The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-10-25
MUST DEBATE
WITH RECORD.
State Chairman Briggs Says
Wilson Must Do So or
Withdraw Challenge.

Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic can
didate, declared himself ready to de
bate political questions with any poll
| day George L. Record of Jersey City
Republican candidate for congress, ac
cepted the challenge.
When Mr.. Records letter was pub
lished Dr. Wilson referred the matter
to State Chairman James r. Nugent
l who has been with him on his tour in
4 south Jersey. Nugent Immediately de
| clared that he had communicated Will
| the Republican chairman, Senator
Briggs, ito ascertain officially if Mr.
Record has been or will be designated
by the Republican state committee and
the Republican candidate as their rep
resentative and spokesman. If so |
am authorized by Mr.. Wilson to ar
| range with Chairman Briggs for such
joint meeting or meetings, as may be
agreed upon
To this letter Chairman Briggs sent
this reply
Your letter of the It'll instant was re-
| ceived by me this morning. l have no
4 knowledge of the details of the challenge
of DR.. Wilson except what have seen in
| the papers AS / remember it. DR. Wilson
made a public challenge, expressing him
self as follows:
II welcome any politician in the state
to debate upon the public platform upon
| any public question"
| | also learn from the newspapers that
| George L. Record has also accepted the
challenge, ard | think there is no one in
| the state who will claim that Mr.. Record
does not qualify under the conditions laid
| down therein.
| Assuming the newspaper reports to be
correct, it would seem that Mr. Wilson
should either withdraw his challenge or
be wiling to debate with Mr.. Record or
any other man prominent in the politics
of the state who may accept it.
This, in my opinion. would be better and
| more Straightforward than to attempt to
escape the consequences of somewhat
rash remark, by asking the Republican
state committee to limit its significance
Yours very truly,
FRANK o. BRIGGS,
Chairman Republican State Committee.
MIR. Record had this to say of the
way his acceptance of the Wilson
challenge had been received:
THE great Dr. Wilson, who is to lift
the politics of New Jersey to a new
and higher plane, at the first test has
gone down to the Jim Nugent plane
and commences to dodge and petit
fog. This is a plain dodge and
viii so be construed by the public.
DR. Wilson had perfect right to put
up challenge to the state committee
that they put forward Mr.. Lewis or
any accredited representative. He
chose instead to challenge any politi-
clan in New Jersey upon any public
question. The challenge was worthy
of DR.. Wilson as the public have hith-
erto looked upon him. The dodge VIII
come as shock to DR.. Wilson's ad-
mirers and IL persisted in Will destroy
whatever chance of election he pre-
tiously hard"
THE STORM BREAKS.
In several of his recent speeches
Woodrow Wilson has asseverated that
he is under obligations to no one for
his nomination. These asseverations
have been in the nature of denials,
which have been made by Mr.. Wilson
without any public accusation to bring
them forth having been made.
But now the cat is out of the bag.
The Newark Evening News takes ex-
ception to the fact that the Newark
Star omitted from report of Mr.
Wilson'S speech at Trenton the follow
ing: A
$50 far as l am concerned have
not been told that anybody was re-
sponsible for my nomination If any,
body did bring 1t about / am glad to
say did not know who it was. There
fore i am not under the subtle infiu-
ence of anybody"
The News thinks that the Star,
which is owned by James Smith, Jr.,
purposely omitted this portion of Mr..
Wilson's speech in natural desire on
Smiths part to suppress the candi-
dates denial of responsibility to any
one" The News goes on to say that
the names of James Smith, Jr.; Robert
Davis and George Harveys have been
associated with DR.. Wilson's candi-
dacy from the first and that .if the
people generally had not that faith in
Mr.. Wilson's patriotism. honesty and
perspicuity which convinces them that
if"elected he will rise superior to the
convention that accomplished his nom
ination he would not have the ghost Of
chance
1t is not remarkable that the Star
omitted Dr.. Wilson'S denial of obliga-
ton to any one for his nomination, but
DR.. Wilson's coy way Of making the
denial must arouse widespread sus-
picion of his sincerity. Il have not
been told that anybody was RESPONSE
BILE for my nomination." he says. APP
parently the ingenious academician
believes his nomination was purely am
inspiration ION the part OF the Demo
cratic convention. and if it was nos
then somebody is to blame for not hav-
ing informed him Of the fact. IF any
body did bring 1t about he goes on,
Il am glad to say / did not know who
1t was"
OF course the eminent educator Of
Princeton had had no previous com
Ia ~ - -