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Show HUGHES ADMITS SEEING O'LEARY I , i !But He Denies Having -! Entered Into Aree- 1 ment With Irish and Germans. i j New York, Oct. 22. Charles E. Hughes. Republican candidate for president, denied tonight the charge of the Democratic industrial committee commit-tee that he has entered into a secret agreement with tiio American Independent Inde-pendent conference, in which Jeremiah Jere-miah A. O'Leary Is said to be the central figure. His denial was in reply to a statement state-ment issued from Democratic headquarters head-quarters in this city, containing what purported to be a report made by Mr. O'Leary, at the session of the conference confer-ence In Chicago. In this nlleged re-i re-i port O'Leary was quoted as having1 said. "Mr. Hughes promised that hisj future conduct in the speech-making, line should be entirely satisfactory to I the interests of the committee." The Democratic statement charged that O'Leary and his committee were delegated to meet Mr. Hughes and ascertain as-certain his attitude with reference to "Mr. Roosevelt's pro-British and anti American utterances in particular, and his (Mr. Hughes') policies in general" The Republican reply was issued at Montclair at midnight, after a three hour conference between National Chairman W. R. Wilcox and Mr Hughes. The former called early in the evening, took dinner with the nominee and afterward went into conference con-ference with him over the nominee's recent trip. While they were conferring, confer-ring, the Democratic statement was read to them over the telephone. A "few minutes before midnight Chairman Willcox: issued this statement: state-ment: "Chairman Willcox said this evening that the matter referred to had been brought to the attention of Mr. Hughes over the telephone and that Mr. Hughes' replied: 'I saw the persons mentioned at their request about the middle of September, just as I have seen all persons and delegations so far as possible, who have asked me to receive them. " 'I have said nothing in private that 1 have not said in public. At the very beginning, in my speech of acceptance, I declared my position in favor of the absolute protection of American lives, American property and American commerce. This I reiterated reit-erated to these persons and I have stated it to all others, who have asked interviews as well as in my public speeches. "To this malntenace of all American Ameri-can rights I adhere and shall continue con-tinue to adhere. I have declared over and over again that I have made no private agreements and have agreed In no intrigues and I repeat that statement.' " After quoting Mr. Hughes as above, (...airman Willcox's statement continued: "Chairman Willcox further said that the national committee has not had and has not now any agreement or understanding with any body on such a matter." Apparently neither Mr. Hughes nor Mr. Willcox knew that the statement state-ment was to be forthcoming until after dinner tonight. Mr. Villcox, on his arrival at Montclair, announced announc-ed mat he had called to confer with Mr. Hughes concerning the last trip and the itinerary for the next one. Early in the evening Colonel George Harvey called and paid his respects to Mr. Hughes, colonel Harvey was not present, however, at the conference confer-ence between Mr. Hughes and Mr. Willcox. The statement issued by the Democratic Demo-cratic committee was read over the telephone to Mr. Hughes and Mr. ill-cox ill-cox by an employe of the Republican national committee at New York, into in-to whose hands a copy had fallen, about 9 o'clock tonighL It was then taken down by a stenographer, over the telephone, and transcribed. With the transcription before them Messrs. Hughes and Willcox prepared the statement which Mr. Willcox Issued. The committee which saw Mr. Hughes included, besides Mr. O'Leary, Will R. MacDonald of New York City, Carl E. Schmidt of Detroit, chairman of the national committee of the American Independence conference, con-ference, and Frank Seliberlich of uosion. it upijumieu u.l a iuccl- ing in Detroit on September 7. The alleged disclosures, for which the Democratic national committee announced it assumes full responsibility, responsi-bility, purport to have taken from "the official minutes and authenticated authenti-cated stenographic transcript of certain cer-tain proceedings of the American Independence In-dependence conference the high-sounding high-sounding title of the secret, racial organization under which Jeremiah A. O'Leary and his associates have been making their furtive and nation-wide campaign in the interest of Charles Evans Hughes. At a conference held September 30, last, it is asserted, O'Leary made his report, which in substance was that Mr. Hughes had assured the "special committee" (O'Leary and his associates) associ-ates) that he had sent a congratulatory congratula-tory telegram to Colonel RooBevelt on the occasion of the colonel's Lew-istown, Lew-istown, Me., speech, before he (Mr. Hughes) had actually read the address. ad-dress. According to -O'Leary, the Democratic statement said Mr. Hughes "had simply glanced over t,he newspaper headlines and comments and felicitated Colonel Roosevelt upon up-on what apparently was a great Republican Re-publican utterance." A. statement read to Mr. Hughes by the "special committee," according accord-ing to the Democratic national committee, com-mittee, said in part: "We, representing a large percentage percent-age of the voters of the United States, who believe in the principles of American Independence and sovereignty, sov-ereignty, in conference assembled at Detroit, Mich., September , 1916, have been attracted by "the telegram of congratulation which was sent by the Hon. Charles E. Hughes, Republican Republi-can candidate for president of the United States, to Theodore Roosevelt Roose-velt upon the deliverance by hii of a public speech at the city or Lew-iatown, Lew-iatown, Me., which carried with it, by expression and Implication, an endorsement en-dorsement by Mr. Hughes of Mr. Roosevelt's pro-British and anti-American anti-American public utterances, which position po-sition has heretofore been condemn- ed by us in conference and conven- r tion as inconsistent with American ideals and American history. "Under these circumstances, we de- i sire to call the attention of Mr. Hughes to the fact that Mr. Roosevelt, Roose-velt, actuated by race prejudice and a desire to serve British interests, de- I signedly attacked a large part of the i American people, while he did not mention any of the flagrant, arrogant and continual transgressions upon American rights by Great Britain. "We. therefore, designate Carl E. Schmidt, Will R. MacDonald, Jeremiah Jeremi-ah A. O'Leary and Frank Seiberllch as our representatives to place before t Mr. Hughes a definite statement for the benefit of a broad and liberal Americanism that has been offended I by the British propaganda, creating . as it does racial antagonism In our, country with resultant destruction and surrender of American rights, whether or not he will administer the presidency of the United States in accordance ac-cordance with the spirit of the fathers fath-ers and the whole American people, instead of at the behest of present- ( day tories, materialists and war partisans, par-tisans, who proclaim the false doctrine doc-trine that American patriotism is British subserviency and the spirit of '76 Is a treasonable hyphenism. "To this document, we, the undersigned, under-signed, representing various organi- ! zations, individuals, constituents and interests throughout the United States, affix our names an indication indica-tion of our approval of those we represent." rep-resent." O'Leary was shown a copy of the charges made by the Democratic committee at the close of an address he made hero tonight in which he de- ' nounced tne Wilson administration. He expressed surprise and at first said he had "nothing to say." Later, however, when asked if he had ever discussed the British blacklist with ' Mr. Hughes, he said: "I never did submit any such question ques-tion to Charles E. Hughes." O'Leary refused to discuss the statement further. |
