Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 229, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 September 1920 — MALICIOUS MISREPRESENTATION [ARTICLE]

MALICIOUS MISREPRESENTATION

CHARACTERIZED THE VICIOUS OPPOSITION TO WARREN T. M’CRAY. * j * There appeared in the Jasper County Democrat of September 18, a two column article, with exceptionally prominent beading, charging that Warren T. McCray, the Republican nominee for governor of Indianh, had but SI,BOO in government bonds on March 1, 1919. This information the editor of the Democrat claims to have gotten by a personal examination of Mr. McCray’s assessment sheet in the office of the auditor of Newton county in Kentland. The examination was made and the vicious article was published, the editor says, because, (and we here quote his own words), "We were told to ‘give—in this case—to lend —until it hurt,’ and the ‘hurt’ evidently came very soon to Mr. McCray’s bank.” If the charge that Mr. McCray had but SI,BOO had been true he deserves to be denounced and defeated, but if it is not true, the charge is serious, vicious and an absolutely malicious misrepresentation.

We want to call the voters’ attention, Republicans and Democrats, to the real facts in this case, and we v want them to know that Mr. Babcock knew the facts when he published his article and knowing the fact, we want the voters to decide upon the honor or lack of honnor and fairness of this attack. The fact* are as follows and we substantiate our statements with sworn affidavits herewith published. The facts are, Mr. McCray had SIB,OOO in government bonds ana so reported to the assessor in March, 1919. The assessor erronously put the amount down as SI,BOO. The assessment sheet with this error was filed with the couilty auditor. An additional cipher was added by an assistant in the auditor’s office, who noticed the error and did it to correct the records, the same having been done without Mr. McCray’s knowledge. . , * Technically, perhaps, they had no right to do that and for that reason Auditor Sizelove made the notation copied by the Democrat and here set but: , “The above amount haabeen. changed from SI,BOO to SIB,OOO within the last few days. S. R, SIZELOVE, Auditor.” Dated April 29/1920. . In order that Mir. Babcock, the editor of the Democrat, might examine and copy from the assessment sheet, he had .to dig under the following affidavit attached to Mr. McCray’s sheet:

“State of Indiana, Newton County, ss * The undersigned,. Warren T. McCray, upon his oath, stated that m making his tax return for the year commencing March Ist, 1919, that he returned to the Assessor of Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, in answer to the question, “How many Government bonds did vou purchase during the war, that his answer was ‘flß,ooo.’ This affidavit is made to correct the records which the Assessor inadvertently recorded on the assessors’ sheet as SI,BOO. Witness my hand and seal this 15th day of June, 1920. (Signed) WARREN T. McCRAY. Subscribed and sworn to before me, a Notary Public, in and for said county and state, this. 15th day of June, 1920. William E. Towers, Notary Public. Commissioned to Dec. 18, 1922. I, S. R. Sizelove, Auditor for Newton County, Indiana, hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of a certain affidavit, which is attached to and forming a part of tax return of Warren 1. McCray, for year ' 1919, correcting the amount of Liberty Bonds, shown o„ M id •> SIZEU>VE . , Auditor, Newton County, Indiana.

This statement, sworn to by Mr. Mc.Cray and J**}™ Newton county Auditor, S. K. s«elove, was made on June 15, 1»JO, and the eager eye of Mr Babcock in his vigorous search f of t his •affidavit, Mr. Voter, what do you say of Mr. Babcock’s two column streamer at the head of his article in large, heavy capital letters reading as follows: fa _ _ — a a