Arizona republican., 1916-10-09
INSTRUCTIONS T0 TERR0R|zE
 POSTMASTERS
Special to The Republican,

NEW YORK, Oct. s. Vance Mccormick, chairman of the demo- cratic national committee, yesterday denied the charge that the democrat ic organization was attempting to extort campaign funds from post masters and other federal officials by ten per cent political assessment. Today, he admits the charge but tries to explain it. Tomorrow, he may have to explain his explanation. in view of further conclusive and confirmatory evidence which has reached the republican national com mittee
 When MT. McCormick's attention was directed to the charge that the democratic campaign committee through R.. Roma Ridgeway, a mem Der of the democratic national finance committee and chairman of the demo- cratic central committee. of Texas, was attempting to hold up the post masters of the country by collecting "contrihuticns" of ten per cent of their annual salaries under the threat that record would be kept of those who proved loyal by contributing, and of those who proved "disloyar by refusing to contribute, Chairman Mccormick said: These charges are the most arrant nonsense, and are absolutely untrue, they are in line with the campaign of misrepresenta- | tions that the republicans have been making from the start"
 1 Today, having learned that copies of the "shakedown" letter were in possession of the republicans, and that fac similes were being furnished to the press, MT. Mccormick revised, i-practically repudiated-his denial ! ha
 written and mailed without the knowledge or consent of any member of the democratic campaign commit | tee, and 1 have just learned of it's
 existence. Mr Marsh. the treas
 urer of the democratic national com mittee tells me that he received, q copy of the letter about two weeks ago and that he wired immediately to w. PoindeXter, national committee man for Texas, and to H. Bonna Ridgewav that the letter should not go out. Apparently some copies did i get out before his telegram reached 1 them"
 Mir. McCormick's two conflicting denials brings the question of mis-
 representation sharply to the front when compared with the accompany ing letter from R. Bonna Ridgeway, chairman of the democratic central committee, of Fcrt Worth, Texas. ad- dressed to the county chairman of his , state. It is peculiarly interesting that it should be in the state of Texas, the home state of Postmaster General
 Burleson, that this particular attempt
 to evade the law first comes to light.
 Mr. Ridgeway's letter is well worth
 a very careful persual it embraces q
 good many points for deliberate con-
 sideration. h it's opening sentence,
 for instance it cites rne democratic
 national campaign committee, of which
 Vance (. Mccormick is chairman as its authority for directing the course outlined by the letter. Mir. Ridgeway
 informs his strong-arm scuad Ihat
 the Hon. William PoindeXter, demo-
 cratic national committeeman, from Texas, Tad been in New York but a 5 few days prior to the writing of this : letter. and while there had conferred
 with the national campaign commit l tee. IL was evidently upon the re- turn of MT. Poindexter from New | York to Fort Worth, that he convey ed 10 Mir. RidgeHay the instructions
 of the democratic national campaign t committee to embark upon this course
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