Wilson For Clean Campaign.

New York Times 100 years ago today, July 14, 1912:
He Will Abstain from Personal Attacks on His Rivals, He Declares.
    WASHINGTON, July 13.— Gov. Woodrow Wilson intends to make his campaign for the Presidency entirely without attacks on the other candidates, and he will direct personally every detail of the fight. His rule against personal attacks he expects also to enforce on his campaign managers.
    Gov. Wilson made these points in the course of a conference with Representative Charles Bennet Smith of Buffalo, who returned to Washington yesterday, after having seen Gov. Wilson.
    "I had gone to see Gov. Wilson," said Mr. Smith to-day, "to bring to his attention the need of a well-managed publicity bureau for the campaign. I have gone through four Presidential campaigns as a newspaper man, and I have been impressed with the lack of efficiency which the publicity bureaus evidence. Instead of clearly setting forth the merits of the platform and candidates, the publicity bureaus have seemed to expend their efforts in attacking the opposition forces. The copy put out has never been such as would appeal to a practical newspaper man.
    "He assured me that he would at once take up the matter of organizing a press bureau. The choice of Samuel F. McCombs as National Chairman means that Gov. Wilson will listen to everybody, consult with many, and then arrive at his own conclusions as to what is best.
    "Though he did not commit himself directly on this point. I gathered from the general trend of his conversation that he would prefer not to make a speech-making tour, preferring to confine himself to published statements. Should he finally decide to make campaign speeches, they will he limited in number."