December 18
December 18, 1917: The Capital Times, the Madison newspaper which had published its first edition five days earlier, issued a statement declaring that the newspaper was not associated with Robert La Follette and was not subsidized by the Germans of Milwaukee.
The Capital Times, December 18, 1917
A STATEMENT TO THE PEOPLE
OF MADISON AND DANE COUNTY
FAIR competition is the life of business. We welcome fair competition. We will accept dishonest competition if we have to. Some days ago a competitor published a story that The Capital Times was started as an organ for La Follette.
THAT IS A LIE
La Follette has nothing to do with The Capital Times, directly or indirectly. We have tried to make it just as plain as the English language can make it that The Capital Times is not the organ of any man, any faction, or any party. The same paper published the story that The Capital Times is subsidized by the Germans of Milwaukee.
THAT IS A LIE
Not a dollar has been subscribed to The Capital Times or promised to it, directly or indirectly, by any Milwaukee German, or any German organization.
The officers of The Capital Times are: William T. Evjue, president and editor; W.C. Allman, vice-president and advertising manager; E.C. Homberger, secretary; T.C. Bowden, treasurer and Harry D. Sage, circulation manager. They own a majority of the stock and have absolute control of the policy of the paper. They are all young men, the oldest being 35 years, with newspaper experience. They are resolved to make this business venture a success by honest methods and fair dealings.
Since the first publication of The Capital Times, and its position in favor of the war made known several citizens of Madison have gone to advertisers and have repeated in substance the falsehoods above stated and have threatened to withdraw their patronage with such advertisers, if they should advertise in The Capital Times. We have the names and the statements of these parties and can make proof of our assertions at the proper time. We should like to believe that all of these people were merely mislead into doing an unfair thing. We believe most of them have been so mislead. But when prominent lawyers adopt such tactics, we think it only fair to call their attention to the criminal statute which they have evidently overlooked.
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