The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1912-02-09
Wilson Made Bad Blunder.

Wilson Made Bad Blunder.
New YORK, Jan. 3l.-The New York
Evening Post has sought, for the sake
of justice to all concerned, TO secure
| the publication of the correspondence
between Gov. Wilson and Col. Harvey.
In that sense it applied to both of
/ them. Neither wished to be put in
the position of giving out private let
| tiers, but both asSented to the pubica-
ton, with the distinct understanding
that the initiative came from the Even
| ing Post.
Wilson's First Letter.
The first letter addressed to Col
Harvey by Gov. Wilson is as follows:
university Club, Fifth avenue and
Fifty-fourth street, December u, 1911.
Personals My Dear Colonel: Every
day | am confirmed in the judgment
that my mind is a one-track road and
can run only one train of thought at a
time. A long time after that interview
with you and Marse Henry at the Man
haitian club, it came over me that
when cat the close of the interview
you asked me that question about the
Weekly, / answered it simply as a mat
ter of fact and of business, and said
never a word of my sincere gratitude
to you for all your generous support,
or of my hope that it might be con-
tinued. Forgive me and forget my
manners. Faithfully yours,
Woodrow Wilson"
Reply Of Col. Harvey.
In reply Col. Harvey wrote to Gov.
Wilson as fellows:
My Dear Gov. Wilson: Replying to
your note from the University club, |
think it should go without saying that
no purely personal issue could arise
between you and me. Whatever any.
body else may surmise, you surely
know that in trying to arouse and fur
Their your political aspirations during
the past few years | have been actu-
ated solely by the belief that I was
rendering a distinct public service.
The real point at the time of our in
terview was, as you aptly put it, one
simply of fact and business and
when you stated the fact to be that
my support was hurting your candi.
dacy and that you were experiencing
difficulty in finding way to counter
act it's harmful effect the only thing
possible for me TO do, in simple fair
ness to you, no less than in considera.
ton of my own self respect, was to re-
lieve you of your embarrassment so
far as it lay within my power to do so,
by ceasing to advocate your nOmina-
ton.
That, | think was fully understood
between us at the time and, acting ac-
cordingly I tok down your name from
the head of the Weeklys editorial
page several days before your letter
there is of il.
Whatever little hurt l may have felt
as a consequence of the unexpected
peremptoriness of your attitude to-
ward me is, Of course, wholly elimin-
ated by your gracious words. Very
truly yours.
George Harvey"
Wilson's Second Letter.
Gov. Wilson replied under date of
Jan. II as fO!lOWS:
MY Dear Col. Harvey: Generous
and cordial as was your letter written
in reply to my note from the Univer-
sity club, it has left me uneasy, be-
cause in its perfect frankness it shows
that l did hurt you by what ! so tact
lessly said at the Knickerbocker club.
| am very much ashamed OF myself,
for there is nothing I am more
ashamed of than hurting a true friend,
however unintentional the hurt may
have been. l wanted very much to
see you in Washington, but was abso-
lutely captured by callers every min
ute / was in my rooms, and when |
was not there was fulfilling public en-
gagements. l saw you at the dinner,
but could not get at you, and after the
dinner was surrounded and prevented
from getting at you. ] am in town to-
day to speak this evening, and came in
early in the hope OF catching you at
your office.
For owe it to you and to my own
thought and feeling to tell you how
grateful | am for all your generous
praise and support or me tho one mas
described me more nearly as l would
like to believe myself to be than you
have), how l have admired you for
the independence and unhesitating
courage and individuality OF your
course, and how far l was from desir-
ing that you should cease your sup
port of me in the Weekly. You will
think me very stupid, but ] did not
think OF that as the result Of my blunt
answer to your question. l thought
only of the means Of convincing peo'
pie of the real independence of the
Weekly's position. You will remem-
Der that that was what We discussed
and now that l have Internationally
put you in a false and embarrassing
position you heap Goals of fire on my