The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-06-10
DEMAND FOR JOINT DEBATE
c. II. Braden, Insurgent Candidate for
Congress, Issues Challenge to
John L. Wilson

The Hon. John L. will meet foe
man worthy of his steel in Mr.. Braden,
who is an eloquent and forceful speaker.
His evident determination to ignore
Mr.. Braden by sending a substitute in
the person of a hired man to meet him,
will be taken by the public as an evil
dence of weakness. The following
Spokane letter will be found interest
ing:
Spokane, Wash, June 81 That
Former Senator John L. Wilson and
others of the regulars are attempting
to evade the real issue in the race for
the upper and lower houses Of con-
gress is the charge made today in a
statement by Charles H. Braden, re-
publican candidate for the lower
house, who over a week ago chal-
lenged John L. Wilson to a debate.
The challenge has not been taken up
by the Wilson organization, nor by Mr..
Wilson himself, altho he has indicated
that he was not averse to the holding
OF the debate, either by taking it up
himself or by obtaining some promi-
nent sneaker to defend the statements
made by him.
Mr.. Braden threw down the gauntlet
to Wilson, May Dc, because of the con-
slant charge, which Wilson and his
associates made, that the progressive
republicans were disloyal to party. Mr..
Braden also, at that time, took excep-
ton to several statements made by Mr..
Wilson, and challenged the latter to
prove his statements, or defend them
in open debate.
BY making pre-eminent the ques-
ton OF loyalty or disloyalty, the So
called regulars are endeavoring to put
a cloud on the real issue,' said MIR.
Braden, in his statement today. The
real issue, which they seem afraid Of,
is not one OF loyalty or disloyalty to the
administration. I am willing to enter
the debate on that question simply as
a means Of opening up discussion on
the real issue, which is: Shall the re-
publican party be and remain the party
of the people, or the party of the plu-
tocrats? The regulars are endeavor-
ing to control the party in the interest
of a rapidly developing privileged,
money, ruling class; the progressives
are seeking to control the party in the
interest OF the rights and needs OF the
masses. I am willing and glad to
maintain this position in open debate.
Are the regulars7
Now, I have thrown open an invi-
tation to Mr.. Wilson, as a representa-
tive Of the regulars, to join me in de-
bate in defense of their position. That
invitation has been before him and the
local regulars for more than week.
Why have they failed to respond? Let
me ask another question. Let me ask
Mr.. Wilson the pointed question
whether the conservation policy he ad-
vocates is the one inaugurated by
Roosevelt and recommended by Taft to
congress7 I affirm it is not, and that
it is plainly hostile. When, in one
breath, he is shouting loudly his
charges against the progressive repub-
licans for alleged disloyalty to the ad-
ministration, and in the next breath
advocating policy strikingly hostile tc
the Roosevelt-Taft conservation policy,
how much seriousness are we to attach
to his fearful concern about loyalty tc
the administration
This is one of many vitality i'm
portant questions upon which Mr.. VIII
son and the so-called regulars could be
shown, if space would permit, to be
disloyal to the Roosevelt policies, while
making much ado about loyalty. Let
them meet my proposition and see i
they can show wherein this statement
is wrong"
According to the petty thieving 60
ing on in town the past few days there