Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1918-09-20
SUMMERS PROPOSES,
MCCROSKEY ANSWERS
First Tilt in Congressional CampaiE IN
Decidedly in Favor of the Whit
man County Candidate


congressional district OF Washington,
has made a proposition to W. +. Nc
Croskey OF Palouse, his democratic
opponent, that each Of them leave
the district and remain away until
election day, doing Y. NJ. G. a. work
or other war work, and permitting
the voters to decide between them
without further canvassing.
81 made this proposition yester-
day to Mr. McCroskey and have not
yet received his reply said DR.. Sum-
mers, who arrived in Spokane this
morning from his home in Walla
Walla.
There is normal republican
majority in our district of about
5000, and with positive aggressive
policy l expect to win.
The Spokesman-Reyiew of Septem-
Der 16 published Mr.. McCroskey's
answer to DR.. Summers proposition,
as follows:
About ll:00 clock p. M on Sep
TENDER L., 1918, / received your let
ter of that date and in reply will say
When | read your letter l as
sumed that it was a personal com
munication TO me, written in good
faith, but before | had time to con
slider it or to make reply thereto you
gave an interview to a Spokane news
paper of September ) in which you
purported to outline the contents of
your communication to me.
Your letter proposes that We en-
list for Y. Nj. c. A. or other work
that will take us out of the district
from now, or from some early date,
until November 10, or January /,
1919, If you prefer.
Your proposal is based upon one
statement only: That the demand
for war workers is at all times ur-
gent. | agree with you that the de-
mand for war workers is at all times
urgent, but | insist that the demand
is no more urgent now than it was
before you began your extensive cam
paign for the nomination for con
gress. May | inquire if you made
any such offer to your republican OPP
ponents for the nomination prior to
or during the primary campaign?
The demand for war workers in
the better advertised lines, such as
you suggest, is no more urgent than
is the demand for faithful service in
the everyday walks of life, and there
is no necessity for either of us to
leave the district in order to perform
our full patriotic duty.
ut is we'll known fact that you
have been actively engaged in cam
paigning for congress in the district
during the last year and that you
have just completed a most compre-
hensiVe and detailed primary cam
paign for the nomination, during
which you visited practically every
city, town, hamlet and crossroads in
the district, meeting the people, dis
tributing your literature, posting
your campaign pictures and securing
generous newspaper publicity.
In view of these facts, and the
further fact that, as | had no oppo-
sition for the nomination, | made no
campaign other than to visit a few
cities and towns of the district and
that | INDUCED in no advertising
other than the simple announcement
of my candidacy published in a few
of the newspapers OF the district, and
in view of your statement in the
press that there is a normal republi-
can majority of about 5000 in this
district, does it not occur to you that
your offer, made at this time. is
manifestly unfair?
Would you accept such proposal
if made by me were the conditions
reversed?
ITO properly represent the people
of this district in congress it is neces-
sary that each candidate meet his
constituents and ascertain their
needs and desires, and in fairness TO
them he should frankly state his po-
sition upon all public questions of in
terest to them.
In order that you may not be
placed at any disadvantage wish
to inform you that such time as |
may have between now and election
which is not devoted to urgent war
work activities l propose to devote
to my campaign, and in doing so it is
my desire to present the issues fully
and fairly, without the necessity OF
INDUCING in personalities.
As you gave your proposal to the
public press without awaiting my
answer or giving me an opportunity
TO first reply thereto, am taking