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Show WILSON GIVES HIS VIEWS ON , LIQUOR QUESTION President Writes Third Letter Reconciling Re-conciling Views Expressed ,n Two Former Ones Loulsvlllb, Ky., May 18. A letter from President Wilson was mado public hero today reaffirming his position po-sition on tho liquor question and clarifying two previous letters on tho soma subject. Known as tho Shannon and Gro-gan Gro-gan letters they were written when Mr. Wilson- was governor of Now Jersey. Tho Shanncn lottcr favoroi local option as a mean3 of settling tho liquor Issues. It stated if, they woro Injected Into stato or national politics they brought disruption and rendered constructive legislation impossible im-possible The Grognn letter has been construed In Kentucky to mean tho writer favored stato wldo prohibition. prohibi-tion. In view of tho widely divergent Interpretations In-terpretations that were placed on the two lottors, W. B. Haldeman, editor of tho Louisville Times, wroto the President telling of tho situation. "I havo your lotter of May 5," tho President's lotter mado public today to-day says, "and must apologize for not having ropllod to It sooner. I am suro that you will understand tho pressure of circumstances I havo been under. Tho roply to your letter Is very simple My so tallod Shannon Shan-non letter precisely defines my position posi-tion with regard to tho liquor lssuo, not only as It was when I wroto tho lottor, but as it Is now. What I Intended In-tended to say in the letter to Mr. Grogan and think that I said with Bufllclcnt clearness was that, while tho position I had taken In tho Shannon Shan-non letter oxprosscd my fixed convictions con-victions In tho matter, I was not self-confident self-confident or self opinionated enough to say what tho proper courso of action ac-tion was either In Toxa8 or In any othor stato where I was not personally person-ally In touch with tho condition obtaining. ob-taining. I felt that it would bo ar-rognnt ar-rognnt on my part to stato that thoro woro In ray opinion no circumstances which Justified an agitation for stato wldo prohibition. "I am suro that you yourself felt that thoro was no Inconsistency between be-tween tho two letters and I am sin-eroly sin-eroly obliged to you for having at-fordod at-fordod mo tho opportunity to mako this vory explicit." |