Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-05
Mr.. BURKETT TO HITCHCOCK
Senator Says Congressman-Editor Has
Nothing to Debate.
WORDS INTENDED TO DECEIVE
Pursues Policy of NeEatiOn, Was
Absent on Pleasure when Work
Was at Hand-NO Record
20 Defend.
(From a staff Corresnondentl

LINCOLN. Oct A. Especial .)-United
States Senator Elmer ]. Burkett has made
public his response TO the challenge TO
joint debate sent him by Congressman G.
M. Hitchcock OF Omaha. 1t is as follows
LINCOLN. Oct. S.--Hon. G. NJ. Hitch
cock. Omaha Neb.-Dear Sir: 1 have re-
ceived your letter Of the Goth ultlmo, which
had previously read In the press, wherein
you invite me to a series OF debates / am
speaking every day and have my dates
arranged until October 20, and it would
not be practical to alter my plans before
that time in any event. The campaign is
going along very satisfactorily to me so
far and l have no particular desire to
change my plans already made.
"A debate upon real issues and facts
might prove attractive; however, have No
reason to believe that you would be more
fair or accurate In your statements of facts
from the platform than you are through
the columns Of your paper. Your iong-tiInv
associate in politics, Hon. William j. Bryan,
has stated in his speeches that you are un-
fair in your methods, and that you deceive
the people, 'misrepresent the issues and
do not treat your readers with ordinary
honesty If he is warranted in complaining
OF your methods In this particular, l am
sure may be pardoned for suggesting it.
Paper Intends to Deceive.
when was at Falls City a day or two
| ago, Mr.. Abbott of that place, and an old
time democrat, stated in my meeting that
through your paper you had saidthat the
Postal Savings bank law provided for only
| one bank in each state, which you know is
not correct. l have just finished reading an
article in your paper In which you pretend
to tell about my close relations with Henry
| I. Oxnard, and which is absolutely false
and you know it You know that no such
relation exists and that the story in your
paper is true fiction, an dcalculated to "de.
ceive." as Mr.. Bryan says. You also stated
in your paper that l voted against putting
lumber on the free list, when you know
better and know that you are only petit
fogging the Congressional Record, and thai
not only voted to place lumber on the fire,
list, but worked and spoke for free lumber
You also say in your paper that 1 voted
to increase the tariff on shoes, when yol
know that no proposition was made BY
| any one to raise the tariff on shoes anC
that as matter Of fact the tariff was re
duced on boots and shoes from 25 per cen
down TO 10 per cent, and that l voted fol
| the reduction. You state also that 1 op
posed reducing the tariff on barbwire, wheI
you know 1t was by an amendment that
| introduced that the tariff on barbwir,
was reduced from $40 per ton to 81 per ton
You state that l voted to raise the tariff
on farm implements. when we put farm i'm
plements on the free list, and l voted 70
1t, and you know it.
How Hitchcock Works.
While l was battling away at my nos
OF duty In Washington, trying to he'll
make the tariff bin right, you was takinI
pleasure trip through Europe. You
party offered no substitute for the repub
lican bill in your absence and you offere
none yourself when you returned, and
do not know what you have to debat
shout now. You have no record on an
public question but the general one OF ne
CATION While the republicans may hav
made smoe mistakes here and there I'm tn
details OF legislation that you might max
some capital Of, the record as a whole /
very gratifying and the prosperity that tn
republican policies have brouht to In
people and the progress and the develop
ment that America has made under thos
policies is very satisfactory to most per
sons. / presume that you are no NOR
ready now 10 defend the record that you
Continued on Second Page)