The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1912-01-26
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington City.
January 22, 1912.


ly warming up with growing conf
dence on the part of the Democrats.
The most interesting development
of the last week was the publication
of the letter of Henry Watterson, edi-
tor of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
in regard to split between Woodrow
Wilson and Colonel George Harvey,
editor of Harper's Weekly.
Colonel Harvey was the original
Wilson boomer, but not long ago took
Wilson's name down from the mast
head of his paper. Colonel Waiter
son says it was because Wilson told
Harvey, with undiplomatic bluntness,
that the conspicuous support of Har-
pers Weekly was hurting him.
Colonel Watterson's idea is that a
man who does not know enough about
the practical affairs of politics to steer
around thing like that, has no bus
mess in politics, at least not as
presidential candidate.
#M*
But there is another side to the
story.
It is that Harvey wanted to arrange
a meeting between Wilson and the
New York financier, Thomas f. Ryan,
and have Mr.. Ryan finance Wilson's
campaign.
Mr.. Ryan is a Democrat and a Vir-
giniain. He is worth many millions
and is the man who bought the Equit-
able Insurance Company at the time
of the great scandals in high finance
a few years ago.
j. Pierpont Morgan is understood to
be the hacker of Colonel Harvey in
his newspaper
1t looked like too much Morgan and
too much Ryan to suit Governor Will
son and Colonel Harvey was turned
down fiat.
do not vouch for this story, but
it is talked here in Washington pretty
freely and sounds straight to me.
Perhaps the truth will be known by
time this letter gets to Marietta.
##@
When WattersOn's letter was first
published here the Democrats were
guyed quite a lot by the Republicans.
Watterson is sort of grand-daddy
of the Democratic party. He is about
the only thing that is left of the old
days, for the statesmen with whom he
played politics are all dead
He says he thought he had discoy-
cred another Samuel ]. Tilden in Gov
ernor Wilson. Tilden ran in 1876
thirty-six years ago. Colonel Waiter
son during the war published his pa
per in our own Gem City, moving
just ahead of the foul invader" That
was nearly fifty years ago. So you
see the colonel is no spring chicken.
BEING the last of the old bunch. he
naturally feels that he has right
to lecture the boys. He does it every
ampaign and does it most entertain
ingly. But it is surprising that he
would compare Woodrow Wilson with
Tilden. Tildel was politician if
there ever was one Nothing Wilson
has ever done that | have ever heard
OF would stamp him as politician
Ite is scholarly man and student of
st4e ecraft. To my mind, he is more
like Roosevelt than any other man in
the country. only believe he is q
better balanced man than Roosevelt
viii qualify that to this extent. As
a combination of mental and physical
power Roosevelt is the most wonder
tul man of his generation, and the
smoothest politician this country ever
saw. If he and Wilson are nominated
YOU will see a fight worth while.
aa%#
, But to go back to the Ryan affair:
If il IS true that Woodrow Wilson, a
brilliant man with practically no prop
efty declined to compromise himself
81 order to gain financial backing
in a campaign Cor the presidency it
is 10 his eternal credit.
What did Roosevelt do?
When the Republicans needed
money, sent for Hartman and had
him raise 100000 and later had the
ingratitude TO class Hartman as IAN
undesirable citizen" When in that
memorable campaign Judge Parker
charged that the trust magnates were
contributing to the Republican cam
paign fund, Roosevelt called him a
liar. The truth came out in the in
surance investigation.
r&#
People who come in here from all
points of the compass say Wilson is
growing in strength. Harmon is strong
and in some parts of the west is
stronger than Wilson at this time, but
] am told there is tremendous an
dercurrent among men who are not
politicians in favor of the brilliant and
scholarly governor Of New Jersey.
From the talk among members OIL
congress lido not believe there will
be any serious division among the
Democrats Ia this year of hope the