Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-09-02
! Il UBEY t;I::iI 'ii'jJI''t MI BOSS
SAYS TH0S. GORE
United States Senator Pens
Vitrolic Answer to Demo-
cratic Chairman.
SAYS PEOPLE ARE WITH HIM
Willing to Go With President
Before People; Will Sup
port War Measures.

United States Senator Thomas
Pryor Gore will resign his office. pro
Niding President Wilson will also re-
sign, and both OF them will go before
the people for an expression.
lie Will support the government s
war measures and do all In his power
to prosecute the war vigorously and
to speedy elimination.
His answer to Alger Melton. state
Democratic chairman, who asked
him to get right or resign" follows
In full. In many respects II Is an
important document At any rate. II
is worth reading.
Washington, D. c., August ., 1917. Hon
Alger Melton, Chairman Democratic State
Committee, Chickasha, Okla. My Dear Sir:
| have the honor to acknowledge your tele-
gram requesting me to resign or to represent
the people of Oklahoma. l shall be very
happy to comply with your request on either
OF the conditions stated below. First. al
low mo to say, that | acknowledge no die
tator; | obey no boss The role OF trick
mule at circus has never appealed TO me
very forcibly, and would not even with 80
smiable a ring master as yourself. Many
states have political bosses. Many states
have political machines. The machine system
is a bad system 1t is one OF the worst
forms OF bad government Oklahoma has Sc,
her face against both / shah not he the
first to acknowledge the pretentions or TO do
obeisance to q would-be boss You will
pardon me- therefore. II | decline to permit
you to dictate my official conduct Upon
what meat hath this our Caesar fed that he
has grown so great. Nobody is deceived
Your real motive-I will not say your ulterior
motive-is perfectly transparent. You re-
mind me OF the ostrich that hides its head
In the sand and imagincs that its whole
body is concealed. l sec the African In the
woodpile. You will not be able to pull
enough wool over the eyes OF the people ia
keep them from seeing him too. For my own
part acknowledge no master but the people
| am their servant, obey their will when
| know their viii.
Before the declaration of war | wrote
many thousand letters down to Oklahoma In
quiring the wishes OF my constituency. Tn,
answers checked up more than four to one
in favor OF peace and against war. These
letters did not go, indeed, to the favorites OF
fate. They went to the folks. TO the folks
God bless and God pity them-whose backs
must bend beneath the staggering burdens of
this war and whose sons must sleep in name
less graves beyond the surgng sea. My let
ters upon the subject of conscription have
been more than twenty 10 one In favor Of my
position. 1t Is just possible that the poll
ticians who have been cogering men with
their abuse and vituperation are themselves
living in Il fools paradise. OF course these
letters and kilograms may bo misleading
They are the only lights ] have. They have
never misled me. Candor compels me to say,
however. that would not have voted for the
declaration OF war IL every man. woman and
child In Oklahoma had requested me to do so
In that event / would have resigned 1 would
not have had my conscience saturated with
the blood OF our boys and with the tears OF
their mothers-not for all the offices, not for
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