Woodrow Wilson to Matthew Hale

I am not at all satisfied that I can give it the best formulation but my idea would be that in order to offset Governor McCall's effort to make capital of his being a "war Governor" a plank something like the following would be advisable:"The greatest task of its history is at present before the nation and the greatest necessity of its life for the effective display of its unity and patriotism. We, therefore, recognize it as our duty to give the fullest and most ungrudging support to the present national administration in the prosecution of this war and of the policies associated with it, and in order to do that we believe it the duty of every voter to associate himself upon every public occasion that offers with the forces that have indisputably supported the administration from the first. Only in this way can it be made clear on both sides of the water what the purpose and spirit of America is. We cannot make that purpose clear by supporting those who are known on both sides of the water to have been the earnest antagonists and severe critics of the administration at a time when the lines of action seemed to lie too near the question of allegiance or lack of allegiance to America as against all the world."I hope you will think this comes somewhere near it.
Cordially and sincerely yours,
Woodrow Wilson


Hon. Matthew Hale,
Boston, Massachusetts.