The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-08-31
ROBERTS ANSWERS
ALLEGATION

To the People of Nevada: My at
Itention has recently been called to sew
eral scurrilous articles which my op-
ponent has written and caused to be
published in his own newspaper as
well as in certain "1y by night" news
papers that have no ethical scruples
against mud singing. He has SLAM
derously and maliciously attacked my
loyalty as a citizen, and / feel there
fore that in justice to my friends /
should make a brief statement refuting
some of the more glaring of his accu-
sations. / have never during a some
what extended career in public life
found it necessary to abuse an opon-
ent or sling mud during a campaign
and I do not intend to start at this late
date, and if I am not much mistaken
| the people of Nevada will emphatieally
resent such methods at the polls.
/ While campaigning for office two
years ago l told the people that. if
elected | would do everything within
my power to keep them out of war.
They elected me by a large majority,
and when the time came / kept my
promise, acting as God gave me to see
| the right. Years before this awful
war was even dreamed of / cast my
votes at all times in favor of increas-
ed military and naval appropriations,
and I was on the side of preparedness
/ long before preparedness had become
a popular issue. Those of you who
have followed my public record closely
since the declaration of war will find
me consistent supporter of what l
measures, my opponents misstate-
ments on those points Notwithstanding.
He juggles not only his own words but
mine. cleverly, in order to mask the
truth, but / am willing to let the rec
ord speak for itself. Any person in
Nevada who claims to be well inform
ed on public questions knows that my
vote against tabling the McLemore
resolution was made an issue against
me during the last campaign, and that
every opposition paper in the state
contained editorials attacking me for
it. / met their charges everywhere |
went and the people elected me-
My opponent has stated over his own
! signature that I voted against con-
scription. and in that statement he has
been more than usually careless.
! did vote against the so-called Kahn
amendment to the bill, and in this con-
nection might add that Champ Clark
and many other leaders of both sides
of the house voted as I did, but when
I the amendment carried voted for the
| bill. / objected to conscription and
made a speech against 1t, but when
the volunteer system was defeated,
voted for the conscription bill I trust
the opposition will be fair enough to
correct their misstatements.
In stating that l voted against GER
tain war measures, in the final anal
ysis he again states what is untrue.
/ There was one revenue measure, and
only one, to which he might possibly
point to something to substantiate his
assertion. That was a revenue meas
ure which contained number of very
vicious provisions, in my judgment,
and my opinion was shared by none
other than the republican leader of the
minority, Congressman Mann. 1t con-
tanned a provision which would place
magazines under the zone postal sys-
tenn and thus prevent our people in
the remote sections of the country
from receiving the educational bene-
fits to be derived from magazines. The
Record will disclose that it was COM
monty rumored that the president
would veto the measure if it passed
the house. | voted against the meas
ure in the house after having voted
after it had gone to conference be-
tween the two houses and some of the
many objectionable features had been
removed, then voted for the bill.
My opponent and some of the news
papers have repeatedly remarked:
why has Congressman Roberts not
returned to Nevada?" l will briefly
answer that question by stating that I
was elected to remain at my post of
duty when needed and I felt that Il
should place public interest above
personal ambition.
In conclusion, let me state that
since war was declared | have stead
fastly, according TO the best of my
Judgment, under my oath as a repre-
sentative, done everything within my
power to help to win the war, and any
person who says that I have not been
loyal has either been sadly misin-
formed or is an UNMITIGATED LIAR.
a.,t