The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-10-11
Do SnIP3UILDING CONTRACTS
DEPEND ON PARTY POLITICS!
Democratic Campaign Solicitors EX'
pect Campaign Money From All
To Help Elect Democratic
Congressman.

washington, OCIoDeI o. hS ANS
publican publicity association, thru its
president, Hon. Jonathan Bourne, Jr.'
today gave out the following state
ment from its Washington headquart-
ers:
"According to news article in the
Portland Oregonian of September IT,
1918, the Democratic national COM
mittee is soliciting congressional cam
naipn contributions from both Repub-
leans and Democrats who are officers
or stockholders in ship-building com
panies engaged in building ships for
the government and depending upon
future contracts from the same
source. If this has been done, it is
reprehensible in the highest degree.
If this has been done in Oregon, it
has doubtless been done in every 9TH
er section of the country where gov
eminent contracts have been let. Di-
rect and personal solicitation of par
tisan contributions from a concern
having a war contract is the grossest
kind of utilization of the war for par
tisan political purposes.
There could be no criticism of ac-
ceptance of voluntary campaign con-
tributions from individual democrats
to a democratic campaign fund, even
if those contributors had government
contracts. But direct solicitation of
contributions is an entirely different
thing, particularly when the solicita-
ton is directed to republicans as well
as democrats. Solicitation of funds
in that manner leaves the necessary
inference that the contributions are
expected because the men have gov
eminent war contracts, rather than
because they believe in the principles
and practices of the democratic party
"Perusal of the letter sent to Of
ficers and stockholders of ship-build-
ing companies will show that it is not
only an attempt to get rake-off
from government contracts, but is a
repetition of the false claim that only
democrats are 100 per cent Ameri-
can. Here is the language of the
letter as published by the Oregonian:
att is incumbent upon every citi-
zen to make an extraordinary effort
to uphold the policies of our great
president, which can be done only by
electing to the senate and house of
representatives those who are 100 per
cent American, in accordance with the
aims of the administration.
"tA broad, comprehensive educa-
tional campaign is being conducted
throughout the country. 1t is neces-
sarily expensive.
"'You are now given an opportun-
ty to do something real, and we hope
you will make an early contribution
with the knowledge that what you
will do will help place the national
administration in a position to in
crease its efforts in the prosecution
of the war;
although the plea is ostensibly for
the election of senators and represen-
tatives who are 100 per cent Ameri-
can, the funds are to be used only
for the election of democrats, so the
necessary inference is that only demo-
Gratis are 100 per cent American. The
money will be used to re-elect Champ
Clark, Kitchen, Dent, and other demo-
Gratis who fought the selective draft
law, without which this war could
not have been conducted for a week
by American troops.
"The statement that you are now
piven an opportunity to do some
thing real is an implied assumption
that men who have bought Liberty
bonds, paid war taxes, contributed to
the Red Cross and conserved food
stuffs, have done nothing real until
they contributed to the democratic
campaign fund.
"The whole letter and the manner
of its distribution, if the press reports
are corrert, is a base perversion of
war business for partisan political
ends. 1t is an insult to more than
half of the voters of America. 1t is
misrepresentation of the republi-
cans in congress. 1t is one of the
most reprehensible attempts ever
made by political party to exact toll
from government contractors. This
action of the democratic national COM
mittee should be severely rebuked by
the voters in the November cleo
TONS"
ACDIETCEC