The Washington times., 1915-07-19
Letters Sent to The American
Machinist and Cleveland
Automatic Machinery Co.
PRESIDENT APPROVES ACT
Both Companies Asked Not to
Repeat 0ffense, Calling It
Unpatriotic Conduct.

Gliding the American Machinist.
narazine published in New oYrk. as
wall as the Cleveland Automatic ma
ehinery Company. Of Cleveland TOT
what he called unpatriotic CONDUCT
Secretary Redfield sent letters to otti'
cers of these two concerns today re-
rardinr the publication of an ADVERTISE
ment in the magazine OF May o. OF q
machine to manufacture poisonous acios
which would cause those struck 10 oie
in agony.
The latter was submitted to President
Wilson. at Cornish. and the rres'oe"'
hsartilv indorsed 1t.
The President wrote to Acting secrs-
tary Sweet. in whose care Mr.. Heot'e.u
hal left the letters, requesting MIN "
forward them to. the Cleveland concern
and the New York magazine. The let
ters are.
Letter To Machine Company.
CTo ]. P. Brophy, vice president ana
General Manager. Cleveland AUTO
matte Machine Company
Dear sir: Your communications OF june
% and June 20 are both received. An
cartier reply has not been made to them
because Of the inquiry which our M.
wuisley was making into the circum
stances surrounding the advertlsemeht
has not until now been completed.
1T is proper to express the stats1ac-
ton with which l note that you nave
thrown the fullest possible light upon
the circumstances surrounding tne atTo-
cious advertisement ut is no less) OF
make these facts fully clear. l accept
without difficulty also your suggestion
that had you realized the normal re,
sentm mt that this advertisement woulo
cause you would not have INSISTED oeii.d dpVn IN
the fact before 1t appeared that protest
was made against 1t"
Difficult To Understand.
II tbs. I confess. difficult for me
to understand how any one who was
not callous to a high degree coulc
have drafted such statement ioi
publication with a view to selling his
own wares. much less how such one
cotid have insisted upon its publica.
tion after he knew that oo'ecuor
was made thereto.
1T. as has been suggested, your
thought was to horrify people with
the war. no suggestion OF such pur
pose appears In tho advertisement IT
self On the contrary. you urged tn
cruel and agonizing nature OF th'
death caused by certain missiles as az
evidence of their efefctiveress ant
suggested that as the basis as SAT-
for the machine which made thes'
hijeous things.
Picture of Misery.
"At a time when every instinct q
patriotism calls for calm and self re
straint, when sobriety of statemen
is almost a supreme duty. you. as yo'
admit, to gain notice to an advertise
ment. draw a picture of human mis-
through the sale Of machines to pro
II learn that you have suffered in
convenience or worse by reason
the advertisement. This Is not strans
for the normal man instinctively re
sents the course you saw mt to take
/ shall regret 1t II the business o
sny of your stockholders suffer
through this serious fault and ven
ture to hope that, In their, behalf "a a
triotism, similar statements Will no
be used again
Letter To Magazine.
The other letter is addressed to tn
Hill Publishing Company, New Yor
city 1t follows:
u have not earlier replied to you
favor OF the 23d ultimo. responding t
mine of the 18TH because the inquir
being made by us into the facts sur
rounding the adyertisement IN n,.t!a tn
land Automatic Machine Company. o
May g. was not complete.
"Giving due weight to the statement
made in your letter. many Of which al
personally known to me to be correct.
vet seems to me that regardless Of yot
established code, this advertisement wa
one that should not have been publishe
by you. ..,,,, ,,aro NAV 49, -.
not be in the suggestion tha. Statement
Of the kind are calculated to horrify II
public with the war It Is, nevertheless
true that your columns were used
promote the sale of a machine whc.
suggested use in the advertisemel
named was that of manufacturing shel
containing poisonous acids. which shel
upon exploding would cause those WI
were struck by the fragments to die
lit cannot be denied that if the
were any so cruel as to employ al
such ammunition, that emp'oylne
would be promoted by their finding
manufacture of these horrible missile
1t does not relieve you from responsib
ity to say that similar or the sar
statements appear in the press Wn
others have done is not the measure
what you are called upon to do
Time of Excitement.
THE time is one of peculiar excit
ment with half the world on fire al
we. alone OF the great nations. are on
side Of the conflict. At such TIN
when restraint and calm Is the duty
every citizen. your columns were op'
to statements calculated to arou
wrath and kindle excitement as resi-
has shown.
1 regret, therefore, having to s;
that the American Machinist seems
me in thise case. to have made
serious verging. to sa ythe least. up
unpatriotic conduct. | trust the {
fense against humanity and again
that self-control which is now patr't
ic duty. may not be repeated