Wilson's Message For A War On Bosses.

New York Times 100 years ago today, July 12, 1912:
Governor Will Demand of National Committee That Only Progressives Be Put in Charge.
GOES AWAY FOR DAY OF REST
But Not Until He Had Seen More Important Callers Than on Any Day Since His Nomination.Special to The New York Times.
    SEA GIRT, N. J., July 11.—Persistent hand shakers, political visitors, picnic parties from up and down the Jersey Coast, and enthusiastic Wilson men who wished to assure the Governor that they were his original discoverers, found themselves facing a new condition as the sun went down over the little white house to-night. They found that the lawns about the little white house were theirs to rally on, that they could use the verandas for smoking parties, and were not barred from peeking in the windows and entering the reception hall.
    But while they found the Summer capital was in their hands, they could not find its principal resident. Gov. Wilson had disappeared. He was taking the first of a series of rests from the callers at his home by abandoning the home, since there was no other way of obtaining time to visit his family or answer his heavy mail. Where Gov. Wilson went was kept a profound secret. He said on departing to those in his confidence that he wished his whereabouts concealed and that word should be carried to all callers having important business, that he would be back in the morning after a night of rest and recuperation.
    While the Governor said he was going away to rest, his friends were skeptical as to the amount of relaxation he would obtain. Throughout the day Gov. Wilson conferred with men and delegations from many different States. They all came to discuss the National Chairmanship and the personal message to be sent by Gov. Wilson to the members of the Democratic National Committee when it assembles in Chicago next Monday afternoon.
Preparing Instructions for Hudspeth
    The views given to Gov. Wilson were many and confusing. His personal representative, National Committeeman Hudspeth of New Jersey, starts for Chicago Saturday afternoon, and he will come to Sea Girt to-morrow afternoon for final instructions. Following his custom in such cases. Gov. Wilson wished to have all the data he could obtain before him before making up the message he is to send to Chicago. His abandonment of his Sea Girt home was. his friends thought, in order that he might find a quiet spot, safe from intrusion, in which to prepare his instructions for Mr. Hudspeth.
    This message, those who know the Governor's views say will declare war on all bosses who are in the councils of the National Committee and are known to be in politics for personal ends. It will demand that only Progressives be put in command of the campaign, and it will reserve for the candidate in person the right to examine minutely into every contribution offered for the expenses of his campaign. The message is not expected to express a definite conclusion as to whether it would be better to have the campaign entirely under the charge of the National Committee, or whether it would be more practicable to name a campaign committee as well, with a Chairman of its own.
    Gov. Wilson, it was pointed out, has never taken kindly to the idea of a campaign conducted by a strong organization in contrast to a campaign conducted by young men held together merely by the bonds of a common belief. He has insisted that stories of his "wonderful organization" at Baltimore were mere fictions, and that the only wonderful thing about his victory there was that there was no such thing as an organization in the old sense back of it.
    From Indiana three men came to-day to tell Gov. Wilson he could not afford to have Tom Taggart retire from the Wilson campaign. They were led by Col. G. V. Menzies, a delegate at large, and the chief argument they advanced was that Gov. Wilson should summon Taggart back into the group of Wilson leaders to have some one to match against Root and Barnes.
Won't Invite Taggart to Stay.
    The Indiana delegation talked over their arguments on the lawn in front of the little white house. They then went in to see Gov. Wilson, and when they came out again half an hour later the Governor was asked if he had received any suggestion that he should issue a personal invitation to Taggart to recall his resignation as a member of the National Committee. "No," said Gov. Wilson, "I have nor heard anything about the idea of calling Mr. Taggart back into the committee. No one has suggested to me that I write to him about such a matter."
    "And would you consider. Governor, the advisability of writing such a letter?" was suggested.
    "I have never given a moment's consideration to the idea," Gov. Wilson replied, and his tone showed that he was through with that subject. There has not been a day since Gov. Wilson was nominated when he has received so many important visitors for intimate interviews between breakfast and dinner time as to-day. Five National Committeemen were among the callers, while another, who arrived after Gov. Wilson had dropped out of sight, went to the New Monmouth Hotel at Spring Lake to await an opportunity to see him on Friday morning. The five who called were Committeemen McCue of Colorado, McGraw of Wyoming. Ling of Arizona, Jones of Maine, and Goltra of Missouri. Committeeman Robert Ewing of Louisiana and possibly several others will also see Gov. Wilson.
    Besides the National Committeemen, delegations called from eleven States, and from each delegation Gov. Wilson heard hopeful reports and promises of overwhelming majorities from Maine to Arizona.
    There were reports that a hostile feeling has been manifested in the National Committee toward the election of William F. McCombs as Chairman. When the National Committeemen who came here were asked about this they declared they had no candidate of their own, that they were not opposed to McCombs, and that their only wish was to give Gov. Wilson exactly the kind of a campaign manager he wished to have, and then to give this manager all the support they could.
    Champ Clark was heard from in a brief telegram. It stated that he would arrive at Sea Gilt Saturday afternoon at 2:41 o'clock, and would depart at 5 o'clock in order to arrive back in Washington in time to keep an important engagement. The telegram from Speaker Clark pleased Gov. Wilson. He had written an invitation for him to visit Sea Girt with his own hand and had mailed it personally, so that none of his associates should know that it had been sent. The first rumor that Speaker Clark was coming reached here from Washington, and then the fact that an invitation had been extended became known.
    From Congressman Underwood a message was received saying that he would come to Sea Girt next week. Gov. Wilson had feared that both Speaker Clark and Congressman Underwood would be so busy with Congressional affairs that they would find it impossible to come to Sea Girt until after Congress had adjourned. The news that both were coming within a few days evidently gave Gov. Wilson. great satisfaction. It was announced that the entire period between 2 o'clock and 5 o'clock on Saturday would he given up to Speaker Clark, and that all other visitors for the afternoon would be asked to call again later.
    A subject which keenly interested Gov. Wilson and to which he gave most of his morning was that of the campaign contributions. Gov. Wilson feels very keenly his personal responsibility for the source of his campaign money. He examined personally this morning every letter received in which money was inclosed, and what is more, he sent a personal letter of thanks to every contribtion. The contributions were as high as $200 in some instances. but the majority were for $5 or under. The policy he is to adopt toward campaign funds was discussed by Gov. Wilson in a talk with the reporters this afternoon.
    "My idea of an ideal campaign fund," he said, "is one such as I have been obtaining so far: that is, a fund made up of many small contributions from many people. I have enjoyed acknowledging the contributions that have come so far."
    "But can it be," some one asked, "that you intend to keep up this policy of making personal acknowledgments?"
    "Well, of course," Gov. Wilson replied, "I do hope it will become impossible on account of the bulk. Most of the contributions are from men I do not know personally."
    Gov. Wilson was asked how closely he intended to censor the contributions. "it is my duty to know all about them," he replied, "and, of course, they will all become known in time, as the names will be published in due season. I do not feel at liberty to give out names now, as the contributors might not like it."
    A visitor to-day who received a hearty welcome was Col. John I. Martin, who has been for the last twenty years the Sergeant at Arms of the Democratic National Committee. Col. Martin came to Sea Girt from his home in St. Louis. He brought with him the gavel with which he rapped the Baltimore Convention to order at its opening and dismissed it at its close. It was similar to three gavels he had presented to Bryan following Democratic National Conventions, and one he had presented to Judge Parker.
    "But I do hope," said Col. Martin as he made the presentation to Gov. Wilson, "that, this gavel will bring you better luck than the others brought the men I gave them to."
    The gavel presented to Gov. Wilson was made from wood from a cherry tree grown at Hillsborn, Jefferson County, Mo.
    "Our State of Missouri has been straying to the Republicans of late," said Col. Martin, "but Speaker Clark will take the stump and Missouri will give Wilson an overwhelming majority. Our people had promises from Taft about river improvements. Taft never kept his promises and the people know it. They want a President whose promises aren't so easily forgotten."
    John H. McCooey and Herman A. Metz, from Brooklyn, arrived to-day with a delegation consisting of J. J. Byrne, Secretary of State Edward Lazansky, George B. Gallagher, Franklin Taylor, and ex-Sheriff Patrick H. Quinn, now a Brooklyn district leader. McCooey suggested to Gov. Wilson that it would be a fine thing from the Brooklyn standpoint to have the New York State campaign formally opened by Gov. Wilson at a rally to be held early in the Fall at the Academy of Music in Brooklyn.  Gov. Wilson seemed pleased with the suggestion, but refrained from accepting it, as he wished to take it under advisement until his general plan for the campaign was drawn up.
    The Brooklyn delegation assured Gov. Wilson that Brooklyn Democrats were thoroughly united and were in better shape than ever before to roll up a decisive Democratic victory. The men from Brooklyn refrained from suggesting to Gov. Wilson any particular candidate for Chairman of the National Committee. They said they would support whoever Gov. Wilson chose for the place.
    The message brought by former National Committeeman Harvey Garber, who led the fight against Gov. Harmon in Ohio, was that Gov. Wilson would receive a larger plurality in Ohio than the majority of 100,000 given Harmon on his re-election. Ex-Gov. David R. Francis of Missouri assured Gov. Wilson that he had Missouri in his vest pocket, but that there was danger in over-confidence. He said campaign leaders must "buckle down and make sure the crop of votes is rightly harvested."
    The last visitor seen by Gov. Wilson for the day was William G. McAdoo, who came by automobile from his home at Bay Head. Senators Watson and Chilton of West Virginia have appointments with Gov. Wilson for to-morrow morning, when they plan to discuss with him the West Virginia situation and to invite the Governor to make a tour of the State in August.