Mexico weekly ledger., 1918-07-11
TIlaI AITtTtf@tN
Whitley DEFENDS
PEACE TELEGRAM
p,o NOT rsV TO INFLUENCE
PRESIDENT NOT TO pa
CLARE WAR
PEACE ONLY WITH HONOR
IA. supporsd Evsry Movement Iook'
l.o 10 vlnoisstion Of Ansrh
ear Arms In Fishi
Tor Liberty.

Senator whey has no apologies 70
make for his signature 10 the message
10 President Wilson asking the eKecu-
tive to maintain peace with honor, II
possible. but declaring HIS willingness
to abide BY the Presidents decision
The Senator says;
MY attention has been called 10 an
attack made upon me in the ST. Louis
Star. the personal organ OF my oppo-
nent. both in It's news and editorial
columns. based upon a telegram dated
March s. 1917. addressed to the Presi-
dent Of the United States and signed
by me along with n number Of other
citizens of ST Louis. An attack upon
the Americanism OF myself or any
other candidate III becomes a newspa-
per with the record as recently made
by the st. Louis Star, This ~so-called
independent st. Louis newspaper in
the St. Louis city campaign Of 1917,
upon the very day that President VII
son asked Congress for a declaration
Of war against Germany, declared IT.
self openly and strongly against Will
liam c. Connect. the Democratic can
didate for Mayor Of the city of st.
Louis. who was running upon a plat
form of loyalty and Americanism and
was supported on that platform by the
st. Louis Republic and the st. Louis
Post Dispatch.
"If the Star makes that attack in
good faith as a professed servant OF
the public and believes that the send
ing Of that telegram units me from
serving my state in the Senate, why
did it not serve the interests of the
public by attacking me when my ap-
pointment was under consideration by
the Governor? II had in its files then
the same information it displays in
bold headlines now. 1t was under the
same obligation to serve the public
then that It rests under now. II that
telegram disqualifies me now It dis.
qualified me then. But instead Of de-
nouncing me as impossible as it
does now, it carried favorable edi.
torial comment upon my appointment.
Why the sudden change of front7 The
answer is plain. The r~epertorial and
editorial columns did not at that time
speak responsive to the campaign
management that follows hot upon
this reprint with the impudent and
insolent request that | withdraw from
the race. And. further, the Star knew
then and knows now that my record OF
loyalty TO the President and TO the
country was u~nimpeachable by fair
and honest means. The Star knew
then and knows now that to question
my Americanism because of that tele
gram was dishonest and unfair.
What is that telegram? It was ad
dressed to the President. whom l had
followed from the time OF his first
nomination through the campaign o.
1912, supporting him upon the plat
form and at the polls; during the foul
years Of his first term and in the cam
paign of 1915 supporting him agar
upon the stump and at the polls.
supported the President when, at the
outbreak Of the European war, hi
counseled of the American people tht
strictest neutrality. l supported hin
when he demanded of the belligerent,
that they respect the rights of Ameri
can citizens. l supported him at thost
critical times when with unequaleC
patience he labored to keep the UniteC
States out of the conflict and at thos,
times when he sought for the United
States a peace with honor and respec
for American rights.
Il supported the President when h,
demanded Of Congress the passage o
the armed-ship bill, and had I been ii
the Senate at that time | would hav,
voted for the bill. l stood with hin
whe1 he demanded the defeat Of tn,
McLemore resolution. and had | beef
in the Congress at this time | woul,
, have voted against that resolution.
was with him when, early in 1917, h,
asked the b%elligerent nations to stat
their peace terms with a view o
bringing an end to the conflict, and
finally. when he called upon Congress
for the declaration OF war agains
Germany, and had | been in the Unit
cd States Senate at that time | woul,
have voted for the declaration Of wal
D Since the declaration, both as Uni
cd States Senator and as a private eli
, izen, I have continued to stand by tn
President, and have given the utmos
to the support Of his administrs91oa
and OF the measures he has advoc~z