Unauthorized Advertisement Endorsing Democrat

Statement by Mr. Tumulty:

Chairman Hays of the Republican National Committee, in his recent letter to me, made reference to an advertisement which he said had appeared in Wisconsin papers and the inference which he apparently sought to establish was that the Democratic leaders at Washington or the Democratic National Committee or some organization within the Democratic party, was responsible for the advertisement. The following correspondence is, therefore, self-explanatory:

"Washington, DC.

"Mr. William J. Cochran,
Director of Publicity,
Democratic National Committee,
Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Cochran:

Statements have been made that in the special senatorial election in Wisconsin last spring Democratic leaders published advertisements addressed to Wisconsin soldiers at Camp Grant, near Rockford, Illinois, as follows:

'To the Wisconsn soldiers at Camp Grant:

Tuesday, April 2.

You are entitled to vote for United States Senator from Wisconsin to succeed Senator Paul Husting.

President Wilson, your Commander-in-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 Berlin.'

“Will you kindly inform me as to the facts and advise me whether any such advertisements were authorized by you or anyone connected with the Wisconsin campaign?

Very truly yours,

JP TUMULTY"

-oOo-

"Hon. Jos. P. Tumulty,
Secretary to the President,
Washington, DC

My dear Mr. Tumulty:

During the greater portion of the time covered by the Wisconsin Senatorial campaign I was in Chicago and in close touch with the management of the campaign for Mr. Davies, the Democratic candidate for the Senate, which was directed from state headquarters at Milwaukee. No advertisements in behalf of Mr. Davies were authorized by me or by anyone connected with the campaign, so far as I know, to be published in the newspapers outside of the State of Wisconsin.

No such advertisement as the one you quote was inserted in any Wisconsin paper. After the election I was informed that a Wisconsin soldier, a non-commissioned officer, temporarily at Camp Grant, acting upon his own initiative had inserted the advertisement you have quoted in the Rockford Star, published at Rockford, Illinois. The soldier, who was very earnest in the support of the candidacy of Mr. Davies, wrote this advertisement himself and paid for it with his own money. The Rockford Star in an editorial on June 26th revealed that the advertisement 'was an original composition, right from a soldier's brain.'

Very truly yours,
WJ COCHRAN"