The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-01-31
WILSON ASHAMED
FRANKLY TELLS
HARVEY So
Governor Apologies to Editor
of Harper's Weekly
BLAMES LACK OF TACT
COL Harvey Promptly ForglVes Gov
ernor Wilson Who Says He Has
lone Track Mint"

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 them both. Meth
err wished to be put in the position
of giving out private letters, but both
asserted to the publication with the
distinct understanding that the init
iative came from the Evening Post.
The first letter was addressed to Col
Harvey by Gov Wilson from the Uni
versity club, Fifth avenue and Fifty
fourth street dated December q,
1911 as follows
MY dear Colonel; Every day |
am confirmed ih my 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 inter
view with you and Marse Henry at
the Manhattan club il came over me
that when Cat the close of the inter
view you asked me that question
about the Weekly, | answered it sim
ply as matter of fact, and of bust
sincere gratitude to you Tor all your
generous support or Of my hope that
it might be continued. Forgive me
and forget my manners Faithfully
yours, Woodrow Wilson
In reply Col. Harvey wrote to Gov.
Wilson from Franklin Square, New
York, a letter dated January 4, 1912,
as follows
"My dear Gov. Wilson: Replying
10 your note from the University club
think it should 80 without saying
that no purely personal issue could
arise between you and me- What
ever anybody else may surmise you
surely must know that. in trying to
arouse and further your political as
pirations during the past few years,
] have been actuated solely by the
belief that | was rendering distinct
public service.
"The real point at the time of our
interview was, as you aptly put IT,,
one simply of fact and of business,
and when you stated the fact to me
that my support was hurting your
candidacy and that you were exper-
fencing difficulty in finding way to
counteract its harmful effect, the
only thing possible for me to do, in
simple fairness to you no less than
in consideration of my own self res
pect, was to relieve you Of your en-
barrassment, so far at it lay within
nv power to do so, by ce,.sing to adj
vocate your nomination.
THAT. think, was fully under
stood between us at the time and
acting accordingly, took down your
name from the head of the Weekly's
editorial page some days before your
letter was written. That seems to be
all there is of il. Whatever little
hurt | may have felt as a consequence
of the unexpected peremptoriness OF
your attitude toward me is, OF course
wholly eliminated by your gracious
words. Very truly yours,
George Harvey.
Gov. Wilson replied under date o
January II as follows.
"My dear Col Harvey: Generous
and cordial as was your letter writ
ten in reply to my note from I'M
University club, it has left me an
easy-because in its perfect frank
ness. II shows that ! did hurt yo'
nv what | so tactlessly said at tn
Knickerbocker club. | am very nue.
ashamed of mysef-for there Ii
nothing / am more ashamed of tha
hurting a true friend, however unir
territorial the hurt may have been.
wanted very much to see you in was
ington. but was absolutely capture
by callers. every minute ] was IN m
rooms, and when ! was not there wa
fulfilling public engagements sa'
YOU at the dinner, but could not sc
TO YOU and after the dinner was SUI
rounded and prevented from gettin
al YOU. am in town today to spea
this evening and came In early IN IN
hope of catching you at your Office
For | owe It to you and to m
own thought and feeling, to tell yo
now grateful am for all your ge
erous praise and support OF me (r
one has described me more nearly
would like to believe myself to
than you have) how have admire
YOU for the independence and unhe'
Eating courage and individuality
your course, and how far ! was FRO
desiring that you should cease yol
support OF me in the Weekly "
will think of that as the result OF II
blunt answer to your question
thought only Of the means OF convl
cling people OF the real Independent
of the Weekly's position. You W
remember that that was what we d
cussed. And now that ! have un
tentionally put you in false and e
barrassing position. you heap COZ
of ERE on my head by continuing
give out interviews favorable to !
candidacy. All that can say Is u
YOU have proved yourself very
and that wish | might have an q