secretary in speech be-
fore Inc Chicago reciprocity conven-
ton. The Governors letter Is as fol-
lows:
nave the honor to acknowledge
your letter of the 2eth inst, in which
You challenge a statement that / re-
Gently made in an address, delivered
before the national reciprocity confer
ence at Chicago. The statement is as
follows:
The secretary of the treasury in a
speech recently delivered in Des
Moihes, Is reported as saying that the
explanation Of the refusal of the SEN
ate 10 consider the French treaty is
that II gives everything to France and
nothlhg 10 the United States. I must
90 MIN the justice to believe that he
never read the treaty for, otherwise,
he mas committed a grave offence
against the properties of debate
The quotation is accurate. I made
the statement. You say respecting it:
L knew that l did not say it OF
anything that could be so interpreted,
but was not sure about the report
The occasion was an informal luncheon
and the speech was ilnpromptu, though
not extemporaneous'
You further say:
knowing therefore that You would
not violate "the propricties of debate"
by quoting me without authority as
having made a specific statement, !
write 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
IL am sincerely gratified to know
that you deny having made the state
ment, for 1t was impossible for me to
reconcile it with the truth: and / am
not less gratified to be given the Oppor-
tunity to advise you of my authority for
imputing the sentiment to you. You
may be against the French treaty and
I nay be for it; but you can no more
afford to mislead the public concerning
it's provisions than can afford to mis-
represent the statements you make to
justify the inaction of the Senate.
You are quite right i'll determining
that both of us have had too long an eX-
pericncc in the trial of cases to believe
that any substantial victory can be won
either through any falsehood or passive
suppression of the truth. | therefore
promptly give you my authority for stat
ing that you We're reported as saying in
your speech at Des Moines that the Sen
ate failed to approve the French treaty
because it gave France everything and
the United States nothing.
In the Des NoincS Capital of Saturday.
May q. 1905 (the day after your speech
titled Secretary Shaw 1t deals wholly
with your speech of the day. before;
quote that part of 1T upon which relied
in my address at Chicago:
lin his own original way he drove
home certain facts that will be remem
bercd. He exposed the proposed French
treaty in all it's deformity. demonstrating
that we We're offering France Il tremen-
dous bargain and getting practically moth
ing in return.
IF this be not sufficient basis for the
statement that made in Chicago l have
yet to learn the meaning of the common
est words of my mother tongue. Lafay-
cite Young. the edistor of the Des Moines
Capital was present at the luncheon and
he answered your speech. He IS your po-
litical friend and ally. He is in some
power your views. He is himself a speak
words mean. He writes constantly con-
corning the tariff and reciprocity and
could not have been mistaken with ro-
spect to the trend and conclusion of your
argument.
when he wrote IN his vivid and strik
ing way that you exposed the proposed
French treaty in all its deformity, demon
strating that we were Offering France a
tremendous bargain and getting practi-
Cally nothing III return, 1t was not posi-
BILE for me to doubt that you had said
what he had imputed to you. | know that
he could easily misunderstood me. but 1t
is incredible that he should misunderstood
you.
Following your example. I will hand Il
copy of my reply to the newspapers at
the time l mall this letter.
with high regard. ] am,
Yours very truly
ttAI.RERT r CI-NAJJNS'