The Scandal of the Anti-Wallace Telegram
A political storm erupts as local figures scramble to disown a telegram sent to the President, exposing a fractured front against Wallace.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. Louie Fose of Tacoma, one of the signers of the famous Wallace telegram to the President, says that the telegram, as far as he is concerned, was genuine and that all the gentlemen whose names were signers were aware of the nature of the document and signed it of their own accord. In spite of this declaration, some signers now dispute the authenticity of the document. Mr. Church, for example, is reported as stating that he knew nothing of the telegram, and the other gentlemen are not coming forward with any remarkable rapidity to acknowledge the part they took in this move to down Wallace. It is probable that the general public will accept the statement of Mr. Fose as true until it is disproved. If the gentlemen implicated are now ashamed of themselves, the correct thing for them to do is to frankly own as much, and not seek to evade the responsibility of their act by disclaiming it.
“If the gentlemen implicated are now ashamed of themselves, the correct thing for them to do is to frankly own as much, and not seek to evade the responsibility of their act by disclaiming it.”
Political posturing and the disavowal of controversial stances are timeless features of Washington civic life. Much like the 1893 fight to 'down Wallace,' modern local politicians often find themselves caught between aggressive base-building and the need to walk back unpopular associations when public sentiment shifts.
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