The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-02-01
NeUs From the Tripod

ton, but he doesn't say whether or
not the Ryan matter was brought up
at the now famous interview.
Mr.. Watterson took umbrage at
Senator Ben Tillman because the
Senator said: "I had given Henry
Watterson credit for more sense than
to try to foist off a story like this with
the material facts concealed" Yet it
is still true that Mr.. Watterson has
never given the full story of the in
terview. He has said that Gov. Will
son was arrogant" and "tyrannous,
but he has told nothing of the details
of what took place at the interview
except that Harvey asked the direct
question If Gov. Wilson considered
that the support of Harper's Weekly
injured his cause and Wilson replied,
yes.
Col. Harvey had published in Har-
per's Weekly the simple statement
that the name of Woodrow Wilson
for President had been withdrawn
from the head of the papers editorial
columns, because Gov. Wilson had
said the papers support injured his
cause. This left the impression that
Gov. Wilson had volunteered the
statement. Mr.. Watterson undertook
to elucidate the matter, but gave only
one detail of what occurred. Why,
doesn't he tell It all? Was the Ryan
matter suggested then by either him
self or Mr.. Harvey? He doesn't say
it was not Since he has undertaken
to report the matter and explain why
his former support of and friendship
for Gov. Wilson has been changed
into an attitude entirely hostile. he
should hold back nothing, but let the
public know the whole truth.
It is rather fanciful to believe that
this sudden change came wholly of
an act of supposed discourtesy and a
lack of proper regard for ties of
friendship that it is said Gov. Wilson
displayed toward Col Harvey.
Mr.. Watterson says of Thos. F.
Ryan. HE is a Democrat. He is a
Virginan. He is my friend. Know
ing him to be a disinterested man.
having no ak to grind. I hoped that
might induce him to help out what I
believed a worthy cause" Only one
Of these statements concerning Mr..
Ryan can be accepted without qualif-
cation. That one is that he is N,
Watterson's friend. No one can deny
Mr.. Watterson the right to choose
his own friends and political associ-
ates. If Mr.. Ryan is a Democrat he is
rot the same kind Of Democrat that
Woodrow Wilson is. He belongs to
the Jim Smith class, to which every
one who knows Gov Wilson's record, |
knows he is opposed. That Mr.. Ryan
is disinterested, with no AK to grind /
reads like joke.
1t is due the public that the whole
oNOly VI lllo lhdNltl D6 lOlu. MI.
Watterson says that "up to the hour
OF the Harvey incident had been
sincere believer in Gov. Wilson" He
still admits that Gov. Wilson is a man
of ability and in some ways would |
prove available, but adds, "if he be-
came President we might discover
that he has personal pecularities
which would prove disastrous"
That is puerile. It doesn't explain |
MIR. Wattersons sudden and radical |
change of front. The fact that while |
Mr.. Watterson is apostrophising |
Thomas Fortune Ryan Gov. Wilson
has lately spoken in praise of Will |
liam Jennings Bryan is more to the |
point That is the real difference be-
tween them and no matter what &C.
CURED at the Watterson-Wilson- Har-
vey conference in New York, there is
where the split came. 1t was bound
to come sooner or later. If there had
been no conference the split was in
evitable. These former friends had
come to the parting of the ways. The
endeavor to injure Governor Wilson
with a dramatic story of the rupture
rejecting on his character as a man
and friend is not creditable to the
men who made it.
THE ECONOMY OF