The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-10-31
dARRtlO ANSWERS
BERGER CRITICISM,

Oklahoma City.-The Dg.
tate machine slander NIP ,
rope of electing Congg Of the
Ferris to the senatelfy: Realil-
upport of The L.cag(W. Harreld
lis subservience n the field in
machine sreasedssues before the
ng that Copatic machine NOV
,as driven mill guns and now
he dscynplish the election of
,eonlo &c malicious and terrible
81 AIR Harreld
aodahoma City Times, the sop
the Daily Oklahoman, Ferris
.ftransmltter de luxe. in the issue
t/October Is, sought to make it APP
,Jcar, that Congressman Harreld had
4 ,oted to give Victor Berger, Socialist
'lected from a Milwaukee wisconsin,
district 10 congress. a seat in that
body. although Berger had been con-
victed for disloyalty.
The Times edtorialy says:
When Representative j. w.
Harreld voted TO seat Victor l..
Berger In the congress of the
United States. he sought to give
man convicted of disloyaly y to
this country high place in its
governmental affairs.
The statement is SO false It seems
impossible for it TO be cecdited by
the most casual observer. Congress
man Harreld never had an opportunity
as congressman Ia vote To seat Mr..
Berger. Congressman Griffin offered n
mo'ion to defer action ON the Berger
case until the courts could pass on
the charges against him, such charges
then bending against him, and, for
that matter, are still pending.
Had the Griffin resolution lr."al
ca. Berger wouM not have bee
ed as a. congressman. nor WoLI, H."
have drawn pay for the time h
awaited the acion Of the house mem
bership
The Griffin resolution was in line
with the established precedents of
both the house and senate since the
beginning OF this republic II has
been followed in The case Of Senator
Nowberry of Michigan, who was con-
v.cted in the courts for die improper
use ol money in securing his cleo
i'm
Newberry's sea is unquestioned in
the senate. and nor Democratic sen
ator has protested his presence Neith-
cr will It be protested until the court
of appeals has passed on the Sc
decided in the federal district court
But Mr.. Harrcd himself offers a
fair statement 10 The public regards
ms his vote in the Berger case He
says.
If my vote had prevailed. 1t
would not have seated Berger. BY
the established rules of congress
that when a member of congress
or member-elect is charged in the
courts with n crime. action by
that body shall he deferred until
the courts have &c ed. The Berger
ease stands out as an exception.
saw no reason for making an
exception in his case, especially
as the Griffin substitute proposed
TO keep him standing outside the
6oor without pay until the courts
ltsStu upuIl MS tuSt. ! SHW 1lp
reason for applying different
rule TO Socialist than is APP
heG 10 Democrat or Repub-
ican. II is justified by sense of
ius,ce and fair play"
The attempt 10 show that Mr.. Har-
red, among the states most conserva-
i've men and one who has attained
fu hfS nrnfaceinp md In Tho
business world, is in league with
The dlscordant clements of society
shows to what great lengths the
rioroncnts OF the Ferris candidacy
will 20 In order to assume some semb-
lance 81 responsibility for the Law
ton congrcssmans cause. During the
campaign between Senator Gore and
Congressman Ferris for the Demo-
cratic senatorial nomination. the Fer
ris captains belabored the senator and
his supporters as disloyalists and
sought Ia convince the Democratic
voters that whomsoevcr opposed Fer
ris w,ra members of cult opposed tn
Am,r,'1 ard in sympathy with Ger
many.
and to make this argument more
effective the Ferris newspapers re-
fused 10 publish paid advertisements
from the senator's committee, such
advertisements containing complete
rcfutations Of the slanderous charges.
Following the primary, these same
mad malcontents of the cause of au-
tocracy and machine government have
sought 10 attack the character and
citizenship of Congressman Harreld
and the quotation from the Oklaho-
ma City Times is one of many simi-
lar false and unjust accusations.
II is fortunate indeed that Mr. Har-
reid Is possessed Of temperament