Part 5 (2/2)

I ier of the situation and the possibilities of disaster to his political fortunes that lay in his reply, and I told him very frankly that I was afraid he had deeply wounded Colonel Harvey and that it ht result in a serious break in their relations The Governor seerieved at this and said that he hoped such was not the case; that even after he had expressed hireeable to him and that they had continued to discuss in the n and that the little conference had ended without apparent evidence that anything untoward had happened that ht lead to a break in their relations We then discussed at length the seriousness of the situation, and as a result of our talk the Governor wrote Colonel Harvey and endeavoured to make clear what he had in mind when he answered the question put to him by the Colonel at the club conference a few days before, not, indeed, by way of apology, but simply by way of explanation This letter to the Colonel and a subsequent one went a long way toward softening the unfortunate impression that had been created by the publication of the Harvey-Watterson correspondence

The letters are as follows:

(Personal)

University Club Fifth Avenue and Fifty-Fourth Street December 21, 1911

MY DEAR COLONEL:

Every day I ament that my ht at a ti time after that intervieith you and Marse Henry at the Manhattan Club it came over me that when (at the close of the interview) you asked me that question about the _Weekly_ I answered it simply as a matter of fact and of business, and said never a word of enerous support, or of et my manners!

Faithfully, yours, WOODROW WILSON

To which letter Colonel Harvey sent the following reply:

(Personal)

Franklin Square New York, January 4, 1912

MY DEAR WILSON:

Replying to your note fro that no purely personal issue could arise between you and me Whatever anybody elseto arouse and further your political aspirations during the past few years I have been actuated solely by the belief that I was rendering a distinct public service

The real point at the time of our intervieas, as you aptly put it, one simply ”of fact and of business,” and when you stated the fact to be thatyour candidacy, and that you were experiencing difficulty in finding a way to counteract its har possible for me to do, in simple fairness to you, no less than in consideration of my own self-respect, was to relieve you of your embarrass to advocate your nomination That, I think, was fully understood between us at the tily, I took down your nae some days before your letter ritten That seems to be all there is to it Whatever little hurt I may have felt as a consequence of the unexpected peremptoriness of your attitude toward racious words

Very truly yours, GEORGE HARVEY

To Colonel Harvey's letter Governor Wilson replied as follows:

(Personal)

Hotel Astor New York, January 11, 1912

MY DEAR COL HARVEY:

Generous and cordial as was your letter written in reply to my note from the University Club, it has left me uneasy, because, in its perfect frankness, it shows that I did hurt you by what I so tactlessly said at the Knickerbocker Club I a I a a true friend, however unintentional the hurt ton, but was absolutely captured by callers every minute I was in eet at you, and after the dinner was surrounded and prevented fro, and ca you at your office

For I owe it to you and to rateful I aenerous praise and support of me (no one has described me more nearly as I would like myself to be than you have); how I have ade and individuality of your course; and how far I was fro that you should cease your support of me in the _Weekly_ You will think me very stupid--but I did not think of that as the result of ht only of thepeople of the real independence of the _Weekly's_ position

You will remember that that e discussed And now that I have unintentionally put you in a false and e position you heap coals of fire on ive out interviews favourable to my candidacy!

All that I can say is that you have proved yourself very big, and that I wish I ht have an early opportunity to tell you face to face how I really feel about it all With warard,

Cordially and faithfully, yours, WOODROW WILSON