Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1915-01-05
WHO WROTE THE NOTE :?
Was 1t President WiIecz., or Was 1t
Really Our Distinguished Fellow citi-
zen and Patriot, Col. H. o. Tair?

OTIS lildb bryan was ready TO lay QOWI
the portfolio of state and take up tht
} burden of his perennial presidentia
candidacy, as has been announced BY
some of the critics of that gentleman
has given rise to the widespread anC
general belief that / am now il
Washington in actual control of the
affairs or our government, and it is tc
head off this growing confidence thai
Jour government is at last in safe
hands that | again ask the use OF
your valuable paper.
| Were / to remain silent at this crit
ical moment in the history of oul
country, and were dire results to fol
low the action of the presidents note
results which he lacks the capacity to
| fully appreciate, our business interests
might be lulled into fancied security
that might be followed by baneful
results.
| | do not desire to sfirk any respon-
sibility and therefore will not deny
that the note which has set all Europe
agog, which has been the principal
topic of news in the English and
other European papers, even to the
exclusion of the war news, was pri-
marily prepared by me. If you and
your readers and the American public
will but remember, they will admit
4
that it was | who discovered the in
adequacy of our navy and of our army.
| am not paciticist, and it is prob
able that in some of my letters to
the president or some of my utter
ances made in the post office lobby, /
have expressed sentiments that have
eliminated in this note to the British
government. An unscrupulous news
paper yesterday stated that some
bureau officer at Washington had
been working on this note for a
| month, that he had been assisted BY
the secretary of state and other cabi-
net officials, and that finally the pres
ident had taken hand in smoothing
down all the rough edges. This is
pure rot. AS | remember my utter
ances on this topic they were full
and round and required no smooth
ing down.
/ am not permitted at this stage,
and in view of the fact that / may be
called to the Cabinet any day, to fully
express the contents of that note, but
you can take ii from me that if the
ideas advanced are the ones that had
been worked out by me and to which
| had given expression, that ( it was
some note. Some day it may be your
privilege tolearn the exact wording
of this epoch marking note, but for
me to tell about it now would not be
diplomatic.
/ have written the president to con-
gratulate him upon the step he has
taken, but at the same time ] was
called upon to point out to him that
he was in the position of one who has
| mounted locomotive, pulled open
the throttle and knows not how to
stop the machine, nor recognize the
signals. The present moment requires
a cool head, a broad knowledge of
diplomacy and of international law,
and stand ready to supply these.
1t is laughable to think of such a
mild-mannered man as our president
being engaged in the pastime OF
twisting the British lions tail and
being accompanied by no better guide
or mentor than Mr.. Bryan. He re-
quires the assistance of lion-tamer
like myself, one of great courage, cap
able of instilling fear into the brute,
figuratively speaking, and unless he
has this assistance, will not be re-
sponsible for evil consequences which
may follow.
+! War, pestilence, ruin and soup
houses may follow as result of this
note, which by the way was very
good note as far as notes go, but hay-
ing uttered the note, having stirred up
this hornets nest, what are they 60
ing to do about it, unless they call
upon me in time to head off the
other fellows ? l am still awaiting
the telegram from Washington, but
presume the president is too busy, tee
much ratified to think of just where
the assistance, the counsel, he stands
| in need of is TO be found, but | am
hoping that some friend of the gov
eminent, some friend of the people,
some patriot who is not blinded by
jealousy, will prevail upon him to
send the telegram | have been wait
ing SO patiently for
| So interested have l become in this
/ that have not even taken time to
denounce those cowardly plagarisGs,
| who have been conducting the survey
of the University. They have stolen
a great deal of what / have said
about this iniQuitous institution
which is attempting to dominate ouI
state and deprive US of representative
government. do not mind so much
the stealing of what / said, but the
fact that this investigation has been
conducted at large expense, and in
lspite of all t.lis expense not half SC
much derogatory of the University
has been said as l could have said
without visiting Madison. l could
have made a much worse report fol
half the money. Oh, these corrupt
times
No cannot tell you just what We
said in that note to Britain.
| Yours patriotically,
Col. III. o. TAIR.
The annual convention of the
county superintendents will be held