Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-12
RIDDER ACCUSES
STONE OF BATTER
Sought German Support in Sec
ret Meeting; Tells of Sub
terranean Diplomacy"

New York, Oct. I'm a signed
statement yesterday Victor Ridder. of
the New York Stats Zeitunng, denies
the story made public by Norman
Hapgood, of the Wilson Independent
League, to the effect that Mr.. Ridder
had told State Senator Kellor, of
Illinois. that he had written a cam
paign speech for Charles E. Hughes
in which Mr.. Hughes would attack
England in order to hold the German
vote.
Mr.. Ridder says there was a meet
ing between himself and Senator
Kellor, but with witnesses present.
and he has the written statement of
one of these witnesses. Henry Abeles.
| of New York, to the effect that no
such remarks as are credited to him
by Kellor and Hapgood We're ever
made. Instead, kellor was endeavor-
ing to persuade Ridder to call on
President Wilson at the White House
and assured Ridder that Mr.. Wilson
can convince you in the course of
an hour or two that he is friendly TO
Germany"
Wilson Hand in Glove
Mr.. Ridder declares that Kellor
for his own purposes wilfully placed
words in my mouth which were never
spoken" Mr.. Ridder goes on to al
lege secret efforts of the Wilson Ad-
ministration to curry favor with the
German-American voters whom Mr..
Wilson publicly brands as disloyal.
He says that Mr.. Abeles happened
to be present at the meeting with MIR.
Kellor, having called as the bearer
of an invitation from Chairman Stone
OF the Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee, to discuss the questions of the
campaign at gathering of influential
German-Amerlcans to be arranged at
Terrace Garden that very evening. L
declined the invitation. Mr.. Abeles
Immediately called up Senator Stone
from the Stats Zeitunng office and
told him that 1 had declined. Sena-
tor Stone then spoke to me saying
that he would regard it as a personal
favor not only to come myself, but
also to bring influential German
Americans with me.
Under the circumstances I felt that
we should at least hear what Senator
Stone had to say. and so a number of
us gathered at Terrace Garden for
dinner at S o'clock on September Is
as the guests of Mr.. Abeles. Senator
Stone used all his well-known powers
OF persuasion - and l am ready to
concede him the palm as an able
advocate of the Administration to
convince us that the apparent anti
German American policies of the Will
son Administration were only for pub
lie consumption and that privately
they were ready TO work hand in glove
with the German-AmeriCan leaders.
The whole object of this confer
ence. as far as Senator Stone was con-
cerned, was TO find out what action
was necessary on the part of the Ad-
mlnistration in order to secure the
support of GermanAmericans at the
coming election. Can anything be
more humiliating than these acts of
the chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee of the Senate gumshoeing
in small room of a Third avenue
beer garden and bartering for the
votes which the President, from the
platform of Shadow Lawn and in his
speech of acceptance, had repudiated 2
The conference broke up at 8 o'clock
IN the morning and matters were left
in state of watchful waiting.
Hardly ten days passed by when the
second emissary of President Wilson
appeared in New York City to accom-
plish what Senator Stone had failed
TO accomplish. This time the mes
senger appeared in the person of
Cabinet minister-no less parsonage
than Albert Burleson, Postmaster
General, who divides the honors with
Senator Stone and Colonel House in
the intimate advisoryship of the Presi-
dent. Mr.. Burleson arranged through
Mr.. Niereck, the editor of The Father
land, for a conference at the offices
of the Democratic national headquar-
tiers. Be it said to the credit of the
gentlemen invited that they declined
to have any dealings in the subter-
ranean political diplomacy which was
being engineered by the Wilson group.
Mr.. Niereck was the only one to
welcome Mr.. Burleson. What oc-
CURED between Mr.. Burleson and Mr..
Niereck may safely be left to the i'm
agination until such time as either one
of the gentlemen is willing to take
the public into his confidence. So
much for the campaign of Kellor,
Stone, Burleson and Wilson. What
they have done in New York they
have done in the West They have
been hypocritical to the limit, and we
have been in the best position to OBJ
serve at the next interview between
Messrs. Hapgood, Stone. Burleson and
Wilson. Perhaps l shall not be in
vited."
ANNnTNCI- DI,ANC I-nR