Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1924-04-02
Public Forum
ANOTHER OPEN LETTER.
Lancaster, Wis, March 81, 1924.
To my friends, The Public:

Because of the fact that a certain
character assassinating letter from
the pen of Harry e. Carthew appear
ed in last weeks issue Of the Grant
County Herald, because this letter is
being shown by certain members OF
the opposition with the claim that it
brands be as a self-confessed liar, and
because the publication of the letter
was so timed as to give me, no chance
20 come back in the public press in my
own defense before election, find it
necessary to take this means of pre-
senting to you my side of the case.
Mr.. Carthew's letter has been read
and discussed by every one. hundreds
of copies are in print over his own
signature so | need not reprint it here.
I will, however, explain how the So
called "Retraction" signed by me and
embodied in his letter was obtained, in
order that the public may understand
the unfairness of the whole thing.
Mr. Carthew, acting as he claims, as
attorney for Mr. Brennan, himself a
iawyer) secured this statement from
me because 1 thought that certain
statements in circulation and reported
as coming from me, reflected upon the
be set right. | was in the hands Of
two shrewd lawyers, and was, OF
course, no match for them. | did sug-
gest that I might better call in an at
torney to represent me and Mr.. Car
thew said that | was at perfect lib
erty to do so, but that it was his in
tentiOn to be perfectly fair with me.
With this assurance | waived my priv
l~,4 %I1xNJ ~ nc
the proper manner. Had this assur-
ance not been given me and had | en-
pIoyed legal advice | would never
have fallen into the trap so skIllfully
set for me.
The statement which Mr.. Carthew
prepared and which l signed is as fol-
lows:
TN view of the fact that certain er-
roneous statements have gained cir
culation and are supposed to have
originated with me, l wish to state
that Mr. Walter j. Brennan has never
at any time intimated or suggested to
me that I withdraw as a candidate for
mayor Mr.. Brennan never at any
time stated to me that there was any
thing about the present administra-
ton that should be covered up or that
the public should not know and never
in any way intimated any wrong doing
on the part of the present administra-
ton or any member of it and did not
in any way mention the present ad-
ministration in any conversation with
me--Geo. E. Beck"
Notwithstanding what this state
ment appears to imply the fact Is that
Mr.. Brennan did, on or about the 18th
day Of March, call me into his house
and discuss the subject of my candid
acy with me, that he did commend my
then expressed decision not to be a
candidate, and that when [ afterWard
yielded to the request of my friends
and came out as a candidate [ natur-
ally considered this communication as
at least negative disapproval of my
course.
Had this statement of mine been
printed in the Herald without COM
ment by Mr. Carthew, as / supposed it
would be, it would not have created a
ripple of excitement and I could not
have objected to it. However, when
an attempt is made to use it, not only
as. a basis for securing votes for my
opponent but a means of permanently
ter, I cannot let it go unchallenged.
Mr.. Carthew embodies this state
ment of mine in his letter under the
Caption "Retraction." This in itself
is false and misleading. Retraction,
means in plain English, the taking
back of an admitted statement either
because it is false or because it was
a mistake. Popularity, it is termed,
Eating a lie"
III my statement I have retracted
nothing because l have admitted no
thing; | have not confessed myself a
liar because have not admitted and
do not now admit, that l lied.
Can it be that this learned and Graf
ty lawyer does not know the meaning
Of the word "Retraction," for we must
conclude that, knowing full well its
meaning, he deliberately and malic-
iously uses it to mislead the public?