Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-13
CHAIRMAN HAYS
TELLS TUMULTY
AIMS OF PARTY
No Back Stairs Politics to
Win; Quotes Letters to
Wisconsin Soldiers

| Congressional elections, but is con-
| ducting a campaign that is free from
subterfuge, is evidenced by a letter
he sent to Joseph P. Tumulty, secre-
tary to President Wilson.
The letter was written in reply to
a telegram Secretary Tumulty sent
September IL to Chairman Hays at
his Indianapolis address. 1t was an
inquiry regarding the veracity of a
newspaper report of remarks Chair
man Hays was alleged to have made
at a conference of Republican state
chairmen held in Chicago on Labor
Day. Immediately upon sending the
telegram Secretary Tumulty gave 1t
to the newspapers before Dir. Hays
| had received it.
Chairman Hays reply follows:
II have your telegram. On Sep
tember 2, in Chicago, 1 attended a
meeting of the Association of Re-
publican State Chairmen called by
, it's president and attended by fifteen
of such chairmen. At that meeting
1 made remarks referring in a gen.
eral way to the length to which
Democratic leaders are going in their
efforts to control the Senate and
House, and also as to the irrevocable
stand of the Republican party for a
vigorous prosecution of the war and
against an inconclusive peace.
II did not use the words quoted in
your telegram. What 1 said then,
which 1 now reaffirm and which
shall continue to declare. was SUBJ
stantially as follows:
First, as to the means resorted
to by certain Democratic leaders to
get votes. 1 said:
In the special election in Wis
10 hi ~
leaders published advertisements,
undenied since by them, addressed
to the soldiers at Camp Grant, as
follows:
ITO the Wisconsin Soldiers at
Camp Grant: Tuesday. April 2. you
are entitled to vote for United States
Senator from Wisconsin to succeed
Senator Paul o. Husting. President
Wilson, your Commander-in-Ch Chief.
desires all loyal Americans to vote
for Joseph E. Davies for United
States Senator. Davies election
means joy at Washington and gloom
at Berlin. Davies defeat means
gloom at Washington and joy at Ber-
lin
ct regard this as an infamous
prostitution of all patriotic pro-
prieties and the grossest violation of
Tic pldlAGSl ClNll uulys WOIIAy OL tllO
seVerest condemnation of all Amer
leans. In this crisis, when all pa
triots are striving to bring to the
aid of the country's cause every re-
source in men and material, when
thousands of Republican and Demo-
cratic boys are dying, side by side,
when both political parties are loyal,
such conduct is immeasurably repre-
hensible. From such action it is evil
dent, and l regret to say it, that
these Democratic leaders will go to
any length to carry the Senate and
House. Such unpatriotic efforts to
use the war for partisan purposes
must fail. Such inevitable failure
was indicated by the Wisconsin re-
suit, it was further shown in the
Michigan primary, and it will be
conclusively shown in the Maine
people will not tolerate it. This is
the war of no political party. This is
the peoples war, and we demand
that the war be kept out of partisan
politics and that partisanship be
kept out of the war. And what we
ask from the party in power we
irrevocably pledge for ourselves
Second, as to the imperative ne
cessity of a vigorous prosecution of
the war and a conclusive peace only,
and the need of a Republican Con-
gress to that end. and in connection
with a discussion of the candidacy
of Mr.. Ford in the Republican pri-
mary in Michigan and his statement
as to why he became a candidate,
and while reviewing the service Re-
publicans in Congress rendered the
major war measures which were op-
hu he nnV Ito 1Ar
Chairman Dent, of the Military At
fairs Committee; Floor Leader
Kitchin, chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee, and others, 1
said:
We demand the most vigorous
prosecution OF the war and a peace
with victory. A Republican Congress
means a war Congress. and we
pledge our candidates to be men who
are supremely pro-American who
will give the country's all for the
winning of the war now, and who
will stand irrevocably against any
peace based on compromise of
principles which would violate Amer
lean rights, interests and honor, and
make of our sacrifice a sacrilege to
be made again by our grandchildren.
l hope and trust the Democratic
Recognizing, as we all do that
there will. always be politics. l am
pleased to advise you what I said
to these Republican state chairmen,
because 1 insist that our politics be
open and acknowledged and on a
plane and of a character that needs
no subterfuge, and that there be no
political partisanship in anything
that touches the war
Further, l now take the oppor-
tunity to appeal to you directly and
to the Democratic organization, as
long ago did in my reply to Colonel
George Harvey's letter, to join with
us in this effort to keep partisanship
out of the war and the war out of
partisan politics. This is no time for
little things. The world is on fire.
Our duty to our soldiers, measured
by their marvellous accomplishments
and their supreme service, the mag
nitude of the task ahead for us all.
and the incalculable consequence of
the result. all cry out for the fullest
cooperation. Let not political par
ties spend their time accusing each
other of disloyalty when both are
cusation of disloyalty from either
one side or the other in this cam
paign. Such accusation will give a
totally false impression to the enemy,
and the party or the committee
making such accusation will be
guilty in that very act of the worst
kind of disloyalty.
I'VE have a heavy load to haul.