Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-11-05
SEES DECEPTION
Continued from Page one)

make any such apology. Ny only re-
greet was that my speech contributed
In the slightest degree to the intro
auction of religious bigotry into the
discussion. 1t would have been in
troduced soon enough and it has now
clouded the issue so mulch that the
public is. in danger on not learning
the whole truth.
Furthermore in the text of his
statement my brief four-line postscript
about the Khan is so merged with his
own statements that the average read
er is bound not to realize where left
off and he began. The governor can
not seem to forget a brief misquota-
ton which appeared last Wednesday
morning in the Press-Herald and was
set right by my statement that eve
ming in the Express, published by the
same company. That statement left
not the slightest doubt of my posi-
ton. The Press-Herald's account of
my criticism of the governor in
speech before the conference of social
workers was also accurately reported,
as the governor well knew when he
gave out his misleading statement of
today.
IF the governor is so eager to have
the public know what ] really did say
and how 1 really do feel, he might
better have published my whole let
ter than merely the postscript 1 am
herewith giving that letter to the
press. There will then be no possibil-
ity Of further misinterpretation of my
position"
To Governor Ralph o. Brewster,
State House,
Augusta, Me.
My Dear Ralph:
immediately after ] was misguided
in Wednesday mornings Press-Herald
1 te1ephoned the Gannett Publishing
Co. and told them SO. That evening in
the Express they published a state
ment which 1 had prepared for them
and which was an accurate statement
of my first criticism of you, that you
should have given the commission an
opportunity to investigate the charges
before you gave them in full to the
public. The report Of my Portland
speech in the Press-Herald was also
accurate.
I wired you that night that in my
opinion your action was injudicious,
unjust to the commissioners and
detrimental to the best interests of
the state. You have unleashed pub
licity which you can never recall.
1t has gone all over the country and
the truth, when it is established, will
never catch up with it. You have
Furthermore, and this 1 think is the
worst feature of the whole matter,
allowed material rejecting seriously
on three commissioners and two
prison officials to go far and wide
without finding out first how much
of the material is true. If this is to
be your method, the position of ev-
cry member of our institutional
boards and of every responsible off,
Ger of state institutions is made I'M
tenable. We risk our regulations
by remaining on these boards; to-
morrow our names may be broad
cast all over the country on the I'M
verified charges of persons who may
prove to be misinformed or ill-ad-
vised or prejudiced. {. If public-mind-
ed citizens Of integrity are to serve
on our boards they should not be
treated in any such way.
AS for the alleged conditions at
the prison, 1 hope the truth when it
comes out will be uncompromisingly
faced and squarely dealt with. The
trouble with the prison situation in
this country is that it is seldom
handled in such a manner, without
regard Ior politics.. IL you have been
getting rumors and reports of these
alleged conditions for the past six
months, why is it that you have
never, even limited to me that all was
not well there? Did you not assure
me when you first became governor
that you would welcome my advice
on prison matters? Did you not
know that I am particularly con.
cerned whenever what is called 1.-THE
Osborne System" is in question:
Could not have been of some help?
You had two opportunities to tell
me in the last month, when we talk
ed about other things. You must
have known that nobody would be
more eager than I to help straighten
things out at the prison If they need
ed it.
My speech in Portland came after
q definite decision on my part that