Omaha daily bee., 1916-10-13
WILSONITES SEEK
FOR GERMAN VOTES
Victor Ridder Tells How Sena.
tor Stone and Postmaster
General Burleson Work.
aUMsHoE INTRIGUE SHOWN

New York. Oct l2.-(Special Tel
egram lin a signed statement yes
terday Victor Ridder Of the New
York Staats-Zeitung denies abso-
lately the story made public by Nor
man Hapgqod ofsashe Wilson lnde-
|.peqdcnt league, TO the effect that Mr..
Ridder had told State Senator Kellor
III Illinois that he had written cam
paign speech for Mr.. Hughes, In
which Mr.. Hughes would attack
England in order to hold the German
vote. Mr> Ridder says there was a
meeting between himself and Senator
Kellor, but that, knowing Mr.. Kellor,
he had witnesses present and he has
the written statement OF one Of these
witnesses, Mr.. Henry Abeles Of New
York, that no such remarks as are
credited to him by Mr. Kellor and
Hapgoed we're ever made.
Instead, Mr.. Kellor endeavored to
persuade Mr.. Ridder to call on Presi-
dent Wilson at the White House and
assured Mr.. Ridder that Mr.. Wilson
"can convince you In the course Of an
hour or two that he is friendly to
Germany" Mr.. Ridder declares that
Mr.. Kellor "for his own purposes will.
fully placed words in my mouth which
were never spoken"
Ridder Tells Story.
Having disposed OF this canard, Mr..
Ridder goes on TO make some ex-
tremely interesting disclosures con-
cerning the efforts of the Wilson ad-
ministfation to curry favor secretly
with the German-American voters,
whom Wilson publicly brands as dis
loyal. He says: "Mr. Abeles hap
pencd to be present at the meeting
with Mr.. Kellor, having called as the
bearer Of an invitation from Senator
Stone, chairman Of the foreign rcla-
tions committee of the senate, to dis
cuss the questions Of the compaign at
a gathering OF influential German
Americans to be arranged at Terrace
Garden that very evening. declined
the invitation. Mr.. Abeles immedi-
ately called up Senator Stone from
the Stats Zeitung office and told him
that | had declined. Senator Stone
then spoke to me, saying that he
would regard it as personal favor
for me not only to come myself, but
also to bring influential German
Americans with me.
Under the circumstances felt that
we should at least hear what
Senator Stone had to say, and
so number OF US gathered at Ter
race Garden for dinner at o'clock on
September 10 as the guests of Mr..
Abeles. Senator Stone used all his
well known powers of persuasion
and | am ready to concede him the
palm as an able advocate of the ad-
ministration--to convince us that ap-
parent anti-Gefman-American poll
cies of the Wilson administration
were only for public consumption, and
that privately they were ready to
work hand in glove with the German
American leaders.
Wanted German Votes.
THE whole object of this confer
ence so far as Senator Stone was con-
cerned was to find out what action
was necessary on the part OF the ad-
ministration in order to secure the
support Of 5German-Americans at the
coming election. Can anything be
more humiliating than the spectacle
of the chairman OF the foreign re-
lations committee OF the senate gum
shoeing i'll a small room OF Third
avenue beer garden, bartering for the
votes which the president from the
platform Of, Shadow Lawn and in his
speech OF acceptance had repudiated.
The conference broke up at 3 o'clock
in the morning and matters were left
in state Of 'watchfu waiting Hard.
ly ten days passed by when the sec
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